Friday 17 May
Cynometra (Cynometra webberi)

Cynometra fact file
- Description
- Biology
- Range
- Habitat
- Status
- Threats
- Conservation
- Find out more
- Glossary
- References
- Print factsheet
Cynometra description
| Kingdom | Plantae |
| Phylum | Tracheophyta |
| Class | Magnoliopsida |
| Order | Fabales |
| Family | Leguminosae |
| Genus | Cynometra (1) |
Cynometra webberi is a relatively common component of the scattered remnants of forest which once covered much of the coast of east Africa (2) (3). It is a shrubby evergreen tree, 4.5 to 18 metres high, with buttress roots extending into a grey, smooth trunk topped by a bushy crown. The leaves are composed of three to four pairs of elliptical leaflets projecting from a central stem. During flowering, a stalk grows from the end of this stem, bearing small, sweet-smelling, white flowers. Like other members of the legume family, C. webberi produces its seeds in pods. These are green and elongated, reaching up to six centimetres in length and over three centimetres in width, and end in a sharp point (4).
TopCynometra biology
Although there is currently little information about this species’ biology, it does play an important ecological role. The extensive C. webberi thickets within the Arabuko-Sokoke forest are inhabited by a number of threatened species, such as the Sokoke scops-owl (Otus ireneae) and the east coast akalat (Sheppardia gunningi) (2).
TopCynometra range
C. webberi is found along the eastern coastal regions of Kenya and Tanzania, extending from the Kenyan districts of Kwale and Kilifi to north-eastern Tanzania (1) (4).
TopCynometra habitat
C. webberi is a characteristic species of the Kenyan and Tanzanian dry coastal forests, where annual temperatures are high and rainfall is low. In the western parts of the Arabuko-Sokoke forest in Kenya, it is the dominant canopy forming species (1), growing abundantly in the region’s striking, red, sandy soil (2) (5).
TopCynometra status
Classified as Vulnerable (VU) on the IUCN Red List (1).
TopCynometra threats
As a result of long-standing overexploitation for firewood and building materials, as well as clearance for agriculture and settlements, the once extensive forests of the east African coast have, today, been reduced to small, scattered fragments (2). The largest of these is the Arabuko-Sokoke forest, which covers an area of 420 square kilometres and contains the greatest population of C. webberi (2). Despite Arabuko-Sokoke’s protected status, pressure from increasing local human populations is ongoing and intensifying. The region’s poverty drives people to illegally exploit the forest, particularly targeting C. webberi because of its multiple uses as a building material, and for fuelwood and charcoal (3).
TopCynometra conservation
The preservation of Arabuko-Sokoke is vital, as it supports a high number of endemic and rare species, and is ranked by BirdLife International as the second most important forest for bird conservation on mainland Africa (2). Unfortunately, people living around the forest frequently have a negative view of conservation; from their perspective it denies them access to the resources that they require to survive (3) (5). To overcome this, a number of organisations are working to create programs whereby local people can derive a sustainable income from the forest, without causing its destruction. For example, the Kipepeo Butterfly Project has trained local people to farm butterflies within the forest for export to overseas exhibits (6). If programs like these can be maintained, it may halt the otherwise inevitable destruction of the east African coastal dry forests (3).
TopFind out more
For further information about conserving the Arabuko-Sokoke forest see:
- Kipepeo Butterfly Project:
www.kipepeo.org - Arabuko-Sokoke Schools and Ecotourism Scheme:
www.assets-kenya.org - BirdLife International:
www.birdlife.org/action/ground/arabuko
Authentication
This information is awaiting authentication by a species expert, and will be updated as soon as possible. If you are able to help please contact: arkive@wildscreen.org.ukTopGlossary
- Buttress roots
- Found in certain tree species, these are large roots which extend above the ground creating flares at the base of the trunk.
- Endemic
- A species or taxonomic group that is only found in one particular country or geographic area.
References
- IUCN Red List (November, 2008)
http://www.iucnredlist.org - BirdLife International (November, 2008)
http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/sites/index.html?action=SitHTMDetails.asp&sid=6397&m=0 - Burgess, N.D. and Clarke, G.P. (2000) Coastal Forests of Eastern Africa. IUCN Forest Conservation Programme. IUCN, Gland.
- Aluka (November, 2008)
http://www.aluka.org/action/showMetadata?doi=10.5555/AL.AP.FLORA.FTEA001596&pgs= - McClanahan, T.R. and Young, T.P. (1996) East African Ecosystems and Their Conservation. Oxford University Press US, New York.
- Kipepeo Butterfly Project (November, 2008)
http://www.kipepeo.org
More »Related species
Close
Image credit
© Richard W. Spjut
Richard W. Spjut
richspjut@gmail.com
http://www.worldbotanical.com/african_plants.htm
Close
Link to this photo
Embed this ARKive thumbnail link by copying and pasting the code below.
Terms of Use - The displayed thumbnail may be used as a link from your website to ARKive's online content for private, scientific, conservation or educational purposes only. It may NOT be used within Apps.
Read more about
Close
MyARKive
MyARKive offers the scrapbook feature to signed-up members, allowing you to organize your favourite ARKive images and videos and share them with friends.
Close
Terms and Conditions of Use of Materials
Copyright in this website and materials contained on this website (Material) belongs to Wildscreen or its licensors.
Visitors to this website (End Users) are entitled to:
- view the contents of, and Material on, the website;
- download and retain copies of the Material on their personal systems in digital form in low resolution for their own personal use;
- teachers, lecturers and students may incorporate the Material in their educational material (including, but not limited to, their lesson plans, presentations, worksheets and projects) in hard copy and digital format for use within a registered educational establishment, provided that the integrity of the Material is maintained and that copyright ownership and authorship is appropriately acknowledged by the End User.
End Users shall not copy or otherwise extract, alter or manipulate Material other than as permitted in these Terms and Conditions of Use of Materials.
Additional use of flagged material
Green flagged material 
Certain Material on this website (Licence 4 Material) displays a green flag next to the Material and is available for not-for-profit conservation or educational use. This material may be used by End Users, who are individuals or organisations that are in our opinion not-for-profit, for their not-for-profit conservation or not-for-profit educational purposes. Low resolution, watermarked images may be copied from this website by such End Users for such purposes. If you require high resolution or non-watermarked versions of the Material, please contact Wildscreen with details of your proposed use.
Creative commons material
Certain Material on this website has been licensed to Wildscreen under a Creative Commons Licence. These images are clearly marked with the Creative Commons buttons and may be used by End Users only in the way allowed by the specific Creative Commons Licence under which they have been submitted. Please see http://creativecommons.org for details.
Any other use
Please contact the copyright owners directly (copyright and contact details are shown for each media item) to negotiate terms and conditions for any use of Material other than those expressly permitted above. Please note that many of the contributors to ARKive are commercial operators and may request a fee for such use.
Save as permitted above, no person or organisation is permitted to incorporate any copyright material from this website into any other work or publication in any format (this includes but is not limited to: websites, Apps, CDs, DVDs, intranets, extranets, signage, digital communications or on printed materials for external or other distribution). Use of the Material for promotional, administrative or for-profit purposes is not permitted.











