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Taxon:  Prunus africana (Hook. f.) Kalkman



Summary
Genus:
Prunus
Subgenus:
Cerasus
Section:
Laurocerasus
Family:
Rosaceae
Subfamily:
Amygdaloideae
Tribe:
Amygdaleae
Nomen number:
29828
Place of publication:
Blumea 13:33. 1965
Verified:
03/03/2011 ARS Systematic Botanists.
Accessions:
0 (0  active, 0  available) in Australian Pastures Genebank. 
Other conspecific taxa
Autonyms (not in current use), synonyms and invalid designations
Basionym
Pygeum africanum Hook. f.

No images


Conservation Status
  • CITES. Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) Appendices I, II and III (on-line resource).
Reference(s)
  1. Aldén, B., S. Ryman & M. Hjertson. Våra kulturväxters namn - ursprung och användning. Formas, Stockholm (Handbook on Swedish cultivated and utility plants, their names and origin). 2009
  2. Bond, P. & P. Goldblatt. Plants of the Cape Flora, J. S. African Bot. suppl. vol. 13. 1984
  3. Carrisso, L. W. et al., eds. Conspectus florae angolensis. 1937-
  4. CITES. Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) Appendices I, II and III (on-line resource).
  5. Dawson, I. K. & W. Powell. 1999. Genetic variation in the Afromontane tree Prunus africana, an endangered medicinal species. Molec. Ecol. 8:151-156.
  6. Duke, J. A. et al. CRC Handbook of medicinal herbs. 2002
  7. Exell, A. W. et al., eds. Flora zambesiaca. 1960-
  8. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). 2010. Ecocrop (on-line resource).
  9. Foster, S. & V. E. Tyler. Tyler's honest herbal: a sensible guide to the use of herbs and related remedies, ed. 4. 1999
  10. Hitimana, J. et al. 2010. Disturbance indicators and population decline of logged species in Mt. Elgon Forest, Kenya. African J. Ecol. 48:699-708.
  11. McGuffin, M., J. T. Kartesz, A. Y. Leung, & A. O. Tucker. Herbs of commerce, ed. 2. 2000
  12. McGuffin, M., J. T. Kartesz, A. Y. Leung, & A. O. Tucker. Herbs of commerce, ed. 2. 2000
  13. Okole, B. N. & B. Odhav. 2004. Commercialisation of plants in Africa. S. African J. Bot. 70:110.
  14. Palmer, E. & N. Pitman. Trees of southern Africa. 1972-1973
  15. Porcher, M. H. et al. Searchable World Wide Web Multilingual Multiscript Plant Name Database (MMPND) (on-line resource).
  16. Stewart, K. M. 2003. The African cherry (Prunus africana): Can lessons be learned from an over-exploited medicinal tree? J. Ethnopharmacol. 89:3-13.
  17. Van Wyk, B.-E. & M. Wink. Medicinal plants of the world. 2004
  18. Wiersema, J. H. & B. León. World economic plants: a standard reference (on-line edition) [medicinal plants only].
Common names
English
African cherry –
pygeum –
Swedish
afrikansk lagerhägg –
Distribution
order_codeStatusContinentSubcontinentCountryStateNote
1NativeAfricaEast Tropical AfricaKenya  
1NativeAfricaEast Tropical AfricaTanzania  
1NativeAfricaEast Tropical AfricaUganda  
1NativeAfricaNortheast Tropical AfricaEthiopia  
1NativeAfricaNortheast Tropical AfricaSudan  
1NativeAfricaSouth Tropical AfricaAngola  
1NativeAfricaSouth Tropical AfricaMalawi  
1NativeAfricaSouth Tropical AfricaMozambique  
1NativeAfricaSouth Tropical AfricaZambia  
1NativeAfricaSouth Tropical AfricaZimbabwe  
1NativeAfricaSouthern AfricaLesotho  
1NativeAfricaSouthern AfricaSouth Africa  
1NativeAfricaSouthern AfricaSwaziland  
1NativeAfricaWest Tropical AfricaCote D'Ivoire  
1NativeAfricaWest Tropical AfricaGhana  
1NativeAfricaWest-Central Tropical AfricaCameroon  
1NativeAfricaWest-Central Tropical AfricaEquatorial Guinea  
1NativeAfricaWest-Central Tropical AfricaSao Tome and Principe  
1NativeAfricaWest-Central Tropical AfricaZaire  
1NativeAfricaWestern Indian OceanComoros  
1NativeAfricaWestern Indian OceanComorosGrande Comore 
1NativeAfricaWestern Indian OceanMadagascar  
Native
Africa
  • EAST TROPICAL AFRICA: Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda
  • NORTHEAST TROPICAL AFRICA: Ethiopia, Sudan
  • SOUTH TROPICAL AFRICA: Angola, Mozambique, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe
  • SOUTHERN AFRICA: Lesotho, Swaziland, South Africa
  • WEST TROPICAL AFRICA: Cote D'Ivoire, Ghana
  • WEST-CENTRAL TROPICAL AFRICA: Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Sao Tome and Principe, Zaire
  • WESTERN INDIAN OCEAN: Comoros [Grande Comore], Madagascar
Economic Uses
UsageTypeNoteReference
Medicinesfolklore McGuffin, M., J. T. Kartesz, A. Y. Leung, & A. O. Tucker. Herbs of commerce, ed. 2. 2000
Cite as: USDA, Agricultural Research Service, National Plant Germplasm System. 2025. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN Taxonomy). National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland.
URL: https://apg.pir.sa.gov.au/gringlobal/taxon/taxonomydetail?id=29828. Accessed 3 August 2025.


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