Burkea africana Hook.

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Photo: Mark Hyde
Mukuvisi Woodland, nr Blatherwick Avenue

Photo: Bart Wursten
Gardiner, Arcturus

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Species details: Click on each item to see an explanation of that item (Note: opens a new window)

Synonyms:
Common names:	Burkea (English) False ash (English) Mukarati (Shona) Umnondo (Ndebele) Wild syringa (English)
Frequency:	Common
Status:	Native
Description:	Deciduous tree, to 8 m. Bark rough, both vertically and horizontally fissured. Twigs with brown-hairy apex. Leaves with pinnae in 2-5 pairs. Leaflets 6-15 per pinna; lamina 1.5-7.5 × 0.7-4.2 cm, elliptic or sometimes ovate-elliptic or ± obovate, appressed-puberulent; base ± asymmetric; apex obtuse and emarginate. Spikes pendulous, to 20 cm. Petals c.4-5 mm, white to pale green. Pod 4-6.5 × 2-3 cm. Seeds c.9-12 mm, elliptic, flattened, brown.
Notes:	The fruits of Burkea superficially resemble a Terminalia, but Burkea is readily separated by its compound leaves.
Derivation of specific name:	africana: African
Habitat:	In sandy soils in woodland and in wooded grassland
Altitude range: (metres)	990 - 1630 m
Flowering time:	Sep - Oct
Worldwide distribution:	Widespread in tropical Africa southwards to Mpumalanga and Gauteng in S Africa.
Zimbabwe distribution:	N,W,C,E,S
Growth form:	ST
Endemic status:
Red data list status:
Insects (whose larvae eat this species):	Cirina forda (Emperor moth) Sphingomorpha chlorea (Sundowner moth or Banana hawk) Leptotes group (Blues)
Spot characters:	Display spot characters for this species
Content last updated:	Sunday 22 October 2006
Literature:	Drummond, R.B. (1981). Common Trees of the Central Watershed Woodlands of Zimbabwe. Natural Resources Board, Harare. Pages 60 - 61. (Includes a picture). Smith, P. & Allen, Q. (2004). Field Guide to the Trees and Shrubs of the Miombo Woodlands Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew ISBN 1 84246 073 0 Pages 116 - 117. (Includes a picture).

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Other sources of information about Burkea africana:

Flora of Mozambique: Burkea africana
African Plant Database: Burkea africana
Biodiversity Explorer (Biodiversity of southern Africa): Burkea africana
EOL (Encyclopedia of Life): Burkea africana
ePIC (electronic Plant Information Center): Burkea africana
Flora Zambesiaca web site: Burkea africana
Google: Web - Images - Scholar
GRIN (Germplasm Resources Information Network) taxonomy for plants report for Burkea africana
IPNI (International Plant Names Index): Burkea africana
JSTOR Plant Science: Burkea africana
Kew Herbarium catalogue: Burkea africana
Tropicos: Burkea africana
West African Plants database: Burkea africana