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Group:
Eudicot
Size:
12 m (height)
Distribution:
The pepper bark thorn tree is found in woodland, wooded grassland and along riverbanks in South Africa, Eswatini, Zimbabwe, northern and eastern Botswana, northern Namibia and tropical Africa north to Ethiopia.
PromethION Sequencing Report:
Output:
56.59 Gigabases
Approximate N50:
9.28 kilobases
Assembly N50:
16 534 kilobases
Contig number:
912
Draft Genome Assembly Statistics:
Assembler used:
Hifiasm
Genome Length:
1.36 Gigabases
BUSCO completeness score (single and duplicated genes):
99.5% [S: 2.8%, D: 96.7%]
BUSCO database:
viridiplantae
Importance:
Widely spread across Africa, this tree is known for its iconic flat-topped canopy, often depicted in films set in Africa. In Central Africa, a bark/root decoction treats urinary inflammation, while leaves, bark, and resin serve as astringents for colds, chest issues, diarrhea, hemorrhages, and eye inflammation. In Tanzania, bark is used for gonorrhea treatment. The edible gum acts as a strong adhesive, and twine from the inner bark is used for threading beads.
Date Published:
2025-08-27
Photo credit:
© K. Campbell
Flora
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