Guiera

Life-forms

Classification System: APG IV

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Regnum: Plantae
Cladus: Angiosperms
Cladus: Eudicots
Cladus: Core eudicots
Cladus: Rosids
Cladus: Eurosids II
Ordo: Myrtales

Familia: Combretaceae
Subfamilia: Combretoideae
Tribus: Combreteae
Subtribus: Combretinae
Genus: Guiera
Species: G. senegalensis
⧼Source(s) of checklist⧽:

Govaerts, R. et al. 2020. Guiera in Kew Science Plants of the World online. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2020 Nov 21. Reference page.

Name

Guiera Adans. ex Juss., Gen. Pl. 320. 1789.
Distribution
Native distribution areas:

Africa
West Tropical Africa
Benin, Burkina, The Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal
West-Central Tropical Africa
Cameroon, Central African Republic
Northeast Tropical Africa
Chad, Sudan

References: Brummitt, R.K. 2001. TDWG – World Geographical Scheme for Recording Plant Distributions, 2nd Edition
References
Primary references

Jussieu, A.L. de 1789. Genera plantarum, secundum ordines naturales disposita juxta methodum in Horto Regio Parisiensi exaratam. 498 pp. Paris: Herissant et Theophile Barrois. BHL Reference page.

Links

Hassler, M. 2019. Guiera. World Plants: Synonymic Checklists of the Vascular Plants of the World In: Roskovh, Y., Abucay, L., Orrell, T., Nicolson, D., Bailly, N., Kirk, P., Bourgoin, T., DeWalt, R.E., Decock, W., De Wever, A., Nieukerken, E. van, Zarucchi, J. & Penev, L., eds. 2019. Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2019 October 25. Reference page.
Govaerts, R. et al. 2019. Guiera in Kew Science Plants of the World online. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2019 October 25. Reference page.
International Plant Names Index. 2019. Guiera. Published online. Accessed: October 25 2019.
Tropicos.org 2019. Guiera. Missouri Botanical Garden. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2019 October 25.

Vernacular names

Guiera is a flowering plant genus in the family Combretaceae. Guiera senegalensis is the only species in the genus, found in Tropical Africa in dry areas from Senegal to Sudan (requiring much sunlight and light dry soil).[1] The plant produces the tannin 3,4,5-Tri-O-galloylquinic acid and several alkaloids of the harman family.[2]

Uses

The plant as a whole is often decorative, however the leaves are known as a medicinal 'cure-all' in Africa. It is known for helping coughs, being hypotensive, antidiarrhetic and anti-inflammatory. Its bark yields a marketable gum, branches for baskets, framework, and fences, roots for toothpicks, and smoke to repel flies.[1]

It is an indicator species of overgrazed land.[1]
Ecology

Guiera is a pioneer species, spread via animal dispersal and grows well in impoverished soil.
Hydraulic redistribution

Hydraulic redistribution (HR): When grown as a companion plant with millet water drawn up by Guiera senegalensis during the night is excreted by its roots and available to the millet, dramatically increasing its yield.[3]
References

"Guiera senegalensis - Useful Tropical Plants". tropical.theferns.info. Retrieved 2019-09-09.
Phytochemical and pharmacological study of roots and leaves of Guiera senegalensis J.F. gmel (combretaceae). Fiot Julien, Sanon Souleymane, Azas Nadine, Mahiou Valérie, Jansen Olivia, Angenot Luc, Balansard Guy and Ollivier Evelyne, Journal of ethnopharmacology, 2006, vol. 106, no2, pp. 173-178

Nathaniel A. Bogie1; Roger Bayala; Ibrahima Diedhiou; Martha H. Conklin; Marilyn L. Fogel; Richard P. Dick; Teamrat A. Ghezzehei1 (September 18, 2018). "Hydraulic Redistribution by Native Sahelian Shrubs: Bioirrigation to Resist In-Season Drought". Frontiers in Environmental Science. 6: 98. doi:10.3389/fenvs.2018.00098. ISSN 2296-665X.

Guiera senegalensis in West African plants – A Photo Guide.