sand knobwood

Names and Synonyms

Common Names

• sand knobwood

Scientific Names

Accepted name

Synonyms

• Fagara kibomboensis
• Fagara leprieurii
• Zanthoxylum stuhlmannii
• Fagara kelekete
• Zanthoxylum nitens
• Fagara olung
• Fagara polyacantha
• Fagara nitens
• Fagara beniensis
• Fagara angolensis
• Fagara attiensis
• Fagara stuhlmannii

Sources: Wikidata, Catalogue of Life

Taxonomical Classification

This plant belongs to the kingdom Plantae and the phylum Streptophyta, falling under the class Equisetopsida and subclass Magnoliidae. Within the order Sapindales, it is classified under the family Rutaceae. It is specifically identified by the genus Zanthoxylum, with its species name being leprieurii.

Sources: The World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP)

Distribution

This plant is native to several specific regions located within West Tropical Africa. Its geographical presence is notably documented in the country of Benin. Furthermore, it can be found growing within the borders of Burkina Faso. The distribution extends to other nations in the area, including Ghana and Guinea-Bissau. Finally, the species is also recorded as being present in Guinea.

Sources: The World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP)

Botanical Identification

Ecology

The ecology of Zanthoxylum leprieurii is characterized by its adaptation to specific altitudinal gradients within its native habitats, typically thriving in diverse forest environments. This species exhibits a broad vertical distribution, occupying ecological niches that span from low-lying areas to moderate montane elevations. Specifically, its elevational range extends from a minimum of 10 m AMSL to a maximum of 700 m AMSL. This distribution suggests that the plant is well-suited to subtropical or tropical lowland to mid-elevation ecosystems, where it likely interacts with various soil types and microclimates found within these specific altitude parameters.

Elevational range max:

700 m AMSL

Elevational range min:

10 m AMSL

Life history

The life history of Zanthoxylum leprieurii is characterized by its status as a perennial organism, ensuring its long-term persistence within its natural habitat through multiple growing seasons. As a phanerophyte, its reproductive buds are elevated well above the ground on woody stems, a structural adaptation that defines its growth habit and survival strategy. This phanerophytic life form is consistent across its development, as it maintains its stature through the seasonal cycles typical of its perennial lifecycle.

Life form :

phanerophyte

Lifecycle :

perennial

Morphology

The morphology of Zanthoxylum leprieurii is characterized by its growth form as a woody tree. As a self-supporting species, it does not exhibit climbing or parasitic behavior, functioning as an independent organism within its ecosystem. The plant is strictly terrestrial in its habitat, neither aquatic nor epiphytic. In terms of stature, it reaches significant dimensions, with plant heights ranging from a minimum of approximately 4.57 meters to a maximum of 24.38 meters, maintaining an average height of roughly 17.5 meters.

Aquatic :

terrestrial

Climber :

self-supporting

Epiphyte :

terrestrial

Growth form :

tree

Parasite :

independent

Plant height max:

24.38429651 m

Plant height mean:

17.5 m

Plant height min:

4.572055596 m

Woodiness :

woody

Physiology

The physiology of Xanthoxylum leprieurii is characterized by a standard metabolic framework typical of many woody dicotyledonous species. It utilizes the C3 photosynthetic pathway, a process wherein carbon dioxide is fixed directly through the Calvin cycle using the enzyme RuBisCO, which is efficient under temperate to subtropical environmental conditions. Furthermore, this species does not function as a nitrogen fixer, meaning it lacks the symbiotic relationship with nitrogen-fixing bacteria (such as Rhizobium or Frankia) required to convert atmospheric nitrogen into bioavailable forms, and instead relies on the uptake of nitrogenous compounds from the soil through its root system.

Nitrogen fixer :

no

Photosynthetic pathway :

C3

Reproduction

The reproduction of Zanthoxylum leprieurii is characterized by a biotic pollination syndrome, primarily driven by insect vectors to facilitate genetic exchange. The plant exhibits a lack of self-fertilization, indicating a reproductive strategy that relies on cross-pollination to maintain genetic diversity. The resulting seeds are uniform in size, with a recorded seed mass mean, maximum, and minimum all measuring exactly 0.02838 g.

Pollination syndrome :

insect

Pollination syndrome :

biotic

Seed mass mean:

0.02838 g

Self fertilization :

absent

Sources: Global Inventory of Floras and Traits (GIFT)

Plant Parts

Zanthoxylum leprieurii has 3 reported plant parts identified across 5 scientific publications and several other databases that are studied for medicinal purposes. The most consistently reported plant part include fruit, leaf, stem.

Fruit

1. Natural product research
2. Journal of ethnopharmacology
3. Foods (Basel, Switzerland)

Leaf

1. Foods (Basel, Switzerland)

Stem

1. BMC complementary and alternative medicine

Chemicals

Zanthoxylum leprieurii has 15 reported phytochemicals identified across 5 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported chemicals include 1-hydroxy-3-methoxy-10-methyl-9-acridone, 7,8-Dimethoxycoumarin, Citronellol, Dendrolasin, Flavonoids.

1-hydroxy-3-methoxy-10-methyl-9-acridone

1. BMC complementary and alternative medicine

7,8-Dimethoxycoumarin

1. Journal of ethnopharmacology

Citronellol

1. Foods (Basel, Switzerland)

Dendrolasin

1. Foods (Basel, Switzerland)

Flavonoids

1. Journal of clinical tuberculosis and other mycobacterial diseases

GERANIAL

1. Foods (Basel, Switzerland)

SINAPIC ACID

1. Journal of ethnopharmacology

Saponins

1. Journal of clinical tuberculosis and other mycobacterial diseases

Tannins

1. Journal of clinical tuberculosis and other mycobacterial diseases

Terpenoids

1. Journal of clinical tuberculosis and other mycobacterial diseases

Activities

Zanthoxylum leprieurii has 6 reported activities identified across 5 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported activities include Antibacterial, Anticancer, Antifungal, Antimicrobial, Antioxidant.

Antibacterial

1. Journal of ethnopharmacology
2. Fitoterapia

Anticancer

1. Natural product research
2. Journal of ethnopharmacology

Antifungal

1. Fitoterapia

Antimicrobial

1. Journal of ethnopharmacology

Antioxidant

1. Foods (Basel, Switzerland)

Cytotoxic

1. Journal of ethnopharmacology

Conditions

Zanthoxylum leprieurii has 11 reported investigations on conditions identified across 5 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported conditions include tuberculosis, Candida albicans, Cryptococcus neoformans, antioxidant, diarrhea.

Tuberculosis

1. Journal of ethnopharmacology
2. Journal of natural products
3. BMC complementary and alternative medicine

Candida albicans

1. Journal of ethnopharmacology

Cryptococcus neoformans

1. Journal of ethnopharmacology

Antioxidant

1. Foods (Basel, Switzerland)

Diarrhea

1. Chemistry Central journal

Gonorrhea

1. Journal of ethnopharmacology

Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis

1. Tuberculosis (Edinburgh, Scotland)

Pain

1. Chemistry Central journal

Sickle cell anemia

1. Journal of ethnopharmacology

Sterility

1. Journal of ethnopharmacology

Preparations

Zanthoxylum leprieurii has 9 reported preparations identified across 5 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported preparations include Cameroonian medicinal spice extracts, Essential oils, essential oils, essential oils hydrodistillated from fruits, essential oils hydrodistillated from leaves.

Cameroonian medicinal spice extracts

1. Nutrients

Essential oils

1. Foods (Basel, Switzerland)

Essential oils

1. Journal of ethnopharmacology

Essential oils hydrodistillated from fruits

1. Foods (Basel, Switzerland)

Essential oils hydrodistillated from leaves

1. Foods (Basel, Switzerland)

Essential oils hydrodistillated from trunk bark

1. Foods (Basel, Switzerland)

Fruit extracts

1. Journal of ethnopharmacology

Infusion from the fruit

1. Journal of ethnopharmacology

Methanol extracts

1. Journal of ethnopharmacology