Common Name:

General Information

Canarium madagascariense is a laxly branched, deciduous tree with a spreading, rounded crown; it can grow from 12 - 35 metres tall[]. The straight bole can be unbranched for up to 27 metres and up to 200cm in diameter, it is often buttressed[, ].
The tree is harvested from the wild, mainly for local use as a food, medicine and source of materials. The wood is sometimes exported[]. The plant is grown as an ornamental and shade tree[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

East tropical Africa - Tanzania, Mozambique, Madagascar.

Habitat

Rare in forest patches and river banks on sandy soils at elevations up to 300 metres in Tanzania[]. Widespread but scattered in Madagascar, growing in moist and dry forests, especially along watercourses, from sea-level up to 2,000 metres[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Deciduous Tree
Height	25.00 m
Self-fertile	No
Cultivation Status	Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

A plant of low to moderate elevations in the tropics, where it can be found at elevations up to 2,000 metres. In Tanzania it is found in areas with a mean annual rainfall of about 1,000mm[].

A dioecious species, both male and female forms need to be grown if fruit and seed are required[].

Edible Uses

The fruits are eaten, especially by children[]. A somewhat sweet flavour, it contains up to 60% fat[]. The fruit is a purple, ovoid-ellipsoid drupe up to 55mm long by 30mm in diameter, with a yellow, aromatic, fleshy pulp[]

The roasted seeds are eaten like groundnuts[].

Medicinal

The resin is a stimulant and its activity increases when pickled in alcohol[]. It is used medicinally for the treatment of urinary complaints, dental caries, rheumatism, wounds, and as a disinfectant[]t. After heating its vapour is inhaled as a remedy for headaches and other pain. Immersion in the vapour is believed to protect against infections[].

Other Uses

The bark contains a turpentine-scented, white, clear resin turning yellowish on hardening[]. It is used in a variety of ways including for caulking boats; as a glue, in perfumes; in paints; and in the manufacture of incense used during religious ceremonies[]. The resin is also sometimes used as an insecticide[].

The dry heartwood is used to make torches[].

The heartwood is pinkish brown; it is not distinctly demarcated from the greyish sapwood, which is up to 5 cm wide. Freshly cut wood often has a bluish tinge. The grain may be straight but is fairly often interlocked or spiral, the texture medium to coarse. The wood is lustrous and contains an oleoresin. The wood is soft, but sometimes difficult to saw due to high silica content, but normally works easily, with only a slight blunting effect on cutting edges. It nails well, but has poor nail holding properties. It glues easily, takes paint well, stains well and has good veneering properties, but the use of filler is recommended. The wood is not durable, being liable to attacks by insects, including termites, and fungi, but it is resistant to sea water[, ]. It is used for dugout canoes, boxes, crates, construction, tool handles, matches, everyday furniture and hidden parts of fine furniture, veneer, plywood, hardboard and particle board. It is also considered suitable for joinery, interior trim, turnery, and sometimes for flooring, poles and piles[].
The wood is used for fuel and to make charcoal[, ].

Propagation

Seed - we have no specific information for this species but seeds of this genus generally have a hard seed coat and germinate erratically. Filing away some of the seed coat to allow moisture to enter more readily, without damaging the seed, will encourage a faster and more even germination[].

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