Tieghemella africana
Tieghemella africana
Safety & Hazards
Dust from sawn wood may cause irritation to skin and mucous membranes. It has been suggested that this is caused by the presence of saponins or the contact allergen 2,6-dimethoxy-1,4-benzoquinone. A highly haemolytic saponin has been isolated from the wood; on hydrolysis it gave d-glucose, l-rhamnose and d-xylose[1].
Cultivation Details
Douka is a plant of the lowland humid tropics. Young trees are tolerant of shade, but can survive in full sun[1]. Trees have a moderately fast rate of growth. Young trees were on average 9 metres tall 6 years after planting in Gabon. The survival rate was about 90% and was almost equal when planted exposed to full sunlight in comparison with planting in the shade of forest cleared from undergrowth. The young trees grow faster when planted in light shade; 11-year-old trees were on average 18.5 metres tall and 13cm in diameter when planted in light shade, and 15.5 metres tall and 9cm in diameter in full sunlight[1]. In a 66-year-old plantation in Gabon the mean annual increment is 0.4cm in diameter and 1.8 cubic metres per hectare in wood volume[1]. The fruits are eaten by elephants, which are probably the main seed dispersers[1].
Propagation
Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe since the viability decreases rapidly once the seeds have been removed from the fruit[1]. In the nursery, seeds are usually planted at a spacing of 40 cm × 40 cm under light shade. Seedbeds should be watered well. Germination is over 90% in optimal conditions, and without pre-treatment[1]. Germination begins after about 4 weeks, most seeds having germinated after 10 weeks, but it may continue for 16 weeks[1]. Saplings of about 2.5 years old and 1 - 1.5 metres tall are planted out into the field usually at the beginning of the rainy season, but in western Côte d’Ivoire 0.5 year-old seedlings are used[1]. The seeds are heavy, weighing 15 - 20g each. They should be planted within a few weeks because viability decreases rapidly[1]. Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2026-02-20. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Tieghemella+africana>
Pollinators
Data unavailable
References
- [1]Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa. — http://www.prota.org ↩︎An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa.
- [2]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.
- [3]Dictionary of Economic Plants. — Uphof. J. C. Th. · Weinheim · 1959 · ISBN - ↩︎An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.
- [4]Tropix 7 — CIRAD · http://tropix.cirad.fr/en ↩︎An on-line guide to the timbers of 245 species of trees.