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<big>''[[Bussea occidentalis]]'' Hutch. & Dalziel</big>
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{{DISPLAYTITLE:''Bussea occidentalis'' (PROTA)}}
:Protologue: Bull. Misc. Inform. Kew 1928(10): 400 (1928).
:Chromosome number: 2''n'' = 22
== Origin and geographic distribution ==
''Bussea'' comprises 7 species, 5 of which occur in continental tropical Africa and 2 are endemic to Madagascar. ''Bussea massaiensis'' (Taub.) Harms is a shrub or small tree up to 12 m tall, occurring in Tanzania and northern Zambia. Its wood is hard and termite resistant and is used in Tanzania for construction, tool handles, pestles and carvings. The seeds are roasted and eaten as a snack or powdered and added to soup, vegetables or meat. Leaves and seeds are fed to goats and sheep. ''Bussea massaiensis'' is useful as ornamental and shade tree.
=== ''Bussea perrieri'' and ''Bussea sakalava'' ===''[[Bussea perrieri]]'' R.Vig. and ''[[Bussea sakalava]]'' Du Puy & R.Rabev. are small to medium-sized trees up to 25 m tall. They are both distributed in dry deciduous forest in Madagascar, where their hard wood is used for construction. The wood of ''Bussea sakalava'' is additionally used as firewood, whereas a bark infusion of ''Bussea perrieri'' is taken to combat fatigue.
== Anatomy ==
Wood-anatomical description (IAWA hardwood codes):
*Growth rings: 2: growth ring boundaries indistinct or absent. *Vessels: 5: wood diffuse-porous; 13: simple perforation plates; 22: intervessel pits alternate; 23: shape of alternate pits polygonal; 26: intervessel pits medium (7–10 μm); 29: vestured pits; 30: vessel-ray pits with distinct borders; similar to intervessel pits in size and shape throughout the ray cell; 42: mean tangential diameter of vessel lumina 100–200 μm; 46: <font size="1">≤</font> 5 vessels per square millimetre; 47: 5–20 vessels per square millimetre; 58: gums and other deposits in heartwood vessels. *Tracheids and fibres: 61: fibres with simple to minutely bordered pits; 66: non-septate fibres present; 70: fibres very thick-walled. *Axial parenchyma: (79: axial parenchyma vasicentric); 80: axial parenchyma aliform; 81: axial parenchyma lozenge-aliform; (83: axial parenchyma confluent); (89: axial parenchyma in marginal or in seemingly marginal bands); 92: four (3–4) cells per parenchyma strand. *Rays: 97: ray width 1–3 cells; (98: larger rays commonly 4- to 10-seriate); 104: all ray cells procumbent; 115: 4–12 rays per mm. *Storied structure: 122: rays and/or axial elements irregularly storied. *Mineral inclusions: 136: prismatic crystals present; 142: prismatic crystals in chambered axial parenchyma cells; (143: prismatic crystals in fibres).
(E.A. Obeng, P. Baas & H. Beeckman)
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[[Category:PROTA prov]][[Category:Timbers (PROTA)]]