No image available
Meliaceae FAMILY Vulnerable

Turraeanthus africanus

Turraeanthus africanus

Edibility
0/5
Medicinal
2/5

Safety & Hazards

The bark is used as a fish poison; the leaves are occasionally also used for the same purpose[ 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 sawdust is very irritant and may even cause internal bleeding in wood workers; good ventilation is required[ 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. , 848 Title Tropix 7 Publication Author Website http://tropix.cirad.fr/en Publisher CIRAD Year 0 ISBN Description An on-line guide to the timbers of 245 species of trees. ].

Botanical Description

Turraeanthus africanus is a large, evergreen tree with a heavy, dark green, spreading crown; it can grow up to 35 metres tall, exceptionally to 45 metres. The bole can be unbranched for 10 - 15 metres, exceptionally to 30 metres and is up to 120cm in diameter[ 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/ ]. In some areas, such as Ghana, the tree has large buttresses, whilst in Sierra Leone it is only swollen, and not buttressed, and in DR Congo it is only lightly fluted[ 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/ ]. The bole is often irregularly and poorly shaped, and low branching[ 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 harvested from the wild for its timber and for local use as a medicinal plant. A very attractive and valuable timber, it is traded internationally in small quantities[ 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 sometimes planted on farmland[ 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. ]. The plant is is exploited at moderate levels for its timber and is becoming rare in places. It is classified as 'Vulnerable' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2011)[ 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. ].

Habitat & Origin

Origintropical
Native RangeWestern tropical Africa - Sierra Leone to Uganda, south to Angola and DR Congo.
HabitatAn understorey to canopy tree in lowland evergreen forest and moist semideciduous forest, often in humid localities along streams and on the margins of poorly drained meadows and swamps; occasionally to 1,500 metres[ 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. ].