Uapaca bojeri

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"Tapia tree" redirects here. For other uses of "Tapia", see Tapia (disambiguation).

Uapaca bojeri

Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Malpighiales
Family: Phyllanthaceae
Genus: Uapaca
Species:
U. bojeri
Binomial name
Uapaca bojeri
Baill., 1874
Synonyms[2]

Uapaca clusiacea Baker

Uapaca bojeri, or tapia (

sustainable use however tapia woodlands are now found only in scattered, isolated stands totaling at most 132,255 ha. Native woody vegetation of the central highlands is increasingly replaced by grasslands, primarily due to increased fire frequency as areas are burned annually.[3]

Description

Tapia is a tree that can grow on a human 10–12 metres (33–39 ft) high, but usually stays at 3–5 metres (9.8–16.4 ft). Leaves are

mesocarp and three seeds.[4]

Etymology

The common name "tapia" is pronounced ta-pee in Malagasy.[citation needed] The name might come from the word tapy, "to dry", as tapia trees grow on hot sunny slopes.[6] Tapia fruits are known as voan'tapia.[5]

The

type specimen's collector, Wenceslas Bojer.[2]

Distribution and habitat

Tapia is

endemic to the central highlands of Madagascar, in the Madagascar subhumid forests ecoregion,[7] at altitudes ranging from 500 to 1,800 metres (1,600 to 5,900 ft).[8] The main areas of occurrence are the Imamo zone west of the capital Antananarivo, the Col des Tapia ("saddle of the tapia") between Antsirabe and Ambositra, the Itremo massif, and Isalo National Park.[5] Within a broader sub-arid to sub-humid region, tapia woodland is found in drier, rain-shadow microclimates, mainly on acidic soil on sandstone, quartzite and schist.[8]

Ecology

In a vegetation type classified as "tapia forest" in the Atlas of the Vegetation of Madagascar, tapia is the dominant and character species. This forest has a 10–12 metres (33–39 ft) high canopy, with other trees including several

grasses, and frequently lianas. Degraded tapia forest has a more open canopy and is less diverse, with Sarcolaena oblongifolia and Pentachlaena latifolia dominating alongside tapia.[8]

A root-symbiotic tree, tapia forms both

Rubinoboletus, Russula, Scleroderma, Suillus, Tricholoma and Xerocomus.[9] Among them are edible mushrooms such as the chanterelle species Cantharellus platyphyllus ssp. bojeriensis, only found under tapia.[10]

Regeneration of tapia mainly occurs through resprouting after

root sprouts, similar to miombo woodlands in Eastern Africa. Seeds have only limited ability for dispersal and dormancy.[5]

Uses

Tapia trees and the forests they form are used for several purposes by local communities. The edible fruits are collected once fallen, while a taboo (fady) prohibits plucking them directly from the tree. Fruits are not only consumed in local households but also marketed. The cocoons of the tapia silkworm Borocera cajani (in Malagasy landibe) are also collected and used for the production of silk, traditionally used for burial shrouds. This wild silk equally has a local market importance. Other uses include the collection of fuelwood, mushrooms, berries, edible insects, herbal medicines, and hunting (including two species of tenrec).[6][5]

Conservation

Tapia forest is valuable due to its endemic fauna and flora and its uses for local communities. Humans impact tapia forests mainly through collection of wood for fuel or timber, grazing, and fire.

forest loss at around 43% since the 1970s, but admits that tapia cover is likely overestimated with satellite imagery.[8]

The geographer Christian A. Kull argues that human interventions in tapia forests, including fire-setting and removal of dead wood, actually favour the growth of tapia trees and the associated silkworms. Rather than "forest", he uses the term "woodland" or "wooded savannas", implying a more open-canopy vegetation type. He suggests that tapia woodland has changed little in extent over the last century, and considers human impact a landscape "transformation" and form of

Pinus khasya and P. patula).[5]

Gallery

  • Shiny, oval leaves and white flowers
    Leaves and flowers
  • Leaves and green fruits, mountain in the background
    Fruits
  • Base of a tree with blackened bark
    Bark blackened by fire
  • Bark with an empty cocoon
    Empty cocoon of a tapia silkworm (Borocera madagascariensis)
  • Yellow silk fibres hanging on a line in the sun
    Tapia silk hung up for drying

References

  1. ^
    doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-2.RLTS.T128420724A128421310.en
    . Retrieved 20 November 2021.
  2. ^ a b "Tropicos – Uapaca bojeri Baill". Missouri Botanical Garden. Retrieved 2016-10-01.
  3. S2CID 84615363
    .
  4. ^ a b Lisier, B. "Présentation arbre : Uapaca bojeri Baill" (PDF) (in French). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2017-09-09. Retrieved 2016-10-02.
  5. ^
    S2CID 143264725
    .
  6. ^ a b Boiteau, Pierre (1999). "tapia". Dictionnaire des noms malgaches de végétaux (in French). Vol. III. Editions Alzieu – via Malagasy Dictionary and Malagasy Encyclopedia.
  7. ^ "Southern Africa: Central Madagascar". World Wildlife Fund. Retrieved 2016-10-01.
  8. ^ a b c d e Moat, J.; Smith, P. (2007). Atlas of the Vegetation of Madagascar/Atlas de la Végétation de Madagascar. Richmond, Surrey: Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. (English/French)
  9. ^
    S2CID 11854830
    .
  10. S2CID 39119949
    .
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