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Combretum
Also called Bushwillow
Combretum, the bushwillows, is a genus of about 272 mostly tropical and southern African trees and shrubs, named for the willow-like habit of some species. Most grow in warm, sunny, well-drained conditions, and many are large savannah trees rather than houseplants.
Combretum, the bushwillows or combretums, make up the type genus of the family Combretaceae. The genus comprises about 272 species of trees and shrubs, most of which are native to tropical and southern Africa, about 5 to Madagascar, but there are others that are native to tropical Asia, New Guinea and the Bismarck Archipelago, Australia, and tropical America.
Around 17 species in the genus Quisqualis are very similar to Combretum and are now classified as species of the genus.
Bushwillow trees often are important plants in their habitat. Savannahs in Africa, in particular those growing on granitic soils, are often dominated by Combretum and its close relative Terminalia. For example, C. apiculatum is a notable tree in the Angolan mopane woodlands ecoregion in the Kunene River basin in southern Africa.
Several species are used in African or Indian herbal medicine. Several species of this genus in Madagascar known collectively as voantamenaka or voatamenaka (from voa 'fruit' and menaka 'oil') are used in traditional Malagasy medicine as deworming remedies. The class of chemical compounds known as combretastatins were first isolated from South African bushwillow (Combretum afrum), from which they get their name. One synthetic derivative, fosbretabulin disodium (combretastatin A4 phosphate), underwent preliminary study for the treatment of anaplastic thyroid cancer, but it was not effective enough to progress to more advanced trials. C. molle is also recorded to contain antioxidants such as punicalagin, which is also found in pomegranates (Punica granatum), a somewhat related plant.
Combretum aculeatum · Powderpuff Combretum · Combretum fruticosum · Leadwood · Rangoon Creeper · Opium Antidote · Combretum obscurum · Combretum trifoliatum · Large-fruited bushwillow
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Combretum by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
