Fabaceae
Camoensia

Camoensia brevicalyx Benth.

First published in Trans. Linn. Soc. London 25: 302 (1865)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Nigeria to N. Angola. It is a climber and grows primarily in the wet tropical biome.

Descriptions

Kew Species Profiles

General Description
The pink-flowered liane Camoensia brevicalyx is widely distributed in Africa, but is infrequently collected and poorly-known scientifically.

A member of the pea and bean family (Leguminosae), Camoensia brevicalyx is a woody climber from the wet forests of tropical Africa. 

Species Profile
Geography and distribution

Camoensia brevicalyx is native to tropical Africa and has been recorded in Angola, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Description

A liane (woody climber, supported by other vegetation) growing up to 30 m high, with a stout stem up to 3 cm in diameter and compound leaves. The flowers are pinkish.

Threats and conservation

Camoensia brevicalyx is not considered to be threatened or in decline. It has a fairly widespread distribution and is known to occur within a number of protected areas.

Future fieldwork is needed to collect seeds for storage in a seed bank as a method of ex situ conservation, although collecting a large quantity of seeds from this liane may prove difficult in the field.

Conservation assessments carried out by Kew

Camoensia brevicalyx is being monitored as part of the 'Sampled Red List' Index project, which aims to produce conservation assessments for a representative sample of the world's plant species. This information will then be used to monitor trends in extinction risk and help focus conservation efforts where they are needed most.

Uses

No uses are known, although it has been reported that alkaloids are present in abundance (over 1% concentration) in the roots, and in the seeds, along with some saponin and traces of steroids and terpenes.

This species at Kew

Dried and spirit-preserved specimens of Camoensia brevicalyx are held in the Herbarium at Kew, where they are available by appointment to researchers from around the world. The details, including images, of some of these specimens can be seen online in the Herbarium Catalogue.

Distribution
Angola, Cameroon, Gabon
Ecology
Around lakes and lagoons, by streams and in swampy forest.
Conservation
Least Concern (LC) according to IUCN Red List criteria.
Hazards

None known.

[KSP]

Papilionaceae, Hutchinson and Dalziel. Flora of West Tropical Africa 1:2. 1958

Morphology General Habit
A woody forest climber, at least 60 ft. high
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Petals white or mauve with a yellow mark in the centre of the standard.
[FWTA]

International Legume Database and Information Service

Conservation
Not Threatened
Ecology
Africa: Guineo-Congolian forest.
Morphology General Habit
Perennial, Climbing, Shrub
[ILDIS]

Extinction risk predictions for the world's flowering plants to support their conservation (2024). Bachman, S.P., Brown, M.J.M., Leão, T.C.C., Lughadha, E.N., Walker, B.E. https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nph.19592

Conservation
Predicted extinction risk: not threatened. Confidence: confident
[AERP]

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/19893089/20034503

Conservation
LC - least concern
[IUCN]

Uses

Use
None known.
[KSP]

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

    • Angiosperm Threat Predictions
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

  • Flora of West Tropical Africa

    • Flora of West Tropical Africa
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • 'The Herbarium Catalogue, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the Internet http://www.kew.org/herbcat [accessed on Day Month Year]'. Please enter the date on which you consulted the system.
    • Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

  • IUCN Categories

    • IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • International Legume Database and Information Service

    • International Legume Database and Information Service (ILDIS) V10.39 Nov 2011
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2026. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2026. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Species Profiles

    • Kew Species Profiles
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0