- Chaetacme
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Chaetacme Scientific classification Kingdom: Plantae (unranked): Angiosperms (unranked): Eudicots (unranked): Rosids Order: Rosales Family: Ulmaceae Genus: Chaetacme Species: C. aristata Binomial name Chaetacme aristata
Planch.Synonyms Chaetacme microcarpa
Chaetacme is a monotypic genus of flowering plants in the elm family containing the single species Chaetacme aristata. Its English common name is thorny elm,[1] and it is known as muyuyu in Kikuyu.[2] It is native to eastern and western Africa, including Madagascar.[3]
This is a shrub or small tree growing up to 10 meters tall. It has drooping, angular branches covered with spines up to 3.5 centimeters in length. The lance-shaped leaves are up to 11 centimeters long by 5 centimeters wide, pointed at the tip and smooth or serrated on the edges. The shrub is dioecious and sexually dimorphic, with male and female flower types borne on separate individuals.[3][4]
This shrub is host to the mirid bug Volumnus chaetacme.[5]
The spiny branches of the shrub are used as fences in African villages.[2][6]
References
- ^ Trees & Shrubs of East Africa. Safari Patrol
- ^ a b FAO Glossary
- ^ a b JSTOR Plant Science
- ^ Arusha Region. The management and ecology of Tanzanian forests
- ^ Linnavuori, R. (1996). Taxonomic studies of the Miridae (Heteroptera) of Africa and the Middle East. Acta Universitatis Carolinae Biologica 40 321-50.
- ^ Bussmann, R. W., et al. (2006). Plant use of the Maasai of Sekenani Valley, Maasai Mara, Kenya. J Ethnobiol Ethnomed 2 22.
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