Common Name:

General Information

Uvariopsis congensis is an evergreen shrub or a small tree with spreading branches; it can grow 4 - 12 metres tall. The bole can be 25cm in diameter. The flowers are produced entirely on the trunk and stems of the plant[, , ].
The tree is sometimes harvested from the wild for local use of its wood.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

,

Range

Tropical Africa - Cote D'Ivoire, Gabon, Congo, DR Congo, Uganda, Kenya, northern Angola, Zambia.

Habitat

An understorey plant of fringing forest and forest margins, also in secondary evergreen forest; at elevations from 1,080 - 1,650 metres[, ].

Properties

Other Uses Rating
Habit	Evergreen Tree
Height	8.00 m
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Grows well in shady positions[]. The plant is intolerant of drought[].
The fruits are an important food for chimpanzees and monkeys, locally even the main food. It has been reported that these primates often spit the seeds, dispersing them in this way, but the seeds are also swallowed and dispersed by the dung. It has been noted that seeds from chimpanzee dung germinated, but that those taken directly from trees did not[].
The plant regenerates under the canopy and in small gaps in the forest. Seedlings usually die if they germinate in large, open gaps in the forest[].

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

Leaf extracts have shown antimalarial activity and also cytotoxicity against human KB cancer cell lines[].
Acetogenins have been isolated from the leaves[].

Other Uses

The branches are used to make bows[].

Propagation

Seed - sow in a shady position in a nursery seedbed[]. The seed germinates better if it has passed through the digestive tract[].

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