Common Name:

General Information

Desbordesia glaucescens is a large tree with a narrow crown that can attain a height of 45 metres or more[, ]. It has a long straight bole that can be up to 40 metres tall, up to 3.75 metres in diameter, and with high thin buttresses[, ].
One of the largest trees of the forest in Gabon[], it is gathered from the wild for local use as a food, medicine and timber[]. The strong, durable timber is harvested for commercial use.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

Western tropical Africa - S Nigeria and W Cameroons, extending to Gabon and Congo.

Habitat

Rain-forests, from sea level to elevations of 800 metres[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Tree
Height	40.00 m
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Not known

Edible Uses

The seeds contain an oily edible kernel and is crushed in a mortar to make a sort of dika bread[]. The seeds are used in sauces[].

Medicinal

The bark is said to be aphrodisiac, stomachic[]. A decoction is used in the treatment of stomach-ache[].
Applied externally, it is made into an ointment with palm-oil for treating chicken-pox, and is also applied to the temples in cases of headache[].

Other Uses

Tannin has been reported in the bark and roots, and some saponin is also found in the roots[].

The wood is pinkish-white to yellowish, and very hard. It is used for construction-work[].

The heartwood is yellow-brown, becoming dark brown upon exposure, dark veins are more or less numerous; it is clearly demarcated from the 5 - 8cm wide band of sapwood. The texture is fine, the grain straight. Logs need to be sawn quickly after felling because the wood cracks during druing. The wood is very heavy, hard to very hard, elastic; it is very durable, being resistant to fungi, dry wood borers and termites. It seasons slowly, with a high risk of checking and distortion; once dry it is poorly stable in service. The wood has a fairly high blunting effect, stellite-tipped and tungsten carbide tools are recommended; nailing and screwing are good, but require pre-boring; gluing is correct for internal purposes, but needs to b done with care because of the denseness of the wood. The wood is used for purpuses such as heavy consruction, railway sleepers, bridges, work in contack with fresh water, heavy carpentry etc[].

Propagation

Seed -

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