Common Name: Black Guarea

General Information

Black guarea is an evergreen, medium-sized to fairly large tree up to 35 metres tall with occasional specimens up to 55 metres[]. The straight, cylindrical bole can be free of branches for up to 20 metres, often fluted, up to 150 cm in diameter, sometimes with short, blunt buttresses at the base[].
The tree is harvested from the wild for local use as a medicine and timber, it is also exploited commercially and traded internationally[].
A quite widespread species, but it usually occurs in low densities and is usually restricted to undisturbed forest. It is included in the IUCN Red list, where it is classified as 'Vulnerable' because of habitat loss and degradation, and selective felling[].

Known Hazards

The wood dust may cause irritation to the skin and mucous membranes[].
The bark is used as a fish poison[].

Botanical References

Range

Western tropical Africa - Liberia to Cameroon, south to Gabon, Congo and DR Congo.

Habitat

A sub-canopy tree in lowland evergreen rainforest, usually primary forest. It is most common in moist evergreen forest, especially in undisturbed forest, but it occurs also in moister types of semi-deciduous forest[, ].

Properties

Conservation Status	Vulnerable
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Evergreen Tree
Height	35.00 m
Growth Rate	Slow
Self-fertile	No
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Grows best in flat but well-drained sites[]. The tree is classified as a shade-bearer.
In the forest, seedlings are most common in the shade, although generally less common than those of Leplaea cedrata. For proper development of seedlings, some opening of the forest canopy seems essential[].
Initial growth of seedlings is slow. When they are exposed to more sunlight after one year, growth may speed up. However, planted trees in Nigeria reached on average only 10 metres in height and 20 cm in diameter after 25 years, and it has been estimated that it takes about 200 years for Leplaea thompsonii trees to reach 100cm in bole diameter[].
Plants can flower and produce fruit all year round[].
A dioecious species, both male and female forms need to be grown if fruit and seed are required[].

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

The bark is used in traditional medicine[].

A decoction of the bark is applied as an enema to treat kidney pain, bleeding after childbirth, rheumatism and leprosy[].
A bark maceration is taken as a strong purgative[].

Other Uses

The heartwood is orangey brown when freshly cut, darkening to reddish brown upon exposure; it is usually distinctly demarcated from the 5 - 10cm wide band of paler sapwood. The grain is usually straight, sometimes interlocked; the texture fine; there is a slightly moire aspect. The wood is moderately heavy; moderately hard; moderately durable, being resistant to fungi and only occasionally attacked by termites and pinhole borers, but it is slightly more susceptible to attacks of powder-post beetles. It generally air dries fairly easily with little degrade, but has some tendency to checking during kiln drying; once dry it is stable in service. The wood is usually fairly easy to saw and work; it contains less silica than the wood of Leplaea cedrata, but is slightly more dense. It can be finished to a smooth surface, but there may be a slight tendency to pick up during planing of quarter-sawn material and some gum may appear at the surfaces. A cutting angle of 20° is recommended when interlocked grain is present. The wood holds nails and screws well, but may split upon nailing and pre-boring is recommended. It glues satisfactorily and takes paints, varnishes and stains well, but filling is recommended. The bending properties are usually moderate[].
The wood is . The heartwood is strongly resistant to impregnation, the sapwood permeable to moderately resistant[].
The wood is valued for house building, flooring, joinery, interior trim, panelling, doors, ship building, vehicle bodies, furniture, cabinet work, veneer and plywood. It is suitable for toys, novelties, boxes, crates, carving and turnery[]. Good-quality veneer can be produced by slicing[]. Traditionally, the wood is used for dugout canoes[].

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe because it has a short viability[]. Germination is rather slow, taking 20 - 35 days[]. Seedlings are drought sensitive[].

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