Madagascar Almond Tree
(Terminalia Mantaly)
Madagascar Almond Tree
(Terminalia Mantaly)
Madagascar Almond, or Terminalia mantaly, is a species native to Madagascar that can lower the temperature and refresh its surrounding environment. This tree belongs to the Combretaceae family and is widely known as a popular ornamental and shade tree. The tree is slender with tiered, spreading branches and can reach a height of between 10 and 20 meters. The Madagascar Almond can be used to adorn city parks, highways, and city streets due to its small, clustered leaves and umbrella-like shape. The leaves of this tree are bright green when young, and remain green after the change of season. Additionally, the Madagascar Almond has small flowers at the tips of its twigs.
The Madagascar Almond tree is a plant of semi-arid to humid tropical areas, found at altitudes up to 1,500 meters. It grows best in areas where the average maximum and minimum annual temperatures are in the range of 20–28ºC, although it can tolerate 15–36ºC. It prefers an average annual rainfall in the range of 500–1,200 mm, though it can tolerate 300–1,500 mm. It requires a sunny position. It prefers well-drained, medium to light soil. Established plants are drought-tolerant. It prefers a pH in the range of 5.5 – 7, tolerating 5–7.5.
It is a small to medium-sized tree, 10–20 m tall. The bark is smooth, mottled pale gray, with branches extending like an umbrella.
The leaves are slightly glossy green, serrated, with margins that are uneven to toothed.
The flowers are small, greenish, without petals, clustered along an upright flower stalk (reaching up to 5 cm long).
The fruit is smooth, a wingless drupe, and green when unripe.
The roots that grow on the Madagascar Almond tree are a taproot type, which is very useful for strengthening the tree's stability.
Vegetative propagation or cuttings can be made from healthy stems approximately 20–30 cm long, with a few leaves. Plant the cuttings in moist media, about 5 cm deep, and place them in the shade until rooted.
Propagation via Seed (Generative): Collect seeds from mature fruit. Wash and dry the seeds. You can also soak the seeds in water for several hours to facilitate germination. Sow the seeds in loose, fertile planting media, at a depth of about 1–2 cm.
Extracts of the leaves and bark can be used to treat malaria due to their strong antiplasmodial activity. The bark extract also contains hydroethanolic compounds that can be used as an antibacterial agent and is traditionally used to treat dysentery, diabetes, and infections of the mouth, teeth, skin, and genital organs. It also has antifungal properties, inhibiting pathogenic yeast and several metabolic enzymes.
Phytochemical analysis indicates the presence of alkaloids, flavonoids, saponins, cardiac glycosides, tannins, steroids, triterpenes, and phenols in the extract. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) identified functional groups such as alcohols, phenols, carboxylic acids, aldehydes, and ketones.
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Yunusa, A. Y., Yakasai, M. A., & Namadina, M. M. (2024). Evaluation of phytochemical composition, antioxidant activity, and antibacterial properties of Terminalia mantaly H. perrier leaf extract. Dutse Journal of Pure and Applied Sciences, 10(4a).