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Sideroxylon mascatense

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Sideroxylon mascatense
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Ericales
Family: Sapotaceae
Genus: Sideroxylon
Species:
S. mascatense
Binomial name
Sideroxylon mascatense
(A.DC.) T.D.Penn
Synonyms
  • Monotheca buxifolia (Falc.) A. DC.
  • Monotheca mascatensis A.DC.
  • Reptonia buxifolia A.DC.
  • Reptonia mascatensis (A.DC.)
  • Sideroxylon aubertii A.Chev.
  • Sideroxylon buxifolium Hutch.
  • Sideroxylon corradii Chiov. ex Chiarugi
  • Sideroxylon gillettii Hutchinson & E.A.Bruce
  • Spiniluma buxifolia (Hutch.) Aubrév.

Sideroxylon mascatense is a species of flowering plant in the family Sapotaceae.

Description

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Sideroxylon mascatense is a sclerophyllous spiny shrub or small tree, usually growing 7 to 10 meters tall and occasionally recorded as a medium-sized tree up to 15 meters high.[2]

Distribution and habitat

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Sideroxylon mascatense ranges from the Horn of Africa (northeastern Ethiopia, Djibouti, and northern Somalia) through the southern Arabian Peninsula (Yemen, Saudi Arabia, and Oman) to Pakistan and Afghanistan.[1]

On Jebel Akhdar in Oman, S. mascatense is the predominant tree in sclerophyllous semi-evergreen woodlands between 1,350 and 2,350 meters elevation. It is found in association with Dodonaea viscosa, olive (Olea europaea), Ebenus stellatus, Grewia villosa, Juniperus seravschanica, Myrtus communis, and Sageretia spiciflora. S. mascatense was formerly the characteristic tree in the montane semi-evergreen woodlands of the Musandam Peninsula in northernmost Oman and the United Arab Emirates, but livestock grazing and over-harvesting timber and firewood has degraded the peninsula's montane woodlands and Dodonaea viscosa is now the predominant tree there.[3]

Uses

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The edible fruit is gathered from the wild for local use. It is sometimes sold in local markets.[2]

References

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  1. ^ a b IUCN SSC Global Tree Specialist Group.; Botanic Gardens Conservation International; et al. (BGCI) (2019). "Sideroxylon mascatense". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2019: e.T154665585A154753833. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-3.RLTS.T154665585A154753833.en. Retrieved 18 November 2021.
  2. ^ a b "Sideroxylon mascatense". Useful Tropical Plants. Accessed 1 February 2021. [1]
  3. ^ Kürschner H. (1998) Biogeography and Introduction to Vegetation. In: Ghazanfar S.A., Fisher M. (eds) Vegetation of the Arabian Peninsula. Geobotany, vol 25. Springer, Dordrecht. doi:10.1007/978-94-017-3637-4_4