Common Name:

General Information

Cola laurifolia is a tree growing up to 30 metres tall. The tree often branches from low down on the bole, these low branches often touching the ground and rooting. The bole can be 80cm in diameter[].
The tree is harvested from the wild for local use as a food, medicine and source of materials.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

West tropical Africa - Senegal to Nigeria.

Habitat

Riverbanks in forest and moist savannah; it is often one of the dominant species in gallery forest[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Tree
Height	25.00 m
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Not known

Edible Uses

Fruits - raw[]. The brown or red, wrinkled fruit consists of 4 - 5 obovoid follicles up to 5cm long on a short pedicel[].

Medicinal

Seed preparations are used as a treatment against diarrhoea and dysentery[].

Other Uses

The twigs are used as chew sticks for cleaning the teeth and maintaining dental hygiene[].

A fibre obtained from the bark is made into cordage[]. The bark of young saplings can be made into a very fine cloth[].

The bark is chewed by women to colour the mouth[].

The yellow-grey wood has a fine texture. It is strong and elastic, bending without breaking, but sometimes splitting. It is used for making bows[, ]. Saplings are used for spear shafts[].
The wood is used for fuel[].

Propagation

Seed -

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