Afzelia africana
Afzelia africana (also called African mahogany, afzelia, lenke, lengue, apa, or doussi) is a tree species in the family Fabaceae.
African mahogany | |
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Habit in Senegal, with foliage below | |
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Species: | A. africana |
Binomial name | |
Afzelia africana | |
Range
It occurs in Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, the RCongo, DRCongo, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Togo, and Uganda.
Habit
Mature trees grow between 10 and 20 meters in height. They are prized for their quality wood, their bark which has many medicinal uses, and their nitrogen-rich leaves which enrich the soil.
Uses
Afzelia africana was used in the Middle Ages for ship building.[1] It is one of the traditional djembe woods.[2] The building of a reconstructed 9th-century Arab merchantman, the Jewel of Muscat, required thirty-eight tons of Afzelia africana wood, which was supplied from Ghana. Curved trees were chosen for the ship's frames and timbers.[3]
Gallery
References
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Afzelia africana. |
- Jackson, Robert (March–April 2012). "Sailing Through Time: Jewel of Muscat". Saudi Aramco World. Retrieved 26 July 2012.
- Henning, Michi. "Djembe Woods: What You Need to Know". djembefola.com. Archived from the original on 2012-01-20. Retrieved 19 January 2012.
- Jewel of Muscat timeline. Accessed 2013-01-13.
External links
- Afzelia africana in West African plants – A Photo Guide.
- African Regional Workshop (Conservation & Sustainable Management of Trees, Zimbabwe) 1998. Afzelia africana. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on 20 August 2007.