biology

Okoubaka aubrevillei

Okoubaka aubrevillei is a biology topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Okoubaka aubrevillei rather than just read about it. In short: Okoubaka aubrevillei (known as okoubaka tree from "oku baku" in Anyin) is a rare tropical tree species distributed throughout tropical rainforests of West and Central Africa that is thought to be the largest known parasitic plant. Names The name "okoubaku" derives from the Anyin (a language mostly spoken by peoples in Côte d'Ivoire) term oku baku meaning "a tree that causes the death of surrounding vegetation", or "…

Key takeaways

Okoubaka aubrevillei belongs to biology; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Okoubaka aubrevillei to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Okoubaka aubrevillei from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Okoubaka aubrevillei (known as okoubaka tree from "oku baku" in Anyin) is a rare tropical tree species distributed throughout tropical rainforests of West and Central Africa that is thought to be the largest known parasitic plant.

Names The name "okoubaku" derives from the Anyin (a language mostly spoken by peoples in Côte d'Ivoire) term oku baku meaning "a tree that causes the death of surrounding vegetation", or "a tree with allelopathic properties", or simply "death tree".

Description The okoubaka tree is considered a trophophyte, meaning it is adapted to an environment that alternates between periods of heavy rainfall and droughts. It is deciduous meaning it sheds its leaves seasonally, and monoecious, meaning it contains both male and female reproductive flower parts. It is a tree that can reach 40 meters in height with a trunk that can reach 3 meters in width. The tree forms a large bushy crown and has a straight and cylindrical bole (trunk). Its bark is coarse and usually reddish-brown. The tree development fits the Mangenot architectural model.

Ecology The okoubaka tree is a hemiparasite meaning it is parasitic under natural conditions but is photosynthetic to some degree. It is known to parasitize tiama (Entandrophragma angolense from the mahogany family), African teak (Pericopsis elata from the legume family), Pterygota macrocarpa (from the mallow family), and baku (Tieghemella heckelii from Sapotaceae) with P. macrocarpa and African teak being reported as most affected. Seed mass is large and so seed dispersal has been hypothesized to depend on large forest animals such as elephants.

Folk medicine The tree is thought to be useful for various folk medicinal purposes in all of its native ranges (mostly the seeds and bark). In Nigeria, the stem bark is used for the production of Maloff-HB, an anti-malarial drug. There is no scientific evidence that it has any medicinal properties.

References

External links

Plants for a Future: Okoubaka aubrevillei Useful Tropical Plants: Okoubaka aubrevillei

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Okoubaka aubrevillei

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Okoubaka aubrevillei claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In biology, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Okoubaka aubrevillei before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Okoubaka aubrevillei ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Okoubaka aubrevillei

In research: Okoubaka aubrevillei appears in biology research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Okoubaka aubrevillei in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Okoubaka aubrevillei is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Flora of Africa, IUCN Red List endangered species, Medicinal plants, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Okoubaka aubrevillei outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Okoubaka aubrevillei in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Okoubaka aubrevillei means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Okoubaka aubrevillei out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Okoubaka aubrevillei in simple terms?

Why does Okoubaka aubrevillei matter?

Because it connects several biology ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Okoubaka aubrevillei?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Okoubaka aubrevillei.