Pericopsis elata

Pericopsis elata is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is known by the common names African teak, afromosia, afrormosia, kokrodua and assamela.[1]

Afrormosia
Afrormosia veneer sample
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Fabales
Family: Fabaceae
Genus: Pericopsis
Species:
P. elata
Binomial name
Pericopsis elata
(Harms) van Meeuwen
Synonyms
  • Afrormosia elata Harms

Range

The species is native to moist, semi-deciduous forests in Cameroon, Republic of the Congo, DRC, Ivory Coast, Ghana, and Nigeria.[2][3]

Description

The species grows to 30-45m tall with a trunk of 1–1.5m in diameter. Annual diameter increases between unlogged and logged areas have been shown to be similar. It is a deciduous species that flowers at the end of the main dry season. The minimum trunk diameter for reproduction is given as 32 cm, while that for effective flowering is 37 cm. The fruit take 7 months to mature.[1]

Uses

The tree produces hardwood timber of high commercial value due to its texture, strength, density and durability. It is used in the manufacture of boats, veneer and furniture.[4]

Stocks and extraction

The DRC has the world's largest remaining stocks of Afrormosia, which are largely confined to the Équateur and Orientale Provinces.[5]

Illegal logging and habitat loss pose a realistic threat to the afrormosia, which ranks among the most valued hard tropical timber species.[6] Following decades of extraction in the 20th and 21st century, it is ranked CITES Appendix II. This implies that it is subject to trade regulation because it is recognised that unregulated trade puts the species at risk of extinction. The factors that control its population dynamics are however imperfectly known.[1] With a minimum logging diameter of 90 cm, full recovery is expected over a 30-year period. Selective logging of 12% of seed trees has been shown to have little influence on its survival. Sustainability is believed to be best achieved by purposeful actions to ensure regeneration after logging.[1]

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References
  1. Nils, Bourland; Lambert, Kouadio Yao; Philippe, Lejeune; Bonaventure, Sonké; Julien, Philippart; Kasso, Daïnou; Fousséni, Fétéké; Jean-Louis, Doucet (November 2012). "Ecology of Pericopsis elata (Fabaceae), an Endangered Timber Species in Southeastern Cameroon". Biotropica. 44 (6): 840–847. doi:10.1111/j.1744-7429.2012.00874.x.
  2. "The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Retrieved 2018-10-28.
  3. Wood Species Database: Afrormosia - TRADA
  4. Afrormosia - The Wood Database
  5. Dickson et al. (2005)
  6. ITTO (2005)


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