Common Name:

General Information

Mitragyna ledermannii is a tree; it can grow up to 36 metres tall. The straight, cylindrical bole can be unbranched for up to 20 metres, up to 100cm in diameter and either with low buttresses or none[].
The tree is harvested from the wild for local use as a medicine and source of wood. A good general purpose timber, it is commonly harvested for export.
Overexploitation of this general-purpose timber tree, and habitat degradation in large parts of its range, are causing population declines[]. The plant is classified as 'Vulnerable' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2013)[].

Known Hazards

The sawdust has been known to cause irritation at times[].

Botanical References

Range

Tropical Africa - Guinea to Cameroon and Central African Republic, south to Gabon, Congo, western DR Congo and northern Angola.

Habitat

Swamp-forest and on stream-sides in the closed rain-forest zone[]. A gregarious forest species, restricted to swampy areas,rivers and also in coastal regions[].

Properties

Conservation Status	Vulnerable
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Tree
Height	30.00 m
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Regeneration is good in wet areas. The tree is able to reproduce vegetatively[].

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

The bark is abortifacient, anodyne, antiemetic, ecbolic, febrifuge. It is used in the treatment of debility, pulmonary troubles[]
The bark is used externally to treat parasitic infections of the skin[].

The bark and leaves are used in the treatment of diarrhoea, dysentery, venereal diseases[].

Other Uses

The leaves are used to make containers and food-wrappers[].

The heartwood is light brown, possibly with coloured veins; it is not demarcated from the sapwood. The texture is fine; the grain straight or interlocked. The wod is light in weight; soft; not durable, being susceptible to fungi, dry wood borers and termites. It seasons fairly quickly, with only a slight risk of checking or distortion; once dry it is moderately stable in service. It often has a fairly high blunting effect, stellite-tipped and tungsten carbide tools are recommended; nailing and screwing are good so long as the wood is pre-bored; gluing is correct. The wood is a good general purpose timber, resistant to some acids, it is used for purposes such as cabinet making, furniture, turnery, carving, interior joinery and panelling, boxes and crates[].

Propagation

Seed -

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