Terminalia (plant) explained

Terminalia is a genus of large trees of the flowering plant family Combretaceae, comprising nearly 300 species distributed in tropical regions of the world. The genus name derives from the Latin word terminus, referring to the fact that the leaves appear at the very tips of the shoots.

Axlewood (T. latifolia) is used for its wood and tannins and as a fodder.^[1] African birch (T. leiocarpa) is used for its wood and to make yellow dye and medicinal compounds.^[2] A yellow dyestuff produced from the leaves of T. leiocarpa has traditionally been used in West Africa to dye leather.^[3]

Selected species

See main article: List of ''Terminalia'' species.

There are 278 accepted Terminalia species as of July 2024 according to Plants of the World Online. Selected species include:

Terminalia acuminata (Fr. Allem.) Eichl.
Terminalia albida Scott-Elliot
Terminalia amazonia (J.F.Gmel.) Exell - white olive
Terminalia anogeissiana - axlewood
Terminalia arbuscula Sw.
Terminalia archipelagi Coode
Terminalia arenicola
Terminalia arjuna (Roxb. ex DC.) Wight & Arn. - arjuna, koha, white marudah
Terminalia arostrata Ewart & O.B.Davies - crocodile tree
Terminalia australis Cambess - palo amarillo, tanimbú
Terminalia avicennioides
Terminalia bellirica (Gaertn.) Roxb. - beleric
Terminalia bentii
Terminalia bialata (Roxb.) Steud. - Indochina, Philippines
Terminalia buceras
Terminalia bucidoides Standley & L.O.Williams
Terminalia bursarina - Bendee
Terminalia calamansanai (Blanco) Rolfe
Terminalia cambodiana
Terminalia canescens (DC.) Radlk. - jalool
Terminalia carolinensis Kaneh.
Terminalia catappa L. - Indian almond, tropical almond, umbrella tree
Terminalia chebula Retz. - black myrobalan, chebulic myrobalan, inknut
Terminalia cherrieri McKee
Terminalia circumalata F.Muell.
Terminalia cunninghamii C.A.Gardner - Pindan quondong
Terminalia dhofarica
Terminalia eddowesii Coode
Terminalia engleri Gere & Boatwr. - terenifù (West Africa to Cameroon)
Terminalia elliptica Willd. - Indian-laurel
Terminalia eriostachya A.Rich.
Terminalia ferdinandiana Exell - billygoat plum, Kakadu plum, gubinge
Terminalia fitzgeraldii C.A.Gardner
Terminalia glabrata
Terminalia grandiflora Benth.
Terminalia hadleyana W.Fitzg.
Terminalia ivorensis A.Chev. - idigbo, black afara, blackbark, brimstone wood, shingle wood
Terminalia januariensis DC.
Terminalia kaernbachii Warb. - okari nut
Terminalia kangeanensis Slooten
Terminalia kuhlmannii Alwan & Stace
Terminalia kumpaja R.L.Barrett
Terminalia latifolia Sw.
Terminalia latipes Benth.
Terminalia leiocarpa
Terminalia littoralis L.
Terminalia macroptera Guill. & Perr.
Terminalia microcarpa Decne.
Terminalia muelleri Benth. - Australian almond
Terminalia myriocarpa
Terminalia neotaliala - Madagascar almond tree
Terminalia nitens C.Presl
Terminalia novocaledonica Däniker
Terminalia oblongata F.Muell.
Terminalia paniculata Roth
Terminalia parviflora Thwaites
Terminalia pellucida C.Presl
Terminalia pendula (incorporating T. phillyreifolia)
Terminalia petiolaris Benth. - marool
Terminalia platyphylla F.Muell.
Terminalia platyptera F.Muell.
Terminalia polycarpa
Terminalia porphyrocarpa
Terminalia prunioides
Terminalia reitzii Excell
Terminalia rerei Coode
Terminalia richii A.Gray
Terminalia rostrata
Terminalia schimperiana Hochst.
Terminalia sericea Burch. ex DC. - silver terminalia
Terminalia superba Engl. & Diels - limba
Terminalia triptera (syn. T. nigrovenulosa)
Terminalia volucris Benth.

Notes and References

Heuzé V., Tran G., 2016. Axlewood (Anogeissus latifolia). Feedipedia, a programme by INRA, CIRAD, AFZ and FAO. https://www.feedipedia.org/node/186 Last updated on March 22, 2016, 14:20
Heuzé V., Tran G., Renaudeau D., Bastianelli D., 2016. African birch (Anogeissus leiocarpa). Feedipedia, a programme by INRA, CIRAD, AFZ and FAO. https://www.feedipedia.org/node/701 Last updated on March 15, 2016, 11:53
Dalziel . J.M. . African Leather Dyes . Bulletin of Miscellaneous Information . 6 . 1926 . Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew . 230 . en . 4118651 .