# Ongokea

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{{Short description|Genus of flowering plants}}
{{Speciesbox
| genus = Ongokea
| parent_authority = Pierre<ref name=POWO/>
| species = gore
| authority = (Hua) [Pierre](/source/Jean_Baptiste_Louis_Pierre)<ref name=POWO/>
| synonyms =
'''<small>Genus synonymy</small>'''
{{Genus list
| Schoepfianthus Engl. ex De Wild.
}}
'''<small>Species synonymy</small>'''
{{Species list
| Aptandra gore | Hua
| Ongokea kamerunensis | Engl.
| Ongokea klaineana | Pierre
| Schoepfianthus zenkeri | Engl. ex De Wild.
}}
| synonyms_ref = <ref name="POWO"/><ref>{{cite POWO |id=608169-1 |title=''Ongokea gore'' |access-date=16 February 2024}}</ref>
}}

'''''Ongokea''''' is a genus of [flowering plant](/source/flowering_plant)s, with one species '''''Ongokea gore''''' (Boleko).<ref name=POWO/> In the [APG IV system](/source/APG_IV_system), the genus is placed in the family [Olacaceae](/source/Olacaceae).<ref name=APGIV/><ref name="POWO">{{cite POWO |id=28243-1 |title=''Ongokea'' |access-date=16 February 2024}}</ref> Other sources place it in the segregate family [Aptandraceae](/source/Aptandraceae).<ref name=APweb/>

Its native range is Western Tropical Africa to Angola,<ref name="POWO" /> and is notable for the seeds of its edible fruits containing an industrially-useful oil that can undergo explosive polymerization reactions at elevated temperatures.<ref name=Protabase>{{cite book |title=Vegetable Oils: Tropical Resources of Africa 14|year=2007 |page=127|publisher=PROTA |isbn=9789057821912 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YW-ZbQnWQYsC&dq=boleko%20oil&pg=PA127}}</ref> This oil is curious for being rich in diacetylenic and hydroxy-diacetylenic fatty acids, primarily [isanic](/source/isanic_acid) and bolekic acid—that is, instead of a typical single-bonded fatty acid backbone, these acids contain multiple (thermally unstable) triple bonds.<ref name=lipidmaps>{{cite web|url=https://www.lipidmaps.org/resources/lipidweb/lipidweb_html/lipids/fa-eic/fa-acetylenic/index.htm|title=Fatty Acids: Acetylenic and Allenic - crepenynic - plants, animals, mosses - composition and biochemistry}}</ref>

== Description ==
''Ongokea gore'' is a medium to large size tree that can reach 40 m tall with a diameter than reach 1.2 m and often has basal root swellings.<ref name=":0">{{Cite thesis |last=Voorhoeve |first=A.G. |title=Liberian high forest trees : a systematic botanical study of the 75 most important or frequent high forest trees, with reference to numerous related species |degree=PhD |publisher=Wageningen University |url=https://research.wur.nl/en/publications/liberian-high-forest-trees-a-systematic-botanical-study-of-the-75}}</ref>  It has a fairly open crown that is usually in the upper [canopy](/source/Canopy_(biology)) of the forest. The bark is thick, dark brown, grey or black in color, it is commonly smooth but sometimes scaly and generally fissured and [lenticellate](/source/Lenticel).<ref name=":0" /> The slash is yellowish in color and scented.<ref name=":0" />

The leave are mid shade green in color and the petiole is 6-10 mm long.<ref name=":0" /> The leaflets are elliptic to ovate in shape, about 4-8 cm long and 2-5 cm wide with a base that is cuneate to rounded and an apex that is acuminate. The inflorescence is axillary and [paniculate](/source/Panicle), the flowers are green in color. <ref name=":0" /> The fruit is sometimes called Isano by locals, it is drupe like, up to 4 cm in diameter and 1 seeded.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book |title=Vegetable oils |date=2007 |publisher=PROTA |isbn=978-90-5782-192-9 |editor-last=Vossen |editor-first=H. A. M. van der |series=Plant resources of tropical Africa |location=Wageningen |pages=128}}</ref>

== Ecology ==
[Oribatid](/source/Oribatida) mites is a dominant inhabitant within suspended soil that has accumulated on branches of the ''Ongokea gore'' tree in the rain forest of Gabon, other inhabitants include tectocepheus mites.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Arthropods of tropical forests: spatio-temporal dynamics and resource use in the canopy |date=2003 |publisher=Cambridge Univ. Press |isbn=978-0-521-82000-4 |editor-last=Basset |editor-first=Yves |edition=1. publ |location=Cambridge |chapter=Fauna of suspended soils in an ''Ongokea gore'' tree in Gabon}}</ref>

== Distribution ==
Occurs in West and Central Africa, in [evergreen](/source/Evergreen_forest) and semi-deciduous forest environments.<ref name=":0" />

== Chemistry ==
Oil obtained from the seeds of ''Ongokea gore'' contains the fatty acid group, dia-[acetylenic](/source/acetylenic) and has isanic, [isanolic](/source/isanolic_acid), [ketoisanic](/source/Ketoisanic_acid), hydroxy acetylenic, and bolekic acids.<ref name=":1" />

== Uses ==
The seed oil and stem bark extracts are sometimes used as part of a purgative decoction.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Jerz |first1=Gerold |last2=Waibel |first2=Reiner |last3=Achenbach |first3=Hans |date=2005 |title=Cyclohexanoid protoflavanones from the stem-bark and roots of ''Ongokea gore''☆ |url=https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0031942205001949 |journal=Phytochemistry |language=en |volume=66 |issue=14 |pages=1698–1706 |doi=10.1016/j.phytochem.2005.04.031|pmid=15922375 |bibcode=2005PChem..66.1698J |url-access=subscription }}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist|refs=
<ref name=APGIV>{{Citation |mode=cs1 |last=Angiosperm Phylogeny Group  |year=2016 |title=An update of the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group classification for the orders and families of flowering plants: APG IV |journal=[Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society](/source/Botanical_Journal_of_the_Linnean_Society) |volume=181 |issue=1 |pages=1–20 |doi=10.1111/boj.12385 |doi-access=free }}</ref>

<ref name=APweb>{{Cite web |last=Stevens |first=P.F.  |title=Aptandraceae |work=Angiosperm Phylogeny Website |url=http://www.mobot.org/MOBOT/research/APweb/orders/santalalesweb2.htm#Aptandraceae |access-date=2021-07-18 }}</ref>
}}

{{Taxonbar|from1=Q10341007|from2=Q15259008}}

Category:Olacaceae
Category:Monotypic Santalales genera
Category:Taxa described in 1897

{{Santalales-stub}}

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Ongokea](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ongokea) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ongokea?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.