Combretum imberbe

Botanical Description

Combretum imberbe is a deciduous shrub or tree with a spreading crown, most commonly 6 - 10 metres tall, though it can also often be found up to 20 metres tall, with reports of some trees reaching 30 metres. The bole, which is usually crooked, can be up to 100cm in diameter[ 299 Title Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa. Publication Author Website http://www.prota.org Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa. , 308 Title Flora Zambesiaca Publication Author Website http://apps.kew.org/efloras/fz/intro.html Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description An excellent online flora of plants from the Zambezi River basin. It lists a number of the plant uses as well as the habitats and botanical descriptions of the plants. ]. A high quality wood that is very heavy and durable, it is in high demand for carving and a wide range of other uses. It is also considered to be useful as an ornamental shade tree[ 299 Title Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa. Publication Author Website http://www.prota.org Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa. ]. The tree is widespread and at least locally common. It is therefore not easily liable to genetic erosion. However, studies in Malawi have shown that the wood is in high demand for charcoal production, and that many trees are felled for this purpose. In South Africa Combretum imberbe trees of over 20 cm in bole diameter are selectively felled on a large scale for their timber, whereas smaller-sized trees are commonly cut for firewood. The extent of exploitation appears to be unsustainable in many regions with high human population pressure within the distribution area of the species[ 299 Title Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa. Publication Author Website http://www.prota.org Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa. ].