Berlinia confusa
Berlinia confusa
Safety & Hazards
The seed is said to be toxic and is used as a rodenticide and bird poison[ 332 Title The Useful Plants of West Tropical Africa. Publication Author Burkil. H. M. Publisher Royal Botanic Gardens; Kew. Year 1985 - 2004 ISBN Description 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/ ].
Botanical Description
Berlinia confusa is a tree with a hemispherical crown; it usually grows 15 - 30 metres tall, but can be as small as 8 metres or as tall as 40 metres. The usually straight, cylindrical bole can be free of branches for up to 23 metres and 60 - 100cm in diameter, though sometimes it is short and crooked or fluted[ 328 Title African Flowering Plants Database Publication Author Website http://www.ville-ge.ch/musinfo/bd/cjb/africa/recherche.php Publisher Conservatoire et Jardin Botaniques. Year 0 ISBN Description Contains information on over 150,000 plant names (including synonyms) giving a description and habitat, plus a distribution map. , 879 Title A Synopsis of the Genus Berlinia (Leguminosae - Caesalpinioideae) Publication Edinburgh Journal of Botany 63 (2&3); 161 - 182 Author Mackinder B.A. & Harris D.J. Publisher Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. Year 2006 ISBN Description A preliminary treatment of the genus Berlinia prior to the publication of a full monograph. ]. The tree is often harvested from the wild for local use as a food, medicine and source of materials. The wood is also traded internationally. The tree is sometimes used to provide shade in coffee plantations. Berlinia confusa has a wide range in western Africa and is known to occur within the protected areas network. However, the level of deforestation and natural habitat degradation in some of the areas in which it occurs are high, indicating that botanical surveys and monitoring of the species is required. There are no estimates of population numbers for this species so population decline cannot be assessed with certainty, however population decline is not thought to be over the threshold for a threatened category. The plant is classified as 'Least Concern' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2013)[ 338 Title IUCN Red List of Threatened Species Publication Author Website http://www.iucnredlist.org/ Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat. ].