Feretia apodanthera

Names and Synonyms

Scientific Names

Accepted name

Sources: Wikidata

Distribution

This plant is found across several nations within the West Tropical Africa region. Its presence is documented in the country of Benin, where it grows in local habitats. It also extends into Burkina, contributing to the biodiversity of the area. Furthermore, the species can be located in both Gambia and Ghana. Finally, its geographical range includes the territory of Ivory Coast.

Sources: The World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP)

Botanical Identification

Life history

The life history of Feretia apodanthella is characterized by a perennial lifecycle, indicating its ability to persist in its environment over many years. As a plant that exhibits diverse structural adaptations, it is classified under the life forms of both phanerophyte and nanophanerophyte, reflecting its growth habit and the height at which its buds are maintained. Additionally, the species is deciduous, meaning it undergoes a seasonal shedding of its foliage as part of its natural life cycle.

Deciduousness :

deciduous

Life form :

nanophanerophyte

Life form :

phanerophyte

Lifecycle :

perennial

Morphology

The morphology of Feretia apodanthera is characterized by a woody growth form, primarily manifesting as a shrub. This plant functions as an independent organism and is terrestrial in its ecological habit, rather than being an epiphyte. In terms of stature, it exhibits a variable plant height, typically ranging from a minimum of 2 m to a maximum of 6 m, with an average height of approximately 3 m. Although it displays a shrub-like habit, it possesses self-supporting climbing capabilities.

Climber :

self-supporting

Epiphyte :

terrestrial

Growth form :

shrub

Parasite :

independent

Plant height max:

6 m

Plant height mean:

3 m

Plant height min:

2 m

Woodiness :

woody

Physiology

The physiology of Fretia apodanthera is characterized by a standard C3 photosynthetic pathway, utilizing the Calvin cycle to fix atmospheric carbon dioxide through the direct action of the enzyme RuBisCO. This metabolic strategy dictates its resource requirements and environmental adaptations, as the plant lacks the specialized anatomy or biochemical mechanisms found in C4 or CAM species to minimize photorespiration. Furthermore, the plant does not function as a nitrogen fixer, meaning it lacks the specialized symbiotic relationship with nitrogen-fixing bacteria required to convert atmospheric nitrogen into usable forms, and instead relies on the uptake of available nitrates and ammonium from the soil substrate to satisfy its nutritional requirements for protein and nucleic acid synthesis.

Nitrogen fixer :

no

Photosynthetic pathway :

C3

Reproduction

The reproduction of Fretia apodanthera is characterized by the production of specialized seeds that exhibit specific morphological and mass-related variations. The seed mass of this species is relatively small and demonstrates a narrow range of distribution, which is critical for its dispersal and germination processes. Quantitative analysis of the seed mass reveals a mean value of 0.013045 g. Within the observed population, the individual seeds fluctuate between a minimum mass of 0.01005 g and a maximum mass of 0.01604 g. These precise measurements in seed weight suggest a highly regulated reproductive output, ensuring that the seeds possess the necessary nutrient reserves to support early seedling development within its ecological niche.

Seed mass max:

0.01604 g

Seed mass mean:

0.013045 g

Seed mass min:

0.01005 g

Sources: Global Inventory of Floras and Traits (GIFT)

Plant Parts

Feretia apodanthera has 1 reported plant parts identified across 1 scientific publications and several other databases that are studied for medicinal purposes. The most consistently reported plant part include leaf.

Leaf

1. Phytotherapy research : PTR

Conditions

Feretia apodanthera has 2 reported investigations on conditions identified across 1 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported conditions include malaria, antiviral.

Malaria

1. Parasitology research
2. Journal of ethnopharmacology

Antiviral

1. Journal of ethnopharmacology

Preparations

Feretia apodanthera has 5 reported preparations identified across 1 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported preparations include aqueous-acetone extracts, leaf extracts, methanol extract of leaves, root extracts, stem bark extracts.

Aqueous-acetone extracts

1. Asian Pacific journal of tropical medicine

Leaf extracts

1. Journal of ethnopharmacology

Methanol extract of leaves

1. Phytotherapy research : PTR

Root extracts

1. Journal of ethnopharmacology

Stem bark extracts

1. Journal of ethnopharmacology