| Scientific Name | Cassipourea malosana (Baker) Alston | Higher Classification | Dicotyledons | Family | RHIZOPHORACEAE | Synonyms | Cassipourea congoensis in sense of Alston saltem (in part), J. Lewis in F.T.E.A (1956), not of DC (1828), Cassipourea elliottii (Engl.) Alston, Cassipourea gerrardii (Schinz) Alston, Weihea elliottii Engl., Weihea gerrardii Schinz, Weihea malosana Baker | Common Names | Onionwood (e), Umemeziobomvu (z), Umqonga (x) |
National Status | Status and Criteria | Least Concern | Assessment Date | 2016/06/28 | Assessor(s) | V.L. Williams, D. Raimondo, N.R. Crouch, A.B. Cunningham, C.R. Scott-Shaw, M. Lötter & A.M. Ngwenya | Justification | Traded locally for medicinal purposes. Subpopulations in Mpumalanga are relatively undamaged and the species is widespread. However, local declines of around 20% have been observed in some KwaZulu-Natal subpopulations over the last three generations (150 years) due to bark harvesting and an overall, continuing decline is suspected. |
Distribution | Endemism | Not endemic to South Africa | Provincial distribution | Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga | Range | Port St Johns district in the Eastern Cape to the Limpopo province and northwards to Ethiopia. |
Habitat and Ecology | Major system | Terrestrial | Major habitats | Soutpansberg Mountain Bushveld, KwaZulu-Natal Coastal Belt Thornveld, Lowveld Riverine Forest, Northern Afrotemperate Forest, Southern Mistbelt Forest, Northern Mistbelt Forest, Scarp Forest, Northern Coastal Forest, Subtropical Dune Thicket, Ironwood Dry Forest, Bhisho Thornveld, Mamabolo Mountain Bushveld, Ohrigstad Mountain Bushveld, Kaalrug Mountain Bushveld, Southern Lebombo Bushveld, Makatini Clay Thicket, Thukela Valley Bushveld, KwaZulu-Natal Hinterland Thornveld, Eastern Valley Bushveld, Sand Forest | Description | Afromontane forest or in thickets on rocky outcrops in Mpumalanga, also in coastal and midland forests in KwaZulu-Natal. |
Threats | | Bark is harvested for traditional medicine and sold in the medicinal plant markets in KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng and Mpumalanga. Cunningham (1988) estimated that 156 bags of Cassipourea spp. (C. malosana and C. flanaganii) were sold annually by 54 herb-traders in the Durban muthi markets, and classed the species as 'declining' - i.e. a species that was recently widespread but is likely to become vulnerable and continue to decline if destruction of the wild populations continues. The establishment of permanent plots to monitor the species was recommended. Mander et al. (1997) reported that it is widely traded for traditional medicine in South Africa and is heavily exploited for bark products. In Mpumalanga, Botha et al. (2001) report that Cassipourea spp. is in high demand. Williams (2007) reported that 60% of muthi shops in 1994 and 2% of street traders in the Faraday market sold Cassipourea spp.
Since C. malosana occurs in aggregated populations, harvesting may affect entire subpopulations at a time (Cunningham 1988). The species also grows in association with other popular bark species such as Warburgia salutaris and Elaeodendron papillosa; hence, subpopulations will probably be debarked at the same time as the other species are (Cunningham 1988). Coppice production may, however, be prolific (Muir 1990, cited in Grace et al. 2003), but this is probably only if the trees are felled and not left to stand after bark harvesting (A.B. Cunningham, pers. comm., 2008). It has been reported that girdling (ring-barking) of the species is very common and there is little bark recovery (A.B. Cunningham, pers. comm., 2008). The species does produce agony shoots, but if you don't fell the tree, then the shoots don't survive. Also, the bark tends to come off easier in spring. It was also noted that the tree is very slow growing, and that 'old' trees may be tall but have very small stem diameters (N.R. Crouch, pers. comm., 2008)
Other threats: C. malosana is used in the cosmetic (skin-lightening) industry. Its multiple uses may further threaten it, especially since the preferred species (Cassipourea flanaganii) is classed as Vulnerable. |
Population | Various participants at a Red List workshop for medicinal species (Durban, January 2008) had witnessed trees dying due to ring-barking, whole subpopulations that had been harvested at one time and were dying, and a decline in the species’ abundance. Where forests are close to communities and to areas where there is a long tradition of harvesting, it is especially hard-hit. In Mpumalanga, it was noted that on average, only one in 1000 trees may have been harvested in the forest reserves, but trees in one forest, Pedlar's Bush, which is closer to settlements, harvesting impact is much higher (M. Lotter, pers. comm., 2008). The workshop participants were of the view that while the species has a large range and it is relatively undamaged in Mpumalanga, subpopulations in KwaZulu-Natal have been damaged and some are declining. Hence, it was estimated that there has been <20% decline in population size in the last 150 years (generation length = 50 years).
| Population trend | Decreasing |
Assessment History |
Taxon assessed |
Status and Criteria |
Citation/Red List version | | Cassipourea malosana (Baker) Alston | Declining | Raimondo et al. (2009) | |
Bibliography | Boon, R. 2010. Pooley's Trees of eastern South Africa. Flora and Fauna Publications Trust, Durban.
Botha, J., Witkowski, E.T.F. and Shackleton, C.M. 2001. An inventory of medicinal plants traded on the western boundary of the Kruger National Park, South Africa. Koede 44(2):7-46.
Cunningham, A.B. 1988. An investigation of the herbal medicine trade in Natal/KwaZulu. Investigational Report No. 29. Institute of Natural Resources, Pietermaritzburg.
Grace, O.M., Prendergast, H.D.V., Jager, A.K. and Van Staden, J. 2003. Bark medicines used in traditional healthcare in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa: an inventory. South African Journal of Botany 69(3):301-363.
Mander, J., Quinn, N. and Mander, M. 1997. Trade in wildlife medicinals in South Africa. Institute of Natural Resources, Scottsville.
Raimondo, D., von Staden, L., Foden, W., Victor, J.E., Helme, N.A., Turner, R.C., Kamundi, D.A. and Manyama, P.A. 2009. Red List of South African Plants. Strelitzia 25. South African National Biodiversity Institute, Pretoria.
Torre, A.R. and Goncalves, A.E. 1978. Rhizophoraceae. In: E. Launert (ed). Flora Zambesiaca 4:81-99. Flora Zambesiaca Managing Committee, London.
Williams, V.L. 2007. The design of a risk assessment model to determine the impact of the herbal medicine trade on the Witwatersrand on resources of indigenous plant species. Unpublished PhD Thesis, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg.
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Citation | | Williams, V.L., Raimondo, D., Crouch, N.R., Cunningham, A.B., Scott-Shaw, C.R., Lötter, M. & Ngwenya, A.M. 2016. Cassipourea malosana (Baker) Alston. National Assessment: Red List of South African Plants version . Accessed on 2025/05/12 |
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