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Useful Tropical Plants

Garcinia afzelii

Engl.

Clusiaceae

+ Synonyms

Garcinia antidysenterica A.Chev.

Garcinia brevipedicellata (Baker f.) Hutch. & Dalziel

Garcinia mannii brevipedicellata Baker f.

Common Name:

No Image.

General Information

Garcinia afzelii is an evergreen tree with a rounded, bushy crown; it can grow up to 15 metres tall, occasionally to 18 metres. The bole is short[
328
Title
African Flowering Plants Database
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.ville-ge.ch/musinfo/bd/cjb/africa/recherche.php
Publisher
Conservatoire et Jardin Botaniques.
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
Contains information on over 150,000 plant names (including synonyms) giving a description and habitat, plus a distribution map.
,
332
Title
The Useful Plants of West Tropical Africa.
Publication
 
Author
Burkil. H. M.
Publisher
Royal Botanic Gardens; Kew.
Year
1985 - 2004
ISBN
 
Description
Brief descriptions and details of the uses of over 4,000 plants. A superb, if terse, resource, it is also available electronically on the Web - see http://www.aluka.org/
].
The tree is harvested from the wild for local use as a source of food, medicines and materials. The roots and branches are commonly used as chewsticks, being much harvested from the wild and often sould in markets of western Africa[
332
Title
The Useful Plants of West Tropical Africa.
Publication
 
Author
Burkil. H. M.
Publisher
Royal Botanic Gardens; Kew.
Year
1985 - 2004
ISBN
 
Description
Brief descriptions and details of the uses of over 4,000 plants. A superb, if terse, resource, it is also available electronically on the Web - see http://www.aluka.org/
].
This species is heavily exploited in the wild as a source of chewsticks. The plant is classified as 'Vulnerable' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2013)[
338
Title
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.iucnredlist.org/
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat.
].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References


Range

Western Tropical Africa - Cote d'Ivoire to Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea and Congo.

Habitat

Riverine forests; an understorey tree in dry forests or in rain-forests; forest relicts; gallery forests; at elevations from 450 - 1,280 metres[
328
Title
African Flowering Plants Database
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.ville-ge.ch/musinfo/bd/cjb/africa/recherche.php
Publisher
Conservatoire et Jardin Botaniques.
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
Contains information on over 150,000 plant names (including synonyms) giving a description and habitat, plus a distribution map.
].

Properties

Conservation StatusVulnerable
Edibility Rating *  *
Medicinal Rating *  *
Other Uses Rating *  *  *
HabitEvergreen Tree
Height12.00 m
Cultivation StatusWild

Cultivation Details



A dioecious species, both male and female forms usually need to be grown if fruit and seed are required[
1149
Title
Contribution to the taxonomy of Garcinia (Clusiaceae) in Africa, including two new species from Gabon and a key to t
Publication
PhytoKeys 17: 41-62 (2012)
Author
Marc S.M. Sosef, Gilles Dauby
Website
http://www.phytokeys.com
Publisher
 
Year
2012
ISBN
 
Description
 
]. At least some dioecious Garcinia species, however, are able to produce fertile seed even in the absence of fertilization (asexual reproduction). Such seeds would be expected to be genetically identical to the parent[
1798
Title
Taxonomic Revision of Garcinia Section Garcinia (Clusiaceae)
Publication
Phytotaxa 373 (1): 001-052
Author
Nazre M., Newman M.F., Pennington R.T. & Middleton D.J.
Website
https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.373.1.1
Publisher
 
Year
2018
ISBN
1179-3155
Description
 
]

Edible Uses

The fruits are brownish-yellow, to 2 .5 cm in diameter and contain 2 - 4 seeds embedded in an acidulous pulp which is edible and much relished[
332
Title
The Useful Plants of West Tropical Africa.
Publication
 
Author
Burkil. H. M.
Publisher
Royal Botanic Gardens; Kew.
Year
1985 - 2004
ISBN
 
Description
Brief descriptions and details of the uses of over 4,000 plants. A superb, if terse, resource, it is also available electronically on the Web - see http://www.aluka.org/
].

Medicinal

Traphia wine in which root-bark has been soaked is drunk in Sierra Leone as an aphrodisiac[
332
Title
The Useful Plants of West Tropical Africa.
Publication
 
Author
Burkil. H. M.
Publisher
Royal Botanic Gardens; Kew.
Year
1985 - 2004
ISBN
 
Description
Brief descriptions and details of the uses of over 4,000 plants. A superb, if terse, resource, it is also available electronically on the Web - see http://www.aluka.org/
].

The seeds are acknowledged to be highly erogenic so that they ‘should not be eaten when brother and sister are left alone[
332
Title
The Useful Plants of West Tropical Africa.
Publication
 
Author
Burkil. H. M.
Publisher
Royal Botanic Gardens; Kew.
Year
1985 - 2004
ISBN
 
Description
Brief descriptions and details of the uses of over 4,000 plants. A superb, if terse, resource, it is also available electronically on the Web - see http://www.aluka.org/
].

The bark is chewed in Sierra Leone as a treatment for cough and stomach-ache, or a decoction of it is taken[
332
Title
The Useful Plants of West Tropical Africa.
Publication
 
Author
Burkil. H. M.
Publisher
Royal Botanic Gardens; Kew.
Year
1985 - 2004
ISBN
 
Description
Brief descriptions and details of the uses of over 4,000 plants. A superb, if terse, resource, it is also available electronically on the Web - see http://www.aluka.org/
].

Phytochemical tests have shown the presence of a high amount of flavonic substances in the chew-sticks and of tannins and flavones in root- and stem-barks, also of gamboge which is haemostatic, antiseptic and vulnerary[
332
Title
The Useful Plants of West Tropical Africa.
Publication
 
Author
Burkil. H. M.
Publisher
Royal Botanic Gardens; Kew.
Year
1985 - 2004
ISBN
 
Description
Brief descriptions and details of the uses of over 4,000 plants. A superb, if terse, resource, it is also available electronically on the Web - see http://www.aluka.org/
].

Other Uses

The tree is much exploited as a source of chewsticks, which are used for cleaning the teeth and strengthening the gums[
338
Title
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.iucnredlist.org/
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat.
].
The roots particularly, but sometimes the twigs, are used as chew-sticks. They are commonly cut up into pencil-lengths and traded in markets in Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast and Ghana. Use of them is held to strengthen the gums and to prevent dental caries. Phytochemical tests have shown the presence of a high amount of flavonic substances in the chew-sticks and of tannins and flavones in root- and stem-barks, also of gamboge which is haemostatic, antiseptic and vulnerary[
332
Title
The Useful Plants of West Tropical Africa.
Publication
 
Author
Burkil. H. M.
Publisher
Royal Botanic Gardens; Kew.
Year
1985 - 2004
ISBN
 
Description
Brief descriptions and details of the uses of over 4,000 plants. A superb, if terse, resource, it is also available electronically on the Web - see http://www.aluka.org/
].

The sap-wood is whitish, turning to yellow in the air; heart-wood is pinkish to deep yellow or olive-brown at the centre. The wood is hard, heavy, fine-grained and takes a good polish. It is suitable for carpentry and general construction-work though liable to fungal attack. It is resistant to teredo worm and so is used for wharves and bridges. In Sierra Leone it furnishes a pole-crop from forest reserves[
332
Title
The Useful Plants of West Tropical Africa.
Publication
 
Author
Burkil. H. M.
Publisher
Royal Botanic Gardens; Kew.
Year
1985 - 2004
ISBN
 
Description
Brief descriptions and details of the uses of over 4,000 plants. A superb, if terse, resource, it is also available electronically on the Web - see http://www.aluka.org/
].

Propagation

Seed -
Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2024-03-28. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Garcinia+afzelii>

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