Common Names: Bridelia
Local Names: Ira odan (Yoruba), Kirni (Hausa), Ola (Igbo)
Species ID: NMP-013,wfo-0000418247, NCBI:txid319147

Kingdom: Plantae

Phylum: Angiosperms

Class: Eudicots

Order: Malpighiales

Family: Phyllanthaceae

Genus: Bridelia

Species: B. ferruginea

Synonyms: Bridelia micrantha var. ferruginea, Gentilia chevalieri

·       Height: Up to 25 m; trunk diameter 60–90 cm

·       Bark: Gray-brown, rough with vertical fissures; inner bark reddish

·       Leaves: Alternate, elliptical (8–18 cm × 3–7 cm), rusty pubescence below

·       Flowers: Greenish-yellow, 5-merous; male flowers 3 mm, female flowers 4 mm

·       Fruit: Drupe, globose (5–8 mm), purple-black when ripe

·       Geographic Range: West & Central Africa

·       Habitat: Savannahs, riverbanks, forest margins (annual rainfall 800–1,500 mm)

·       Soil: Well-drained sandy-loam soils (pH 5.5–7.0)

·       Elevation: 0–1,200 m above sea level

·       Antimicrobial: Bark ethanol extract inhibits Staphylococcus aureus

·       Anti-inflammatory: Leaf extract reduces carrageenan-induced edema

·       Gastrointestinal Relief: Used to treat diarrhea and dysentery

·       Dental Health: Roots used as chewing sticks to reduce plaque bacteria

·       Respiratory Aid: Decoctions used for cough and asthma management

⚠  Toxicity Profile

Root sap contains bioactive compounds used as fish poison. Chronic use may cause mild hepatotoxicity.

·       Ethnobotanical Uses: Bark added to palm wine for fermentation enhancement

·       Wood Applications: Durable timber for granaries (density 750 kg/m³)

·       Ecological Role: Fire-resistant bark (ignition temperature 320°C)

·       Hydrology: Drips 5–8 L water/day during dry seasons in Sierra Leone

·       Dye Production: Tannins used for reddish-brown fabric dyeing

1. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. (2017). Bridelia ferruginea Benth. In Useful Plants of West Tropical Africa. Retrieved from https://plants.jstor.org/stable/10.5555/al.ap.upwta.2_74
2. Senckenberg Research Institute. (n.d.). Bridelia ferruginea. In West African Plants - A Photo Guide. Retrieved from http://www.westafricanplants.senckenberg.de/root/index.php?page_id=14&id=237
3. World Flora Online. (n.d.). Bridelia ferruginea Benth. Retrieved from https://www.worldfloraonline.org/taxon/wfo-0000418247
4. Awodele, O., Amagon, K. I., Agbo, J., & Prasad, M. N. V. (2015). Toxicological evaluation of the aqueous stem bark extract of Bridelia ferruginea (Euphorbiaceae) in rodents. Interdisciplinary Toxicology, 8(2), 89–98. https://doi.org/10.1515/intox-2015-0014
5. Bakoma, B., Berke, B., Eklu-Gadegbeku, K., Agbonon, A., Aklikokou, K., Gbeassor, M., & Moore, N. (2014). Effect of Bridelia ferruginea Benth (Euphorbiaceae) ethyl acetate and acetone fractions on insulin resistance in fructose drinking mice. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 153(3), 896–899. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jep.2014.03.065

1. JSTOR Plant Specimens
2. West African Plants Database

1. World Flora Online

• Quercetin-3-O-β-glycopyranoside
• Myricitrin
• Myricetin
• Kaempferide-3-O-ß-glucoside

Afolayan, M., Srivedavyasasri, R., Asekun, O. T., Familoni, O. B., & Ross, S. A. (2019). Chemical and biological studies on Bridelia ferruginea grown in Nigeria. Natural product research, 33(2), 287-291.