Lebombo ironwood | |
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Scientific classification ![]() | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Clade: | Rosids |
Order: | Malpighiales |
Family: | Picrodendraceae |
Tribe: | Picrodendreae |
Subtribe: | Mischodontinae |
Genus: | Androstachys Prain |
Species: | A. johnsonii
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Binomial name | |
Androstachys johnsonii |
Androstachys johnsonii, the Lebombo ironwood, is a medium-sized Afrotropical tree species, and the sole member of the genus Androstachys in the Picrodendraceae. It is slow-growing, evergreen to deciduous,[1] and dioecious, with flowers that are wind-pollinated. It is native to southeastern Africa and Madagascar, where it generally occurs gregariously on rocky hillsides, particularly in hot and dry situations.[2] It produces a hard, durable wood which is of economic interest. Its specific name commemorates W. H. Johnson, a 19th-century Director of Agriculture in Mozambique.[2] Four related species which are native to Madagascar, are usually placed in genus Stachyandra.[1]