Nauclea diderrichii
Nauclea diderrichii
Safety & Hazards
None known
Cultivation Details
A tree of moist tropical lowlands, where it is generally found at elevations below 500 metres[1]. It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 28 - 34°c, but can tolerate 22 - 38°c[2]. It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 1,600 - 3,500mm, but tolerates 1,200 - 4,500mm[2]. Requires a sunny position, even as a young tree[3]. Prefers a well-drained, moderately fertile, light to medium soil[2]. Does not grow well on excessively wet soils or on lateritic ones that dry out completely in the dry season[4]. Prefers a pH in the range 5.5 - 6.5, tolerating 4.5 - 7.5[2]. Annual wood production potential is 3 - 10 cubic metres per hectare[2]. The tree coppices readily[4].
Propagation
Seed - does not require pre-treatment[4]. Propagation is best carried out in a nursery due to the small size of the seed[4]. Prick the seedlings out into individual pots when about 1 month old[4]. The seeds can remain dormant in the forest soil[3].They remain viable for at least a year in storage[4]. The seeds are stimulated into germination by increased light exposure[3]. The effect on germination of the seed passing through an animal's gut has yet to be examined; seedlings, however, are commonly found along elephant tracks[3]. Cuttings are easy[4]. Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2026-02-20. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Nauclea+diderrichii>
Pollinators
Data unavailable
References
- [1]The Useful Plants of West Tropical Africa. — Burkil. H. M. · Royal Botanic Gardens; Kew. · 1985 - 2004 ↩︎Brief descriptions and details of the uses of over 4,000 plants. A superb, if terse, resource, it is also available electronically on the Web - see http://www.aluka.org/
- [2]Ecocrop — http://ecocrop.fao.org/ecocrop/srv/en/home ↩︎Basic information on a wide range of useful plants, plus details of environmental needs where available.
- [3]Global Tree Campaign - 40 Species in Trade — http://www.unep-wcmc.org/trees/trade/40_species_in_trade.htm ↩︎Information on the habitats, uses and some cultivation notes for 40 species of timber trees.
- [4]World Agroforesty Centre — http://www.worldagroforestry.org/ ↩︎An excellent online database of a huge range of trees giving very good information on each plant - its uses, ecology, identity, propagation, pests etc.
- [5]IUCN Red List of Threatened Species — http://www.iucnredlist.org/ ↩︎A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat.
- [6]Tropix 7 — CIRAD · http://tropix.cirad.fr/en ↩︎An on-line guide to the timbers of 245 species of trees.
- [PFAF]Plants for a Future — pfaf.org ↩︎