Common Name: African Beech

General Information

Faurea saligna is usually a small to medium-sized, slender, graceful, semi-deciduous tree with fragrant flowers that smell of coconut or honey[, ]. It usually grows 7 - 10 metres tall, with occasional specimens as tall as 20 metres, and develops a spreading, fairly sparse crown as it ages[]. The bole can be straight or twisted, sometimes swollen at the base, up to 60cm in diameter[].
A multi-purpose tree, it is harvested from the wild mainly for its wood and medicinal uses[]. The tree is often left standing when the land is cleared for cultivation[]. An attractive tree, it is suitable for amenity planting[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

Eastern Africa - Kenya south to S. Africa.

Habitat

Usually found in Brachystegia woodland or in grassland with scattered trees, often common in these areas, at elevations of 700 - 2,000 metres[]. Low - medium elevations in open woodland and on stony hillsides[].

Properties

Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Semi-deciduous Tree
Height	10.00 m
Pollinators	Bees
Cultivation Status	Ornamental, Semi-cultivated, Wild

Cultivation Details

A plant of the drier areas of tropical Africa, where it is found at elevations from 700 - 2,000 metres or more[, , ]. It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 20 - 28°c, but can tolerate 16 - 35°c[]. It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 500 - 1,000mm, but tolerates 400 - 1,500mm[].
Requires a sunny position[]. It is usually found on sandy or red loam soils and on stony slopes in the wild[]. Prefers a pH in the range 5.5 - 7, tolerating 5 - 7.5[]. Established plants are drought tolerant.
Plants have a thick bark and can withstand moderate burning, but do not survive fierce grass fires[].
The flowers are attractive to bees, who readily collect the nectar to produce a strongly flavoured honey with a rather musty aroma[].

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

The bark is boiled in broth and taken as a tonic[].

The roots are boiled and the liquid drunk as a remedy for diarrhoea and indigestion[].

Agroforestry Uses:

Trees can be planted as windbreaks[].

Other Uses

A red dye is obtained by soaking the wood in water[].

The bark contains tannins[].

The wood is strong, durable, of medium weight, brittle, and pale yellow, red or dark brown[]. It is beautifully figured, handsomely coarse grained, polishes well, does not warp or shrink and can be worked green, but suffers from gum pockets (cracks in the wood filled with bright yellow gum)[]. It is easy to work and excellent for furniture, cabinet making, internal construction, joinery, doors, wagons, poles, posts, water wheels, panelling and as general-purpose timber[]. It is not attacked by borers or termites[].
The wood makes good firewood and charcoal[].

Propagation

Seed -

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