Common Name:

General Information

Didelotia idae is an evergreen tree; it usually grows 15 - 30 metres tall, exceptionally reaching 50 metres. The straight, cylindrical bole can be free of branched for most of the tree's height, it is up to 120cm in diameter with a base that is sometimes swollen for the first 100 - 120cm with very low, thick root swellings[, ].
The tree is harvested from the wild for its timber, which is used locally and also traded.
Although it occurs commonly in parts of its range, the effects of mining, logging and commercial forestry activities have caused significant losses in the extent of its occurrence. The plant is classified as 'Near Threatened' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2013)[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

West tropical Africa - Sierra Leone to Cote D'Ivoire.

Habitat

Scattered in wet evergreen and swampy forests, growing on rocky granite slopes and hollows; flat valleys, slowly rolling country; with Tarrietia utilis, Lophira alata, Parinari excelsa, Brachystegia leonensis; at elevations from 80 - 350 metres[, ].

Properties

Conservation Status	Near Threatened
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Evergreen Tree
Height	25.00 m
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Not known

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

The heartwood is pink-orangey to yellow, sometimes with greenish-brown veins, it is clearly demarcated from the 5 - 10cm wide band of sapwood. The texture is coarse; the grain interlocked; there is a strong odour from unseasoned wood. The wood is light to moderately heavy, soft to moderately hard; it is somewhat durable, being resistant to dry wood borers, a little resistant to fungi and susceptible to termites. It seasons normally with only a slight risk of checking or distortion; once dry it is moderately stable in service. It can be worked with ordinary tools, though these need to be kept very sharp in order to obtain a good finish on interlocked grains; nailing and screwing are good; gluing is correct. The wood has a range of uses, including for light carpentry, furniture, boxes and crates, joinery, interior panelling, formwork and veneer[].

Propagation

Seed -

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