Common Name:

General Information

Dialium aubrevillei is an evergreen tree; it can grow from 36 - 65 metres tall. The bole is usually straight and cylindrical, but is sometimes crooked; it can be free of branches for up to 30 metres, though sometimes it branches from low down; it is up to 100cm in diameter and buttressed at the base[, ].
The tree is harvested from the wild for local use as a food and source of wood. It produces a very heavy, durable timber and, when trees of good form are available, is commonly harvested from the wild for trade.

Known Hazards

The saw dust may cause irritation to mucous membranes in wood workers[].

Botanical References

Range

West tropical Africa - Sierra Leone to Ghana.

Habitat

Scattered in primary and secondary, evergreen rain forest, and in moist semi-deciduous forest; growing on granitic soils and sandy crests; at elevations up to to 500 metres. It is most common on hills and seems to avoid swampy locations[, ].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Evergreen Tree
Height	45.00 m
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

A plant of the moist lowland tropics, where it is found at elevations below 500 metres. It prefers regions with a mean annual rainfall around 1,500 - 2,000mm[].
Prefers base-poor, acid soils[]. Usually found on better drained soils on hill slopes[].
Natural regeneration is most abundant in undisturbed forest. Seedlings have been reported to prefer shade and mineral soils, and are often abundant in the vicinity of parent trees[].
Although many species within the family Fabaceae have a symbiotic relationship with soil bacteria, this species is said to be devoid of such a relationship and therefore does not fix atmospheric nitrogen[].

Edible Uses

Fruit. The acid-tasting pulp around the seeds is eaten[, ].

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

The heart wood is light pinkish-brown to brown or red-brown, sometimes very dark; it is clearly demarcated from the 4 - 8cm wide band of sapwood. The texture is medium; the grain straight to entangled. The wood is heavy to very heavy, hard to very hard, elastic; it is very durable, even in fresh water, resisting attacts by fungi, dry wood borers and termites. The wood seasons slowly, with a high risk of checking or distortion; once dry it is poorly stable in service. It has a high blunting effect, stellite-tipped and tungsten carbide tools are recommended; it planes to a good finish with a nice polish without the use of a filler; nailing and screwing are good, but require pre-boring; gluing is correct. The wood is used for purposes such as construction (including in contact with fresh water), heavy flooring, turnery, railway sleepers, tool handles, exterior panelling and joinery, sliced veneer[, ].
The wood is used for making charcoal[].

Propagation

Seed - it may take 2 weeks to 3 months to germinate, and the germination rate is moderate[].

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