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Barteria fistulosa is a species of tree in the family Passifloraceae, native to tropical Central Africa. The tree has an association with an aggressive species of ant with a very painful sting, which lives in its hollow branches and twigs, and gives rise to its common name of "ant tree".
Barteria fistulosa can be found in tropical Central Africa, its range extending from Nigeria to the Democratic Republic of Congo. It grows in moist mixed terra firma forest, where it forms part of the understory. It is also found in gallery forests, secondary forests, glades and clearings. The seedlings can tolerate deep shade.
Several parts of this tree are used in traditional medicine; the roots, bark and leaves are used to reduce fevers and pains; a decoction of the bark has various uses and the sap helps with the healing of wounds; some parts of the tree are used against snake bites and epilepsy; and the young shoots are thought to have aphrodisiac properties.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Barteria fistulosa by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts are shared under the same licence.
