Burkea africana

Wild syringa
	Summer and autumn foliage
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Rosids
Order:	Fabales
Family:	Fabaceae
Subfamily:	Caesalpinioideae
(unranked):	Dimorphandra Group A
Genus:	Burkea; Benth. (1843)
Species:	B. africana
Binomial name
	Burkea africana; Hook. (1843)
Synonyms
	Burkea africana var. andongensis Oliv. (1871); Burkea africana var. cordata Welw. ex Oliv. (1871); Burkea caperangau Baill. (1870);

Burkea africana, the wild syringa (Bambara: siri), is a deciduous, medium-sized, spreading, flat-topped tree which grows in the woodlands and savannas of sub-Saharan Africa. It is the sole species in genus Burkea, which belongs to the subfamily Caesalpinioideae of the family Fabaceae.

The genus was named in honour of Joseph Burke, the botanist and collector.

Description

Burkea africana is a tree growing from 4 to 20 meters high.^[1] Leaves are bipinnately compound, silvery pubescent or glabrescent. Flowers are creamy white, fragrant and in pendulous racemes of up to 300 mm in length. The bark is toxic, rich in alkaloids and tannins and used for tanning leather. Pulverised bark is thrown into water to paralyse fish.

Range and habitat

Burkea africana is widespread in sub-Saharan Africa, from Senegal to Sudan and South Africa.^[1] It is found in Chad, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Zaire, Benin, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Guinea, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Togo, Angola, Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia and South Africa in the Transvaal region.

It is typically found in deciduous woodland and savanna from 270 to 1300 meters elevation. The species is generally absent from humid tropical rain forests.^[1]

Ecology

The foliage is browsed by the larvae of two Saturniidae moths, Rohaniella pygmaea and Imbrasia forda.

Uses

If cut from the heartwood, it produces durable, insect-resistant timber with a moderately fine, wavy grain which is dark brown to reddish brown, and is used for parquet flooring and fine cabinet and furniture work.