Givotia madagascariensis (PROTA): Difference between revisions
No edit summary |
No edit summary |
||
| Line 39: | Line 39: | ||
== Description == | == Description == | ||
Deciduous medium-sized tree up to 30 m tall; bole branchless for up to 16 m, generally straight, up to 120 cm in diameter; bark surface smooth, yellowish white, inner bark granular, yellow to orange, with a little reddish exudate; crown rather narrow; twigs short-hairy with stellate hairs. Leaves alternate, simple; stipules absent; petiole up to 17.5 cm long, sometimes with glands; blade 5.5–17 cm × 8–25 cm, shallowly to deeply 3–5-lobed, with acuminate and irregularly toothed lobes, reddish or whitish short-hairy below with stellate hairs, glandular and with translucent dots, palmately (3–)5–7-veined from the base. Inflorescence a terminal or axillary panicle. Flowers unisexual, regular, 5-merous, whitish; calyx lobes slightly unequal; petals c. 5 mm long, slightly coherent; stamens up to 15, fused at base; disk 5-lobed; ovary superior, 1–3-celled, style 2-lobed; male flowers without ovary, female flowers lacking stamens. Fruit a fleshy, globose to broadly ovoid drupe 1.5–2.5 cm in diameter, indehiscent, 1-seeded. Seed globose, with oily endosperm. | *Deciduous medium-sized tree up to 30 m tall; bole branchless for up to 16 m, generally straight, up to 120 cm in diameter; bark surface smooth, yellowish white, inner bark granular, yellow to orange, with a little reddish exudate; crown rather narrow; twigs short-hairy with stellate hairs. | ||
*Leaves alternate, simple; stipules absent; petiole up to 17.5 cm long, sometimes with glands; blade 5.5–17 cm × 8–25 cm, shallowly to deeply 3–5-lobed, with acuminate and irregularly toothed lobes, reddish or whitish short-hairy below with stellate hairs, glandular and with translucent dots, palmately (3–)5–7-veined from the base. | |||
*Inflorescence a terminal or axillary panicle. | |||
*Flowers unisexual, regular, 5-merous, whitish; calyx lobes slightly unequal; petals c. 5 mm long, slightly coherent; stamens up to 15, fused at base; disk 5-lobed; ovary superior, 1–3-celled, style 2-lobed; male flowers without ovary, female flowers lacking stamens. | |||
*Fruit a fleshy, globose to broadly ovoid drupe 1.5–2.5 cm in diameter, indehiscent, 1-seeded. | |||
*Seed globose, with oily endosperm. | |||
== Other botanical information == | == Other botanical information == | ||
Revision as of 18:06, 10 March 2026
 |
Introduction |
Givotia madagascariensis Baill.
- Protologue: Bull. Mens. Soc. Linn. Paris 1: 811 (1889).
- Family: Euphorbiaceae
Origin and geographic distribution
Givotia madagascariensis is endemic to western Madagascar, where it occurs from Antsiranana province in the north to the Onilahy river, Toliara province in the south.
Uses
The soft and lightweight wood, called ‘farafatsy’ in Madagascar, is mainly used by Sakalava people to make dugout canoes. It is also used to make doors, caskets and the hull or splash boards of traditional fishing boats. It is suitable for thermal and acoustic insulation, inner parts of block board and model building. It is used for similar purposes as the wood of Hildegardia erythrosiphon (Baill.) Kosterm., which also occurs in western Madagascar. The bark, which is soft and easily cut, is used to make patterns used in wood carving.
A decoction of the aerial parts is taken in traditional medicine to treat the effects of malaria.
Production and international trade
The wood is traded extensively in Madagascar. In 2000 the price of a dug-out canoe made from a Givotia madagascariensis bole was US$ 40–110 at the local market.
Properties
The heartwood is whitish and indistinctly demarcated from the up to 6 cm wide sapwood. The grain is straight, texture coarse. The wood is lightweight, with a density of 170–260 kg/m³ at 12% moisture content. It air dries very rapidly without distortion. The rates of shrinkage are small, from green to oven dry 1.5–2.1% radial and 3.0–4.2% tangential. Once dry, the wood is very stable in service.
At 12% moisture content, the modulus of rupture is 29–44 N/mm², modulus of elasticity 2450–5100 N/mm², compression parallel to grain 8–15 N/mm² and Chalais-Meudon side hardness 0.2. The wood is easy to saw and work, but does not take a nice finish. It is not durable and dug-out canoes have to be replaced after only 3–5 years. The wood is very easy to treat with preservatives.
In an in-vitro test, the antiplasmodial activities of leaf extracts were negligible. The compounds cleistanthol, spruceanol and 1, 2-dihydroheudelotinol isolated from the bark demonstrated significant antitumour activities against gastric cancer, liver carcinoma and breast cancer cell lines.
Description
- Deciduous medium-sized tree up to 30 m tall; bole branchless for up to 16 m, generally straight, up to 120 cm in diameter; bark surface smooth, yellowish white, inner bark granular, yellow to orange, with a little reddish exudate; crown rather narrow; twigs short-hairy with stellate hairs.
- Leaves alternate, simple; stipules absent; petiole up to 17.5 cm long, sometimes with glands; blade 5.5–17 cm × 8–25 cm, shallowly to deeply 3–5-lobed, with acuminate and irregularly toothed lobes, reddish or whitish short-hairy below with stellate hairs, glandular and with translucent dots, palmately (3–)5–7-veined from the base.
- Inflorescence a terminal or axillary panicle.
- Flowers unisexual, regular, 5-merous, whitish; calyx lobes slightly unequal; petals c. 5 mm long, slightly coherent; stamens up to 15, fused at base; disk 5-lobed; ovary superior, 1–3-celled, style 2-lobed; male flowers without ovary, female flowers lacking stamens.
- Fruit a fleshy, globose to broadly ovoid drupe 1.5–2.5 cm in diameter, indehiscent, 1-seeded.
- Seed globose, with oily endosperm.
Other botanical information
Givotia comprises 4 species, 1 of which occurs in Kenya and Somalia, 1 in India and Sri Lanka, and 2 in Madagascar. It is close to Ricinodendron and Schinziophyton.
Ecology
Givotia madagascariensis occurs in dry bushland, deciduous forest and thickets, from sea-level up to 600(–800) m altitude.
Management
Locally Givotia madagascariensis has been recorded to occur in high densities; in some localities in the Menabé region on average 37 stems per ha, although the stands are rapidly declining there.
Genetic resources
Givotia madagascariensis appears to be locally common, especially in the northern parts of its distribution area, but it becomes more rare towards the south. There are indications that it is threatened by genetic erosion in several regions. It has been reported that fishermen from Toliara have to travel hundreds of kilometres to obtain suitable large logs for canoes.
Prospects
The wood of Givotia madagascariensis is likely to remain locally important, especially for the construction of traditional canoes and boats. Monitoring the populations is highly recommended in view of the locally high demand of the wood.
Major references
- Boiteau, P. & Allorge-Boiteau, L., 1993. Plantes médicinales de Madagascar. Agence de Coopération Culturelle et Technique, Paris, France. 135 pp.
- Capuron, R., 1966. Etudes sur les essences forestières de Madagascar - Farafatse (Givotia madagascariensis Baillon - Euphorbiacées). CTFT, Antananarivo, Madagascar. 5 pp.
- Guéneau, P., Bedel, J. & Thiel, J., 1970–1975. Bois et essences malgaches. Centre Technique Forestier Tropical, Nogent-sur-Marne, France. 150 pp.
- Parant, B., Chichignoud, M. & Rakotovao, G., 1985. Présentation graphique des caractères des principaux bois tropicaux. Tome 5. Bois de Madagascar. CIRAD, Montpellier, France. 161 pp.
- Rakotovao, G., Rabevohitra, R., Gerard, J., Détienne, P. & Collas de Chatelperron, P., en préparation. Atlas des bois de Madagascar. FOFIFA-DRFP, Antananarivo, Madagascar.
Other references
- Andriamiarinosy, M., 2004. Contribution à la conservation des espèces les plus vulnérables : Givotia madagascariensis Baillon, Gyrocarpus americanus Jacquin, Enterospermum madagascariensis Hiern, dans la région de Menabe central nord. Mémoire de fin d’études. ESS. Agronomiques. Département Eaux et Forêts, Antananarivo, Madagascar. 73 pp.
- Bemiasa, J., 2009. Dynamique des pêcheries traditionnelles d’anchois, de calmars et de poulpes du Sud-Ouest de Madagascar: utilisation d’outils océanographiques pour la gestion des ressources. Thèse Université de Toliara. 217 pp. + annexes.
- Covi, S., 1986. Ecological forest management in dense tropical dry forest. Schweizerische Zeitschrift für Forstwesen 137(6): 479–494.
- Radcliffe-Smith, A., 1968. An account of the genus Givotia Griff. (Euphorbiaceae). Kew Bulletin 22: 493.
- Rasoanaivo, P., Ratsimamanga-Urverg, S., Ramanitrahasimbolo, D., Rafatro, H. & Rakoto-Ratsimamanga, A., 1999. Criblage d’extraits de plantes de Madagascar pour recherche d’activité antipaludique et d’effet potentialisateur de la chloroquine. Journal of Ethnopharmacology 64: 117–126.
- Rasolofo, M.V., 1997. Use of mangroves by traditional fishermen in Madagascar. Mangroves and Salt Marshes 1: 243–253.
- Schatz, G.E., 2001. Generic tree flora of Madagascar. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, United Kingdom. 477 pp.
- Seddon, N., Tobias, J., Yount, J.W., Ramanampamonjy, J.R., Butchart, S. & Randrianizahana, H., 2000. Conservation issues and priorities in the Mikea Forest of south-west Madagascar. Oryx 34(4): 287–304.
Author(s)
- L.P.A. Oyen, PROTA Network Office Europe, Wageningen University, P.O. Box 341, 6700 AH Wageningen, Netherlands
- D. Louppe, CIRAD, Département Environnements et Sociétés, Cirad es-dir, Campus international de Baillarguet, TA C 105 / D (Bât. C, Bur. 113), 34398 Montpellier Cédex 5, France
Correct citation of this article
Oyen, L.P.A. & Louppe, D., 2011. Givotia madagascariensis Baill. In: Lemmens, R.H.M.J., Louppe, D. & Oteng-Amoako, A.A. (Editors). PROTA (Plant Resources of Tropical Africa / Ressources végétales de l’Afrique tropicale), Wageningen, Netherlands. Accessed 17 April 2026.
- See the Prota4U database.