Common Name:

General Information

Pterocarpus santalinoides is a usually evergreen tree with a dense crown of more or less drooping branches; it can grow 10 - 15 metres tall. The bole is usually short, it can be straight or more or less twisted, around 30 - 50cm in diameter[, ].
The tree has a number of uses, being harvested from the wild as a food, medicine and source of materials. It is often grown in Agroforestry systems where it helps to protect the other crops and enrich the soil. It is suitable as an ornamental tree, having showy flowers and shiny leaves[].
The plant is classified as 'Least Concern' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(1998)[].

Known Hazards

Raw seeds are toxic[].

Botanical References

Range

West Tropical Africa - Senegal to Gabon; S. America - Paraguay, Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuadoe, Colombia, Venezuela, the Guyanas; Caribbeean - Trinida

Habitat

Mixed deciduous forest and flooded savannah on lake and lagoon sides, riverbanks[]. River banks, usually on sandy and moist soils, at elevations up to 500 metres[].

Properties

Conservation Status	Least Concern
Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Evergreen Tree
Height	12.00 m
Growth Rate	Fast
Pollinators	Bees
Cultivation Status	Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

The plant occurs in lowland regions of the moist tropics at elevations from 200 - 500 metres. It is found in regions with a mean annual temperature of around 26°c and an annual rainfall of about 1,600mm[299. 303]. It is often locally common, and sometimes even occurs gregariously[].
The plant tolerates shade[]. Prefers a well-drained soil[]. It has performed well on highly acidic and aluminium toxic soils[]. It may survive dry periods of over 5 months provided that the roots can reach the ground water, and is also tolerant of seasonal waterlogging of the soil[].
A fast-growing tree - in southern Cameroon the fastest growing trees reached a height of 6.4 metres and a diameter of 10.3cm 20 months after planting[].
Trees can be managed by pollarding, coppicing and lopping[].
This species has a symbiotic relationship with certain soil bacteria; these bacteria form nodules on the roots and fix atmospheric nitrogen. Some of this nitrogen is utilized by the growing plant but some can also be used by other plants growing nearby[].

Edible Uses

Roasted seeds are edible, tasting slightly like groundnuts, but the raw seeds are toxic[]. The dark brown, kidney-shaped seeds are up to 2cm long and cm wide[].
The fat content of the seeds is low: less than 1%[].

Cooked young leaves are eaten as a vegetable; they are also added to soup[].

Medicinal

The bark, roots and leaves are commonly used in medicinal preparations. They are taken internally to treat bronchial complaints, amoebic dysentery, stomach-ache and sleeping sickness; to prevent abortion and ease childbirth, and as a tonic[].
Decoctions are administered externally to wounds to promote healing, and to treat haemorrhoids and fever[].

Stem extracts showed slight antimalarial activity against Plasmodium falciparum strains[].
Tannin is present in the bark and the wood[].

Agroforestry Uses:

The tree is occasionally planted to provide shade for crops and to improve the soil by fixing nitrogen and providing organic matter[]. The litter production if this tree, however, is relatively low - in tests in southern Nigeria it was only 7.3 - 8.1 tonnes per hectare[]. The leaf litter slowly releases N as it decomposes and significantly increases soil
exchangeable Ca and Mg in the soil[].
The tree also makes a good windbreak, and is an important species for soil conservation in water catchment areas[, ].
Tests in Nigeria and Cameroon showed that this species has significant potential for alley cropping. Hedgerows were established using 2-month-old seedlings planted at 4 metres between the rows and 0.25 metres within the rows. The hedgerows were cut back to 50cm after one year and, in subsequent years, were cut cack twich a year. They were interplanted with maize[].

Other Uses

Tannin is present in the bark and the wood[].
The bark is locally used for dyeing textiles brownish[].
The bark exudate is occasionally used to give textiles a reddish colour[].

The heartwood is creamy white to yellowish and indistinctly demarcated from the sapwood. The texture is moderately fine. The wood is moderately ligh in tweight, moderately soft and easy to work. It is not durable and is liable to attacks by fungi and borers. The wood is locally used for temporary construction, carpentry, sculpturing, fences and boxboard[].
The wood is used as fuel[].

Propagation

Seed - it has a hard seedcoat and may benefit from scarification before sowing in order to speed up and improve germination. This can usually be done by pouring a small amount of nearly boiling water on the seeds (being careful not to cook them!) and then soaking them for 12 - 24 hours in warm water. By this time they should have imbibed moisture and swollen - if they have not, then carefully make a nick in the seedcoat (being careful not to damage the embryo) and soak for a further 12 hours before sowing[]. Germination starts after 7 - 14 days, with around 70% of the seed sprouting[].
Dry seeds can be stored for longer periods[].
Stem cuttings.
Root cuttings.

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