Chaetachme

Chaetachme is a monotypic genus of flowering plants in the elm family containing the single species Chaetachme aristata. Its English common name is thorny elm,[2] and it is known as muyuyu in Kikuyu.[3] It is native to eastern and western Africa, including Madagascar.[4] It is debated to be in the family Cannabaceae, thought to be possibly closely related to Celtis.

Chaetachme
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Rosales
Family: Ulmaceae
Genus: Chaetachme
Planch.
Species:
C. aristata
Binomial name
Chaetachme aristata
Synonyms[1]
  • Celtis appendiculata E.Mey. ex Planch.
  • Celtis subdentata E.Mey. ex Planch.
  • Chaetachme madagascariensis Baker
  • Chaetachme meyeri Harv.
  • Chaetachme microcarpa Rendle
  • Chaetachme nitida Planch. & Harv.
  • Chaetachme serrata Engl.

Chaetachme aristata 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.[4][5]

This shrub is host to the mirid bug Volumnus chaetacme.[6]

The spiny branches of the shrub are used as fences in African villages.[3][7]

References
  1. "Chaetachme aristata Planch". The Plant List (2013). Version 1.1. Retrieved 5 March 2014.
  2. Trees & Shrubs of East Africa. Archived 2018-04-08 at the Wayback Machine Safari Patrol
  3. "Glossary". www.fao.org. Retrieved 2017-08-01.
  4. "JSTOR Global Plants: Search Results". plants.jstor.org. Retrieved 2017-08-01.
  5. Arusha Region. Archived 2011-08-13 at the Wayback Machine The management and ecology of Tanzanian forests
  6. Linnavuori, R. (1996). Taxonomic studies of the Miridae (Heteroptera) of Africa and the Middle East. Acta Universitatis Carolinae Biologica 40 321-50.
  7. 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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