Curtisia: Difference between revisions

|status_system = IUCN2IUCN3.31

|grandparent_authority = [[Armen Takhtajan|Takht.]]<ref name=APGIII2009>{{Cite journal |last=Angiosperm Phylogeny Group |year=2009 |title=An update of the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group classification for the orders and families of flowering plants: APG III |journal=Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society |volume=161 |issue=2 |pages=105–121 |doi=10.1111/j.1095-8339.2009.00996.x |doi-access=free |hdl=10654/18083 |hdl-access=free }}</ref>

'''''Curtisia dentata''''' (commonly known as the '''Assegai tree''' or '''Cape lancewood''', {{lang-langx|af|Assegaai}}, {{lang-langx|xh|Umgxina}}, {{lang-langx|zu|Umagunda}})<ref name="dwaf">{{cite web

It is increasingly popular as an [[ornamental tree]] for gardens, with dark glossy foliage and sprays of pure white berries. The bark of this tree is a very popular component of traditional African medicine, leading to [[overexploitation]] and a decline in the species in some areas of South Africa.<ref name="BoDD">[http://www.botanical-dermatology-database.info/BotDermFolder/CURT.html#Curtisia%20dentata ''Curtisia dentata''] in BoDD &#8211;– Botanical Dermatology Database</ref> The tree is protected in South Africa.<ref name="dwaf"/>

This tree gets its common name from the African spear -– the [[Assegai|Zulu Assegai]] -– which was traditionally made from this tree's strong wood. The Zulu would intentionally damage the tree's main trunk, causing the tree to [[coppice]] from its base. The straight, strong shoots of the coppice were used for the shafts of the spears.

A medium to tall [[evergreen]] [[tree]] (up to {{convert|15 |m|abbr=on}} in height), usually immediately recognizable due to the striking contrast between its dark, glossy foliage and its sprays of cream-white berries. It has a clean, unbuttressed bole and the bark is smooth and grey or cinnamon-coloured. The leaves have pointed tips and toothed edges, and are arranged in opposite pairs. The leaf surface is smooth and dark glossy green, while the stalks and the twigs are covered in silky reddish hair. Very young growth is also velvety to the touch and bronze-gold in colour. The tiny [[flower]]s are cream-coloured and velvety, but relatively inconspicuous.

The Assegai tree grows in the forests of [[South Africa]] and [[SwazilandEswatini]], ranging from sea level to 1800 meters{{convert|1,800|m|abbr=on}} elevation, and from [[Cape Town]] in the south to [[Limpopo]] province in the north. It also grows in Afromontane forest in the [[Eastern Highlands]] along the border of [[Zimbabwe]] and [[Mozambique]], and [[Mount Gorongosa]] in Mozambique.<ref name = iucn/> In deep [[Afromontane]] forest it grows into a tall tree, but on open mountain slopes and by the coast it remains a small bushy tree. ''Curtisia'' has been in decline in some areas, as its bark is highly valued for traditional medicine. It is now a Protected Tree in South Africa.

==See alsoGallery==