Genus of legumes
Brachystegia is a genus of tree of the subfamily Detarioideae that is native to tropical Africa.
Trees of the genus are commonly known as miombo, and are dominant in the miombo woodlands of central and southern tropical Africa. The Zambezian region is the centre of diversity for the genus.
Description.
Hybridisation between the species occurs and taxa show considerable variation in leaflet size, shape and number, making identification difficult.
New leaves show a great range of red colours when immature, later turning to various shades of green.
Range and habitat.
"Brachystegia" species range from coastal West Africa through Nigeria and Central Africa to the Northern Province of South Africa.
Habitats include seasonally dry forest, woodland, wooded grassland and bushland, and lowland tropical rain forest, often along rivers, the margins of wetlands, and on upland plateaus. Some species form monodominant stands.
18 species are native to Zambezian woodland. Six grow in Guineo–Congolian forest, with six in west-central Africa and 1 in West Africa. One species grows in the Zanzibar–Inhambane coastal forests of eastern Mozambique.
Species.
32 species are currently accepted:
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References.
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