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Useful Tropical Plants

Lepidotrichilia volkensii

(Gürke) J.-F.Leroy

Melastomataceae

+ Synonyms

Commiphora kilimandscharica Engl.

Trichilia bilocularis Pax

Trichilia buchananii C.DC.

Trichilia volkensii Gürke

Common Name:

Lepidotrichilia volkensii
Close-up of the flower
Photograph by: Maarten Christenhusz; African plants - A Photo Guide
© Maarten Christenhusz
Lepidotrichilia volkensii Lepidotrichilia volkensii Lepidotrichilia volkensii Lepidotrichilia volkensii

General Information

Lepidotrichilia volkensii is an evergreen shrub or tree with a strongly-branched, spreading crown; it can grow from 3 - 20 metres tall, exceptionally to 25 metres. The small bole is often fluted[
299
Title
Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa.
Publication
 
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Website
http://www.prota.org
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa.
].
The tree is harvested from the wild for local use as a food and source of wood.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

308
Title
Flora Zambesiaca
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://apps.kew.org/efloras/fz/intro.html
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent online flora of plants from the Zambezi River basin. It lists a number of the plant uses as well as the habitats and botanical descriptions of the plants.

Range

East tropical Africa - Sudan, Ethiopia, eastern DR Congo, Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi.

Habitat

An understorey tree of moist forest types in the montane zone at elevations from 1,050 - 2,400 metres, sometimes to 3,300 metres. Often found in association with Podocarpus, Hagenia and Schefflera, but sometimes also in secondary evergreen bushland[
299
Title
Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa.
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.prota.org
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa.
].

Properties

Edibility Rating *  *
Other Uses Rating *  *
HabitEvergreen Tree
Height15.00 m
Cultivation StatusWild

Cultivation Details

A plant of moderate elevations in the tropics, where it can be found at elevations from 1,050 - 3,300 metres. It is found in areas where the mean annual rainfall is within the range 1,500 - 2,000mm[
299
Title
Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa.
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.prota.org
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa.
].

Edible Uses

Fruit - raw[
299
Title
Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa.
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.prota.org
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa.
].

The bark is used in fermentation processes[
299
Title
Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa.
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.prota.org
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa.
].

Medicinal

The sesquiterpenoid voleneol has been isolated from the plant[
299
Title
Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa.
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.prota.org
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa.
].

Other Uses

The whitish heartwood is hard, with a fine texture. The wood is used for local construction and to make spoons and tool handles[
299
Title
Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa.
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.prota.org
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa.
].
The wood is used for fuel and to make charcoal[
299
Title
Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa.
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.prota.org
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa.
].

Propagation

Seed - it has a short period of viability and so should be sown as soon as it is ripe. The seed does not need pretreatment[
299
Title
Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa.
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.prota.org
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa.
].
Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2024-11-11. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Lepidotrichilia+volkensii>

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