Common Name: African Satinwood

General Information

African satinwood is a semi-evergreen tree with an open crown; usually growing from 10 - 35 metres tall though specimens can be as small as 4 metres or up to 40 metres. The straight, cylindrical bole can be free of branches for up to 15 metres, occasionally for 25 metres[, , ]. The bole is usually 10 - 30cm in diameter, but can be up to 150cm[, , ] often with indistinct buttresses at the base. Straight corky thorns 1 - 3cm long are found on the bole and branches[, ].
A multipurpose tree, it provides a range of food, medicines and commodities for local use. The tree is fairly commonly planted within its distribution area, often as an individual tree, but sometimes also in pure stands[]. It is also sometimes planted as a shade-providing ornamental[].

Known Hazards

The bark is used as fish poison and arrow poison[].

Botanical References

Range

Tropical Africa - Guinea to Ethiopia and Kenya, south to Angola, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Mozambique.

Habitat

Moist forest, (evergreen) rain-forest, riverine and gallery forests; forest with Terminalia; upland rain-forest; forest regrowth, farmbush, old farmland, near forest plantations; wooded savannah at elevations from sea level up to 2,400 metres[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Semi-deciduous Tree
Height	25.00 m
Growth Rate	Medium
Pollinators	Insects
Self-fertile	No
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

A plant of the moist tropics, where it can be found at elevations between 900 - 2,400 metres[]. The mean annual rainfall in its area of distribution is 1,200 - 2,400mm, characterised by a distinct dry season not exceeding 2-3 months[, ].
Prefers well-drained soils[].
The tree grows fairly rapidly. Seedlings may reach a height of 40 - 70cm after their first year, and annual growth rates are 35 - 50cm. Trees with a bole diameter of 50cm have been found in secondary forest of 40 years old[].
Trees may start flowering when 10 years old[]. Flowering is very irregular, a phenomenon attributed to climatic conditions[].
A dioecious species, both male and female forms need to be grown if seed is required.

Edible Uses

Young shoots are added to sauces for flavouring[].
The leaves are added to tea as a flavouring[].

The seeds yield an edible oil[].

Medicinal

The plant is an important component of traditional medicine. Modern research has confirmed the presence of a range of medically active compounds in the plant including an essential oil, alkaloids and saponins[]. Various of the alkaloids have shown actions such as the ability to lower blood pressure, combat cancer growths, relieve pain and combat infections and parasites[].
The bark of the stem and roots is considered to be analgesic, aphrodisiac and vermifuge[]. It is commonly used as an analgesic, especially to treat burns, rheumatism, headache, stomach-ache, toothache and pain after childbirth[]. It is also used as a treatment against colic, fever, urogenital problems including kidney complaints and gonorrhoea, and as an enema against severe diarrhoea.
The bark is applied externally to treat cough, colds, skin complaints and smallpox[].

The leaves are used to treat heart complaints and snake bites, whereas a leaf decoction is taken to treat cough, gonorrhoea and schistosomiasis, and a leaf maceration to treat diarrhoea and gastritis[].
The leaf sap is applied externally against an enlarged spleen[].

Agroforestry Uses:

A pioneer species that is most commonly found in secondary forests. Seedlings can be common in areas of forest that were recently burnt[].

Other Uses

The stem protuberances are used as plugs[]

The seedcoat contains an essential oil[].

The roots are used as chewing sticks to clean the teeth[].

The heartwood is pale yellow to bright yellow or yellowish brown, darkening upon exposure, and indistinctly demarcated from the narrow sapwood. The grain is interlocked; texture fine to moderately coarse; lustre is silky; quartercut surfaces show a stripe figure, and backsawn surfaces occasionally have a fiddleback figure; the freshly cut wood has a sweet scent[]. The wood is moderately heavy to heavy, strong and hard; it is only moderately durable and often susceptible to termite, Lyctus and marine borer attacks[]. It usually saws moderately well, but is rather difficult to work; reduction of cutting angles to 15° gives best results in planing; it can be finished to a smooth and lustrous surface, but splitting and a rough finish may occur after machine mortising and boring; good mouldings are possible when sharp cutters are used; the nailing properties are good, but gluing properties are variable; steam-bending properties are excellent[]. The wood is used for construction in house building, for flooring, joinery, interior trim, panelling, doors, shipbuilding, vehicle bodies, furniture, cabinet work, mine props, railway sleepers, handles, ladders, sporting goods, agricultural implements, drums, toys, novelties, boxes, crates, turnery, veneer and plywood[, ].
The wood makes a good quality firewood and is used for charcoal production[, , ].

Propagation

Germination starts 3 weeks after sowing. Seeds are recalcitrant and the germination rate is often low. Germination rates of 20 - 50% have been reported, but in western Kenya rates of up to 80% in 75 - 120 days. The oily and hard seed coat contributes to the often poor germination. Washing seeds thoroughly with a soap solution improves the germination rate and reduces the germination period significantly. In West Africa it has been recorded that germination is rapid and that viability of the seed is short. The seed should be kept in the shade, and can be stored for up to 2 months. To prevent insect attacks, ash should be added. Wildlings are commonly used for planting because of the erratic germination. Seedlings are pricked out into tubes at 5 - 12 days after germination, or 3 - 4 seeds are sown directly in tubes. The seedlings should be grown in the shade and slowly hardened. They are ready for transplanting after 5 - 7 months[].
Seedlings are light-demanding and natural regeneration may be abundant in large gaps in the forest and in regrowth of old farmland. In Liberia seedlings are commonly present in such localities, but reportedly never gregarious[].
Fruits should be collected from the tree before they open but when already reddish brown. They should be dried in the sun for 1 - 2 days, and subsequently the seed can be shaken out. The 1000-seed weight is 15 - 35 g.

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