Common Name: Baku

General Information

Baku is a magnificent tree, the largest and most attractive of the forest of many parts of western Africa[]. It grows 50 metres tall or more, with a square bole 25 metres or more long that is angular at the base, ridged but not buttressed, cylindrical[].
An important local food source, its seeds are commonly collected from the wild. The tree is also heavily exploited for its timber, which is traded internationally[]. The tree has been planted on a very small scale (almost 6 ha), mainly for seed oil production, in western Côte d’Ivoire with an average density of 357 stems/ha[]. It is often planted at a density of about 120 trees/ha, in association with coffee, cocoa, rubber or rice, and at field margins and in secondary forest following clearance of undergrowth[].
Overexploitation in some countries is leading to serious population declines, notably in Ghana and in Liberia, where there is a possibility of the species becoming extinct. Regeneration may also be limited in parts of its range because of the reduction in elephant numbers and other seed dispersers. The plant is classified as 'Endangered' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2011)[].

Known Hazards

Dust produced from sawing the wood may cause irritation to the 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[].

Botanical References

Range

Western tropical Africa - Sierra Leone to Ghana.

Habitat

Often an emergent tree of the high forest, it is found in moist evergreen and semi-deciduous forests[]. There is a strong preference for undisturbed forest[].

Properties

Conservation Status	Endangered
Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Tree
Height	50.00 m
Growth Rate	Medium
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Wild

Cultivation Details

Prefers a heavy soil[]. Young trees are very tolerant of shade, but can survive in full sun, whilst older trees need a sunny position[].
Initial growth of seedlings is fast, up to 70 cm in 4 months, but then often ceases while a strong taproot (c. 20 cm long) is formed[].
Growth of the young trees is reported as slow, but strongly depends on the amount of light the plant receives. Under conditions above 40% of full light, growth may be up to 1 metre per year; whilst when light levels fall below 10% growth is almost nil[]. In Ghana, young trees have been reported to be 1 - 2 metres tall after 1 - 1.5 years in a nursery[]. However, in western Cote d'Ivoire, trees have been reported to be 3 metres tall after 4 years and 9 - 11 metres tall after 20 years with a stem diameter of 13 - 16cm. Occasional specimens have even reached 28 metres tall after 21 years with a diameter of 37cm. For 35 - 80- year-old trees the mean annual increment is 4 - 8mm[].
Trees start flowering and fruiting after about 17 years, but sometimes in as little as 10 years[]. A large tree produces approximately 3,000 - 4,000 fruits at a time[].
The fruits are eaten by elephants, which are probably the main seed dispersers; bush-pigs are also reported to feed on the fruits[].

Edible Uses

The seed kernels (cotyledons, known as 'baco') are rich in an edible fat known as 'dumori butter' or 'makore butter'[]. It is locally popular as a cooking or seasoning oil and often preferred to palm oil[]. The seeds are 60 - 75mm long, 1 - 3 being contained in each large, pulpy fruit[].
The kernel comprises about 60% oil by weight[]. The oil is yellowish and semi-fluid, has no distinct flavour or taste (occasionally slightly spicy), and consists of about 51% oleic acid, 43% stearic acid, 3.5% palmitic acid and 2.5% linoleic acid[].

Medicinal

The bark is reportedly effective for treating blennorrhoea and toothache[].

Young buds are used to treat snake bites[].

Other Uses

The fat from the seed is applied as a pomade to the body and hair, and used in soap production[].

The wood resembles African mahogany (Khaya and Entandrophragma spp.), but the texture is finer. The heartwood is pinkish-, purplish- or reddish-brown with a silky lustre, often with a decorative figure in the form of flames or stripes; it is very distinctly demarcated from the up to 8 cm wide band of pinkish white to greyish brown sapwood. The grain is straight or interlocked, texture fine and even. The wood is medium-weight; moderately hard; it is rated as one of the most durable African timbers, being resistant to termites and fungi although damage by pinhole borers and powder-post beetles has been recorded occasionally. Although it is resistant to marine borers in temperate waters, the wood is not very durable in tropical (especially brackish) waters. The wood is somewhat difficult to work due to the presence of silica - blunting effects are moderately severe when sawing, and stellite-tipped sawteeth are recommended; it finishes well, staining and polishing give good results; pre-boring for nailing and screwing is recommended to avoid splitting; gluing properties are good; the timber can be peeled satisfactorily. The heartwood is very difficult to impregnate, the sapwood moderately easy[]. Traded as makore or cherry mahogany, the wood is used for furniture, exterior and interior construction, flooring, doors, vehicle frames, sports goods, railway sleepers, turnery and sculptures[, , ]. It makes a good and decorative veneer, often used to face plywood, especially for marine uses[].

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe since the viability decreases rapidly once the seeds have been removed from the fruit[]. 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[]. Germination begins after about 4 weeks, most seeds having germinated after 10 weeks, but it may continue for 16 weeks[].
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[].
The seeds are heavy, there are 30 - 50 seeds per kg[]. Rodents may cause considerable damage to seeds and seedlings (cotyledons)[].
Air layering. In a test, 39% of branches rooted after 8 weeks[]
Cuttings. The average rate of rooting of branch cuttings after 6 months was 73%[].

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