Alchornea cordifolia (Schumach.) Müll.Arg.

Species

Angiosperms > Malpighiales > Euphorbiaceae > Alchornea

Characteristics

A sprawling shrub. It can grow 8 m tall. The leaves are simple and alternate. They are 10-28 cm long by 7-16 cm wide. The leaves are oval with a heart shaped base and with irregular teeth along the edge. They have distinct glands at the base of the leaf blade. The leaf stalk is long. The male flowers are on long spikes. The female flowers are on short stalks.
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Styles long and persistent on the ripening fruits
A shrub or small tree, erect or half climbing
In lax pendulous spikes or racemes.
Flowers greenish-white
Life form perennial
Growth form tree
Growth support -
Foliage retention evergreen
Sexuality -
Pollination -
Spread -
Mature width (meter) -
Mature height (meter) 8.0
Root system -
Rooting depth (meter) -
Root diameter (meter) -
Flower color
Blooming months -
Fruit color -
Fruiting months -
Nitrogen fixer -
Photosynthetic pathway c3

Environment

Widespread in secondary forest and riverine forest, especially in marshy areas but sometimes in drier sites, from sea-level up to 1,500 metres altitude. It often forms thickets in disturbed, unburned localities.
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It is a tropical plant. It grows on the edges of forests near fresh and sea water. It grows in open places. In Nigeria it has been recorded at 1,060 m above sea level. It suits acid soils.
Light 7-9
Soil humidity 1-9
Soil texture 1-6
Soil acidity -
Soil nutriment -
Hardiness (USDA) 10-12

Usage

The dried leaves are cooked and used to make a tea drink.
Uses animal food dye environmental use food fuel material medicinal social use tea wood
Edible fruits leaves
Therapeutic use Abdomen (unspecified), Headache (unspecified), Ache(Bones) (unspecified), Cathartic (unspecified), Chancre (unspecified), Cold (unspecified), Collyrium (unspecified), Conjunctivitis (unspecified), Cough (unspecified), Diarrhea (unspecified), Diuretic (unspecified), Dysentery (unspecified), Dysmenorrhea (unspecified), Emetic (unspecified), Emmenagogue (unspecified), Erysipelas (unspecified), Gonorrhea (unspecified), Jaundice (unspecified), Leprosy (unspecified), Malaria (unspecified), Myalgia (unspecified), Newborn (unspecified), Ophthalmia (unspecified), Piles (unspecified), Poultice (unspecified), Respiratory (unspecified), Rheumatism (unspecified), Ringworm (unspecified), Sore (unspecified), Throat (unspecified), Thrush (unspecified), Toothache (unspecified), Urethritis (unspecified), Yaws (unspecified), Anodyne (unspecified), Stomachic (unspecified), Bite(Snake) (unspecified), Bronchitis (unspecified), Chill (unspecified), Craw-Craw (unspecified), Feet (unspecified), Gargle (unspecified), Venereal (unspecified), Wound (unspecified)
Human toxicity -
Animal toxicity -

Cultivation

Plants can be grown from stem cuttings. They can also be grown from seed. Plants can be cut back and will re-grow.
Mode cuttings seedlings
Germination duration (days) -
Germination temperacture (C°) -
Germination luminosity -
Germination treatment -
Minimum temperature (C°) -
Optimum temperature (C°) -
Size -
Vigor -
Productivity -

Images

Leaf

Alchornea cordifolia leaf picture by Paulin OUOBA (cc-by-sa)

Distribution

Alchornea cordifolia world distribution map, present in Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Congo, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sudan, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Chad, Togo, Tanzania, United Republic of, and Uganda

Conservation status

Alchornea cordifolia threat status: Least Concern

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:338380-1
WFO ID wfo-0000938571
COL ID BJDW
BDTFX ID -
INPN ID -
Wikipedia (EN) Link
Wikipedia (FR) Link

Synonyms

Schousboea cordifolia Cacoucia cordifolia Alchornea cordata Alchornea cordifolia