Common Name:

General Information

Terminalia macroptera is a shrub or a tree with an open, spreading crown; it usually grows from 4 - 10 metres tall, with occasional specimens to 20 metres. It has a short bole that is rarely straight[, ].
The tree is often harvested from the wild for local use, supplying a range of medicinal applications, wood, tannins, dyes and an essential oil.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

Tropical Africa - Gambia and Mali, eastwards to Uganda and Ethiopia.

Habitat

Open woodland; wooded grassland with tall grass-cover on black cotton soil or on rocky slopes; fine gravelly hills and plateau; lateritic pans; margins of flooded plains; at elevations from 160 - 1,400 metres[].

Properties

Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Tree
Height	10.00 m
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

A plant of drier areas in the tropics, it is found in areas with a mean annual rainfall of 700 - 1,500mm[].
Found on a range of soils in the wild, it can tolerate seasonal inundation of the soil and compacted soils[].
The tree has a deeply fissured corky bark that gives it a degree of fire resistance[].

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

The bark of the stems and roots contains tannin, making it astringent, haemostatic and cicatrizant[]. The powdered bark is used to treat piles, diarrhoea and dysentery[].
An enema made from a decoction of the bark is used as a treatment for piles[].
A decoction of the bark is used as a wash to cleanse sores[].

The roots are aphrodisiac, diuretic, haemostatic, purgative and tonic[]. A root-decoction is considered a strengthening tonic, and is given in the treatment of many illnesses causing debilitation and depression; it is also used for fevers, jaundice, syphilis and as an aphrodisiac. It is considered a useful treatment in cases of urethral discharge and urinary trouble especially in women during pregnancy.
A decoction is used topically on wounds[]. The roots are chopped up into small pieces then macerated to a lotion which is applied to sprains[].

Fruits which have been galled are used as an astringent for treating dysentery[].

A leaf-infusion is used as a depurative[].
A hot decoction of the leaves is used as a wash and fumigation in fevers, and can be used as a treatment for ringworm and other skin diseases[].
The plant (part not specified) is recorded as being used to treat culfetin, a sort of leprosy[].

The plant is reported to contain flavones and steroids. Chlorogenic acid, present in the leaves, is perhaps responsible for a cholagogic action[].

Agroforestry Uses:

The tree has been recommended as a desirable species for reforestation, especially where it was formerly abundant[].

Other Uses

The aromatic bark is used to make a perfume[].
The heart-wood is scented and is used in Senegal in a perfume called amulguéné, amu, and suma-diala[].

The leaves, stem and root bark contains tannin[].

The root-bark yields a yellow-brownish dye used for dyeing cloth[, ].
The leaves provide a deep-black dye used for cloth, and to make ink[, ].

The tree is said to contain a gum[].

The wood is yellowish or light brown. It has a coarse uneven grain, is hard and very durable. It is rarely straight and difficult to work, though it is said to be valued for carpentry, and to have an attractive appearance somewhat resembling teak[, ]. It has a reputation for resistance to borers and termites, and is used for house-posts, the frames of boats etc[]. The thicker branches are hollowed out to use as beehives and storage boxes[].
The wood is said to produce a very good charcoal[].
The wood as fuel is said to be avoided by the Mandinka of The Gambia as the fumes are alleged to affect young children, the antidote to which is a decoction made from the same tree’s roots[].

Propagation

Seed -

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