Common Name:

General Information

Newtonia buchananii is a deciduous tree with a flat-topped crown and wide-spreading branches; it can grow from 10 - 40 metres tall. The usually straight and cylindrical bole can be unbranched for up to 18 metres, though usually less, it is usually up to 100cm in diameter, but exceptionally to 185cm. It often has small, wing-shaped buttresses, but these can sometimes be up to 3.5 metres high[, , , , ].
The tree is valued for its wood and so is commonly harvested from the wild, mainly for local use[]. The tree is also a local source of medicines and is often encouraged, both as a shade tree in plantations and as a soil stabilizer on river banks. A graceful tree, it is grown as an ornamental and, because of the shade it provides, is suitable for avenue planting[, , ].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

Tropical Africa - Nigeria, Cameroon, eastern DR Congo, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Angola, Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique, Zimbabwe.

Habitat

A canopy and subcanopy tree in highland forest areas at elevations from 1,100 - 1,800 metres in west Africa. In East and southern Africa it occurs in evergreen rainforest, often along watercourses and lakes, at elevations from 600 - 2,200 metres[].

Properties

Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Deciduous Tree
Height	25.00 m
Growth Rate	Slow
Pollinators	Bees
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

A plant of the moist to wet tropics, where it can be found at elevations from 600 - 2,200 metres. It occurs in regions with a mean annual rainfall within the range 1,100 - 3,000mm and a mean annual temperature of 17 - 27°c[, ].

In general, seedlings grow slowly and have low survival rates. This means that special care is needed in the early years. Direct sowing has been tried in Tanzania, but survival of seedlings was low, up to only 26% after 10 years. Once established however, which is usually after 1 - 3 years, the young trees can grow fairly fast[].
Locally, trees may be found flowering throughout the year[].
The winged seeds are mainly dispersed by wind, but distribution by water and birds is also possible[].
It has been reported that the tree is relatively short lived[].
Although many species within the family Fabaceae have a symbiotic relationship with soil bacteria, this species is said to be devoid of such a relationship and therefore does not fix atmospheric nitrogen[].

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

The bark is used as an aphrodisiac[].
In DR Congo an air-dried bark decoction is applied as powder to treat abscesses[].

Agroforestry Uses:

Newtonia buchananii is planted as a shade tree in coffee, tea and cocoa plantations; the crown gives a rather light shade[].
It is planted along rivers in order to stabilize the banks[, ].
The leaves are used as mulch[].
The flowers are a good source of nectar and pollen for bees[].

Other Uses

A yellow-brown resin exudes from the bark when cut[].

The heartwood is pale brown, darkening to golden brown upon exposure; distinctly demarcated from the 5 - 15cm thick band of greyish white sapwood. The grain is interlocked; texture moderately coarse to coarse; the wood has some stripe or ribbon figure and is lustrous. The wood is medium-weight; fairly soft to moderately hard; not durable to moderately durable - it shows moderate resistance to termite attacks, but is susceptible to powder-post beetle, pinhole borer and marine borer attacks. However, the wood is reportedly durable in fresh water, and is for that reason much used for making canoes in Lake Victoria. It air dries and kiln dries satisfactorily, with little distortion but with some risk of checking. After drying, the wood is moderately stable in service. It is easy to saw, but with some tendency to split due to growth stresses; it works fairly easily by hand and machine tools, but mortising and boring are somewhat difficult; a cutting angle of 10° and sharp edges are recommended for planing of quarter-sawn stock, but for flat-sawn pieces an angle of 30° is sufficient; the use of a filler is needed to obtain a good finish; it holds screws and nails well, but there is a tendency to splitting; pre-boring is recommended; it glues more or less satisfactorily and peels well. The boles have a tendency to split during felling operations. Freshly harvested logs are liable to insect attacks and should be removed from the forest soon after felling to avoid damage to the wood.
The wood is used for tool handles, implements, carpentry, joinery, cabinet work, doors, door frames, bridges, boat building, vehicle bodies and fencing. It is suitable for light construction, flooring, interior trim, boxes, crates, veneer and plywood. It is used traditionally to make dugout canoes[, ].
The wood is a good quality fuel and is used for charcoal production[, , ].

Propagation

Seed - they do not show any dormancy and usually germinate in 3 - 4 weeks, with up to 70% germination rates and exceptionally to 90%[].
The seeds lose their viability quickly, and cannot be stored for more than a few weeks at room temperature. They are very susceptible to insect attack[].
Root suckers can also be used for propagation, and wildlings are occasionally collected for planting[].

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