Cyphostemma currorii is a succulent tree belonging to the family Vitaceae

Vitaceae

Vitaceae are a family of dicotyledonous flowering plants including the grapevine and Virginia creeper. The family name is derived from the genus Vitis...

 and reaching a height of 6 meters or more. This plant is also known as cobas tree and butter tree. Cyphostemma currorii is found in hot, arid rocky places, and has been seen from southern Angola

Angola

Angola, officially the Republic of Angola , is a country in south-central Africa bordered by Namibia on the south, the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the north, and Zambia on the east; its west coast is on the Atlantic Ocean with Luanda as its capital city...

 to Namibia

Namibia

Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia , is a country in southern Africa whose western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and east. It gained independence from South Africa on 21 March...

 and is common on the Brandberg

Brandberg

Brandberg may refer to:*Brandberg, Austria, a municipality in the district of Schwaz in Tyrol*the former name of Dâures Constituency in the Erongo region of Namibia*the Brandberg Mountain in Namibia...

.

This species was named after Andrew B. Curror, a Royal Navy

Royal Navy

The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...

 surgeon, from the vessel HMS Waterwitch

HMS Waterwitch

HMS Waterwitch was a British hydrographic survey vessel active in eastern Asian waters in the early 20th century. She was a wooden vessel, purchased from a private owner specifically for survey work...

, who first collected specimens of the tree at Elephant's Bay in Angola in the 1840s - the genus Curroria Planch.

Jules Émile Planchon

Jules Émile Planchon was a French botanist born in Ganges, Hérault.-Biography:After receiving his Doctorate of Science at the University of Montpellier in 1844, he worked for a while at the Royal Botanical Gardens in London, and for a few years was a teacher in Nancy and Ghent...

 is also after him. The foliage and fruit of this genus are rich in oxalic acid

Oxalic acid

Oxalic acid is an organic compound with the formula H2C2O4. This colourless solid is a dicarboxylic acid. In terms of acid strength, it is about 3,000 times stronger than acetic acid. Oxalic acid is a reducing agent and its conjugate base, known as oxalate , is a chelating agent for metal cations...

, so that the leaves are shunned by browsers, though the fruit is relished by baboons and monkeys.

Sources

• Damaraland Flora - Christine Marais, Patricia Craven (Gamsberg McMillan 1992) ISBN 1-86848-784-9
• Caudiciforms