Common Name:

General Information

Brachylaena ramiflora is a semi-deciduous, small to medium-sized tree growing up to 20 metres tall. The bole is unbuttressed, it can be free of branches for up to 10 metres, and up to 60cm (occasionally to 140cm) in diameter[].
The tree is harvested from the wild and used locally as a source of timber and medicines.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

Africa - Madagascar.

Habitat

Rainforests at elevations up to 2,000 metres, sometimes persisting in secondary vegetation[].

Properties

Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Semi-deciduous Tree
Height	15.00 m
Pollinators	?Bees
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

The plant may persist as isolated individuals in secondary vegetation because its corky bark gives it some resistance to fire and because after cutting coppice shoots may develop[].
A dioecious species, both male and female forms need to be grown if seed is required[].

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

In traditional medicine, decoctions of the leaves, and sometimes the bark, are used in the treatment of a range of conditions including malaria; digestive disorders such as stomach-ache and constipation; blennorrhoea; arterial diseases; coughs and colds. The leaves are also sometimes used as a vermifuge, and are combined with other plants to treat diabetes[].
Leaf decoctions are considered to have stimulant and aphrodisiac properties[]

The wood is used in the treatment of epilepsy[].

Leaf extracts have shown pronounced in-vitro activity against the malaria-causing protozoa Plasmodium falciparum. Onopordopicrine 3 has been isolated as active compound. This compound has also shown cytotoxic, antibacterial and antifungal activities[].
An ethanol extract of the leaves has shown anti-ulcer activity. In tests the extracts were not distinctly toxic[].
Several triterpenoids and 2 triterpene esters have been isolated from small twigs. All these compounds showed weak cytotoxicity against human ovarian cancer cell lines[].

Other Uses

The heartwood is golden-yellow to pale greenish brown, darkening upon exposure to yellowish brown; it is distinctly demarcated from the 4 - 6cm wide, whitish sapwood[]. The grain is straight to interlocked; the texture fine and even. The wood is heavy; hard but somewhat brittle and fissile; very durable, with an expected outdoor service life of 25 - 50 years; highly resistant to all insect and fungal attacks[]. It is difficult to saw and work; considerable power is needed, but the wood has only moderate blunting effect on cutting edges and saw teeth; it takes a fine polish; the finished surface is smooth and the use of a filler is unnecessary; pre-boring is needed for screwing and nailing is difficult because the wood splits easily[]. It has appropriate waxing and varnishing properties, but is difficult to glue and paint[]. The wood is mainly used for poles in house construction, piles for bridges, exterior carpentry, railway sleepers, fence posts, axles of carts, mortars and handles. It is suitable for ship building, vehicle bodies, sporting goods and musical instruments. It can be used for flooring, carving and turnery, but its tendency to splitting and the high shrinkage rates make it less suitable for these purposes[].

Propagation

Seed -

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