Common Name:

General Information

Afrocarpus dawei is an evergreen tree with a small, flat-topped crown; it can grow up to 30 metres tall. The straight, cylindrical bole can be free of branches for most of its height and is up to 100cm in diameter[].
The wood is valued for construction and trees are often singled out for logging, mainly for local or regional use.
Afrocarpus dawei is a valuable timber tree that is being exploited, large trees are often targeted. It does not fulfil the criteria for any of the threatened categories based on GIS information. Observational reports on exploitation cited on herbarium specimens indicate thT there is reason to suspect decline. The extent of the decline has not been quantified but is likely to be more than 20%. The plant is classified as 'Near Threatened' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2013)[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

Eastern tropical Africa - Uganda, Tanzania

Habitat

A co-dominant or emergent tree in seasonal swamp forest on or near floodplains of slow running rivers, growing on recent river alluvial soils; at elevations around 1,100 metres[].

Properties

Conservation Status	Near Threatened
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Evergreen Tree
Height	25.00 m
Pollinators	Wind
Self-fertile	No
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

A dioecious species - both male and female forms must be grown if fruit and seed are required[].

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

The wood is valued for construction and carpentry or joinery work[].

Propagation

Seed - remains viable for several years in normal storage.
The seed has two types of dormancy; a chemical, which is overcome by removing the fleshy layer and a mechanical, imposed by the hard seedcoat. To ensure a high and even germination the seedcoat must be broken and removed. This can be done in a vice but it is very time-consuming. Freshly collected seeds will normally germinate well, up to 60% in nine weeks, even with seedcoat but once the seeds have been dried, germination can take more than six months unless the seedcoat is removed. Some reports say that soaking in saturated salt water just before sowing can improve germination. Others recommend stratification between two layers of compost for 3 - 5 days in order to weaken the seedcoat[]. The seeds are sown directly in nursery bags or in seedbeds in a mixture of compost and sand (1:1). The seed must be pushed into the mixture and covered with a fine layer of soil. The mixture must never be allowed to dry out[].
Cuttings taken from end shoots (as opposed to cuttings from lateral branches and shoots) in order to produce plants with upright growth[].

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