Cleistanthus bipindensis (PROTA)

Plant Resources of Tropical Africa Introduction

List of species

General importance
Geographic coverage Africa
Geographic coverage World
Medicinal
Timber

Cleistanthus bipindensis Pax

Protologue: Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 33: 282 (1903).

Family: Euphorbiaceae (APG: Phyllanthaceae)

Cleistanthus bipindensis occurs in Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Gabon and DR Congo.

In DR Congo the stem bark is chewed for its tonic properties. The wood is used for temporary construction and household utensils.

Monoecious shrub or small tree up to 15 m tall; bole up to 50 cm in diameter; twigs short-hairy, later almost glabrous. Leaves alternate, simple and entire; stipules small, soon falling; petiole 5–9 mm long; blade elliptical-oblong to elliptical-lanceolate, 8–22 cm × 3–10 cm, base cuneate, apex acute, upper surface glabrous, lower surface short-hairy, pinnately veined, with 4–9 pairs of lateral veins. Inflorescence an axillary few-flowered fascicle or pseudo-raceme 0.5–3.5 cm long, densely hairy; bracts ovate-lanceolate, up to 8 mm long, densely hairy, soon falling. Flowers unisexual, regular, 5-merous, sepals triangular-lanceolate, 5–7(–8) mm long, reddish and densely hairy outside; petals spatulate to linear; male flowers with pedicel 5–6 mm long, petals c. 1 mm long, filaments of stamens fused at base, 3–4 mm long, pistillode present; female flowers with pedicel 3–4 mm long, petals 1.5–2.5 mm long, disk annular, ovary superior, reddish, densely hairy, 3-celled, styles 3, fused at base, 2–3 times 2-fid. Fruit an almost round capsule 10–12 mm long, densely hairy at first, later almost glabrous, 6-seeded. Seeds ovoid, 8–9 mm long, smooth, brown.

Cleistanthus occurs throughout the Old World tropics and comprises about 150 species. About 20 species occur in continental tropical Africa, mainly in Central Africa, and about 6 in Madagascar. Many Cleistanthus spp. have galls on the leaves.

Cleistanthus collinus

The highly toxic Cleistanthus collinus (Roxb.) Benth. from India is frequently used for homicidal and suicidal purposes. The aerial parts contain cleistanthin A, a diphyllin glycoside with promising cytotoxic and tumour-suppressing properties.

Cleistanthus bipindensis occurs in marshy dense forest and along small streams.

Cleistanthus bipindensis has a relatively large distribution area in Central Africa and there are no signs that it is genetically threatened.

Cleistanthus bipindensis will remain of local importance as a tonic.

• Govaerts, R., Frodin, D.G. & Radcliffe-Smith, A., 2000. World checklist and bibliography of Euphorbiaceae (with Pandaceae). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, United Kingdom. 1620 pp.

• Léonard, J., 1962. Euphorbiaceae. In: Robyns, W., Staner, P., Demaret, F., Germain, R., Gilbert, G., Hauman, L., Homès, M., Jurion, F., Lebrun, J., Vanden Abeele, M. & Boutique, R. (Editors). Flore du Congo belge et du Ruanda-Urundi. Spermatophytes. Volume 8, 1. Institut National pour l’Étude Agronomique du Congo belge, Brussels, Belgium. 214 pp.

• Léonard, J., 1960. Notulae systematicae XXIX. Révision des Cleistanthus d’Afrique continentale (Euphorbiacées). Bulletin du Jardin botanique de l’Etat (Bruxelles) 30: 421–461.

• Neuwinger, H.D., 2000. African traditional medicine: a dictionary of plant use and applications. Medpharm Scientific, Stuttgart, Germany. 589 pp.

• Nguyen Nghia Thin, 1998. Cleistanthus Hook. f. ex Planch. In: Sosef, M.S.M., Hong, L.T. & Prawirohatmodjo, S. (Editors). Plant Resources of South-East Asia No 5(3). Timber trees: Lesser-known timbers. Backhuys Publishers, Leiden, Netherlands. pp. 164–165.

• G.H. Schmelzer, PROTA Network Office Europe, Wageningen University, P.O. Box 341, 6700 AH Wageningen, Netherlands

Schmelzer, G.H., 2007. Cleistanthus bipindensis Pax. In: Schmelzer, G.H. & Gurib-Fakim, A. (Editors). PROTA (Plant Resources of Tropical Africa / Ressources végétales de l’Afrique tropicale), Wageningen, Netherlands. Accessed 3 April 2025.

• See the Prota4U database.