Common Name:

General Information

Gnidia daphnifolia is a shrub or a tree growing up to 6 metres tall[].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use of its fibre.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

Africa - Madagascar at elevations from sea level to around 1,400 metres[].

Habitat

Degraded, open savannahs; mainly on sandy or lateritic soilsbut also sometimes on rocky slopes of granite, gneiss, limestone and possibly marble[]. Sandy and rocky locations[].

Properties

Other Uses Rating
Habit	Shrub
Height	4.00 m
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

The plant flowers and produces fruit all year round[].

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

A fine and silky fibre is obtained from the bark. It is used to make cordage[, ]. Like that of many other species in Madagascar, the bark was formerly beaten on a mallet to obtain a kind of felt used for cloth. As technology evolved, fibres were extracted by crushing the bark, after which they were combed or scutched, making them suitable for spinning and weaving[].
The fibre from the bark is traditionally used to make 'papier Antaimore', a coarse paper that was commonly used locally but is now made more for tourists[]. Papier Antaimore is a paper of excellent quality, made into articles such as stationary, envelopes, cards, notebooks, photo albums, lampshades and gift bags[].

Propagation

Seed -

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