Parkia bicolor
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Parkia bicolor | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Fabales |
| Family: | Fabaceae |
| Subfamily: | Caesalpinioideae |
| Clade: | Mimosoid clade |
| Genus: | Parkia |
| Species: | P. bicolor |
| Binomial name | |
| Parkia bicolor | |
| Synonyms | |
|
Parkia agboensis A.Chev. | |
Parkia bicolor, the African locust-bean,[2] is a species of flowering plant, a tree in the family Fabaceae. It is native to tropical West and Central Africa. Its natural habitats are tropical moist lowland forests, swampland, woodland and savannah.
Parkia bicolor is a medium to large tree growing to a height of about 40 m (130 ft) with a trunk a metre or more in diameter with narrow, spreading buttresses. The crown is umbrella-shaped and has widely spreading branches. The young twigs are felted with short reddish-brown hairs. The leaves are alternate with ten to twenty-five pairs of pinnae, each composed of numerous pairs of small, narrow leaflets. The inflorescence is a pendulous, two-part head of small flowers, which is followed by long, dangling pods each containing up to twenty-five seeds.[3]
Distribution and habitat
Parkia bicolor is found in tropical western and central Africa, its range extending from Sierra Leone eastward to Yangambi in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and southwards to Cabinda (Angola). It typically grows in rainforest and gallery forest, as well as woodland, swampy areas and savannah. When forest is being cleared, this species is often left as isolated trees because of its useful properties.[1]
