Common Name:

General Information

Trichilia gilgiana is a medium-sized, evergreen tree with a strongly branched, spreading crown; usually growing 10 - 20 metres tall, but with some specimens to 30 metres. The bole is sometimes fluted, though it is usually cylindrical, 20 - 40cm in diameter, exceptionally to 100cm[, ]. The bole can be unbranched for about 60% of the height of the tree.
The tree is harvested from the wild for local medicinal use and for its timber.

Known Hazards

The wood dust may cause irritation to the respiratory tracts and skin in wood workers[].

Botanical References

Range

West tropical Africa - Nigeria to DR Congo, south to northern Angola.

Habitat

Rainforest[]. Lowland evergreen and semi-deciduous secondary forest, often in the understorey, at elevations up to 950 metres[].

Properties

Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Evergreen Tree
Height	20.00 m
Pollinators	Bees
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Not known

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

The bark is considered to have analgesic and stimulant properties. It is used in traditional medicine to treat abdominal, chest and fever pains, and as a tonic[].

The sap of young leaves is applied to circumcision wounds and small quantities of pulverized leaves are added to drinking water to treat respiratory problems in children[].

Other Uses

The heartwood is greyish white to pinkish grey or pinkish brown; indistinctly demarcated from the creamy white sapwood. The grain is often interlocked; the texture fine to moderately coarse; quarter-sawn wood is lustrous and has darker stripes and irregular bands[]. The wood is medium-weight; not durable; susceptible to fungal, termite, dry-wood borer and marine borer attacks. It is difficult to saw because of the high silica content, which causes blunting of saw teeth and cutting edges; it planes satisfactorily, but quarter-sawn surfaces may be rough because of the presence of interlocked grain; the nailing properties are good; gluing properties moderate[]. The wood is suitable for light construction, interior trim, vehicle bodies, furniture, cabinet work, boxes, crates, toys, novelties, veneer, plywood, hardboard and particle board, as well as pulpwood for paper production[].

Propagation

Seed -

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