Common Name:

General Information

Cassipourea gummiflua is a very variable plant. An evergreen shrub or tree, it usually grows from 5 - 20 metres tall, though occasionally it can be only 3 metres tall or up to 40 metres[, ]. The bole can be 20 - 60cm in diameter with small buttresses[, ].
The tree is harvested from the wild for local use of its timber. It is sometimes planted as an ornamental and to provide shade[, ].

Known Hazards

The much-cited report that ingestion of the wood shavings by poultry results in sex change of female chicks is erroneous. It later appeared that the shavings concerned were from a different species, Funtumia africana; the androgenic effect is due to infection of these shavings with the steroid-producing saprophytic fungus Fusarium solani[].

Botanical References

Range

Tropical Africa - Sierra Leone to Uganda and Kenya, south to Angola, S. Africa and Madagascar.

Habitat

Dry, closed forests; montane locations on streamsides in the forest understorey[]. Evergreen and riverine forest at elevations from 1,400 - 2,000 metres in Zimbabwe[].

Properties

Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Evergreen Tree
Height	15.00 m
Cultivation Status	Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

Not known

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

The bark has medicinal uses[]. No more details[].

The alkaloid cassipourrine has been isolated from dry twigs and leaves[].

Other Uses

The heartwood is greyish or yellowish white; it is indistinctly demarcated from the sapwood. The grain is straight; texture moderately fine and even. Freshly-sawn wood has a strong onion-like smell, which persists to some extent in the dry wood. The wood is moderately hard, heavy and strong; of low durability, it is susceptible to termite and marine borer attack. It seasons slowly with a tendency to warp, and should be dried under cover to avoid excessive splitting. The wood is liable to blue stain attack and discolours easily. It is easy to saw and work with hand and machine tools; liable to crack when nailed; finishes to a fine surface; turns, moulds and glues well, and can be peeled or sliced satisfactorily[, , ]. A useful, general purpose timber, it is used for poles, dhow masts, spoons, canoe paddles and yokes[]. It is suitable for light construction, flooring, vehicle bodies, furniture and cabinet work, handles and ladders, boxes and crates, interior trim, implements, joinery, toys[].
The wood is used for fuel and to make charcoal[, ].

Propagation

Seed -

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