Common Name: Dwarf Red Ironwood

General Information

Dwarf red ironwood is a small to medium-sized deciduous tree growing up to 16 metres tall with exceptional specimens to 24 metres[]. The tree has a narrow crown with ascending branches and a straight or twisted bole that can be branchless for up to 7.5 metres and up to 70cm in diameter[, ]. The tree suckers freely[].
Lophira lanceolata is a multipurpose tree, valued especially for its oil, timber and many medicinal applications. The oil and other products of the tree are traded on a local scale[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

Tropical Africa - Senegal to Uganda.

Habitat

Wooded savannah at elevations of 530 - 1,100 metres[]. One of the first colonizers of newly cleared forest[]. It often grows gregariously on fallow land at the edge of forests[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Deciduous Tree
Height	15.00 m
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Found in the wild on medium heavy to sandy or gravelly soils[]. Grows best in a sunny position.
Reports on growth rates are contradictory. In southern Benin it is reported to grow fast, whereas in Cameroon early growth is reported to be slow[].
The quantity of fruits produced per tree varies with the year and site. In Cameroon the mean quantity of fruits per tree is about 5,500[].
Good seed production is associated with large leaves[].
Plants sucker freely[].
When established, the plant it is fire tolerant, but regeneration is affected by regular bushfires[].

Edible Uses

Seeds[]. They were eaten more commonly in the past than they are at present[].

An edible oil, called 'méni oil', is extracted from the seed[]. The seeds yield 40 - 50% of a yellow inodorous semi-solid oil. Its approximate fatty acid composition is: myristic acid 2%; palmitic acid 27%; behenic acid 14%; lignoceric acid 2%; hexadecenoic acid 1%; oleic acid 15%, linoleic acid 33%, docosenoic acid 5%, plus traces of tetradecenoic acid and tetracosenoic acid[]. The α-tocopherol content of the oil is high and in a test its unsaturated fatty acid content remained unchanged for one year[].

The bark of the plant is used as a colouring in West Africa to prevent cooked yam from becoming dark[].

Medicinal

The plant has a long history of use in traditional medicine and modern research has confirmed the presence of medically active compounds[].
The bark contains several flavonoids with some antibacterial and antiviral activity. They include a group of related biflavonoids called lophirones A - J, the biflavonoid isombamichalcone and the tetraflavonoid lanceochalcone[]. The presence of benzamide has been reported in the root bark[].
The wood contains the nitrile glycoside esters lanceolin A and B[].
The leaves contain lanceolatin A and B and in addition the benzoyl glycoside lanceoloside A and the prenylated isoflavone lanceolone[].

Méni oil, obtained from the fruit, is used to treat dermatosis, toothache and muscular tiredness[]. Rubbing the skin with the oil prevents dryness[].
The oil is mixed with porridge and given to children as a tonic[].

The sap of the tree is used to treat tiredness[].

A decoction of the roots is drunk by women to treat menstrual pain, intestinal troubles and malaria[]. The pounded roots, mixed with flour, are used to treat constipation[].
A decoction of the root is used as a wash to cure chronic wounds[].

The bark of the roots and trunk is used as a treatment for pulmonary diseases[]. The bark is also used to treat gastro-intestinal problems and fevers, including yellow fever[].
An infusion of the bark is used as a mouthwash against toothache[].

An infusion of the young twigs is used to treat fever, respiratory tract infections and dysentery[]. A decoction of the young, fresh or dried leaves is given to treat pain caused by intestinal worms, dysentery and diarrhoea in children[]. Pain caused by worms can also be treated by eating young fresh leaves[]. Decoctions of the young red leaves are also employed in the treatment of headache, hypertension and syphilis[].
A steam bath of the leaves is said to cure general tiredness and rheumatism[].

Agroforestry Uses:

A pioneer species, it is one of the first colonizers of newly cleared forest[]. The species is invasive, and often found gregariously as a colonizer of cleared forest or in fallow vegetation.

Other Uses

The seeds yield 40 - 50% oil[]. The oil has cosmetic and medicinal uses and is suitable for making soap[]. Its viscosity-temperature profile makes it useful as base stock for lubricants[].
After collection the fruits are sorted and dried in the sun. For oil production, the fruit wall is removed and the seeds are ground or pounded to a paste, mixed with water and boiled. The oil that floats to the surface is scooped off[].

The young stems and sometimes the roots are commonly used as chew-sticks[].

The wood is pinkish with a red core. It is very hard, heavy and very durable[]. It is used locally for items such as mortars, railway sleepers and in bridge construction[]. It is also used in house construction and to make agricultural and household tools[].
It is an excellent firewood producing hot flames and little smoke and is also a good source of charcoal[].

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe since the seed has a short viability[]. Even sown fresh, germination rates are usually less than 50%, dropping to 5% after 3 months[]. Germination takes 3 - 5 weeks[]. To improve growth in the nursery, it is recommended to add soil from under an established tree to the substrate to ensure development of mycorrhizal fungi[].
Air layering is possible. A rooting percentage of marcots of more than 60% has been obtained with cow dung as substrate and IBA (0.8%) as growth hormone[].
Stem cuttings are also possible[].

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