Common Name:

General Information

Trichilia monadelpha is an evergreen tree with a large open spreading crown; it can grow 12 - 20 metres tall. The straight, cylindrical bole is without buttress and fluting and can be up to 50cm in diameter[].
The tree is often utilized locally, providing an edible oil, medicines and various commodities.

Known Hazards

The sawdust may cause irritation to the respiratory tracts in wood workers[].

Botanical References

Range

West tropical Africa - Guinea to DR Congo, south to north Angola.

Habitat

An understorey tree in lowland high-forest; evergreen and semi-deciduous secondary jungle, often on river-banks, at elevations up to 650 metres[, ].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Evergreen Tree
Height	15.00 m
Growth Rate	Slow
Pollinators	Bees
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Grows well in dappled shade[].
The trees are slow-growing[]. Young trees were planted in full sun, in forests paths and under cover in secondary forest. The best results were obtained under cover, with a mortality of about 40% and a tree height of over 3 metres after 6 years, whereas in unshaded conditions mortality was over 70% and the trees were only 1 metre tall[].

Edible Uses

The seed oil is occasionally used in cooking[].

Medicinal

Within its native range, Trichilia monadelpha is an important plant in traditional medicinal, where its bark in particular is valued[].
A range of medically active compounds have been shown to be present in the bark, particularly alkaloids, tannins and limonoids[]. Limonoids are also present in the roots, whilst the leaves contain tannins and flavonoids[].
Bark extracts have shown antiplasmodial activity against chloroquine- and pyrimethamine-resistant Plasmodium falciparum strains[].
Leaf extracts have shown activity against several bacteria and fungi, including significant activity against the plant-pathogenic fungus Fusarium oxysporum[].

The bark is considered to be abortifacient, analgesic, anthelmintic, aphrodisiac and oxytocic[]. A decoction is drunk to sooth cough, and to treat gonorrhoea and syphilis[]. Small amounts of the pulped bark are eaten or applied as an enema to treat gastro-intestinal complaints[].
A bark decoction, or the pulped bark, is applied externally to wounds, sores, skin affections including yaws, lumbago and oedema[].

A leaf decoction is taken to treat heart complaints[]. The pounded leaves are used to treat gonorrhoea and lumbago[].

The roots are an ingredient in preparations to treat dysentery, and are considered aphrodisiac[].

Agroforestry Uses:

The tree is useful for soil protection and soil improvement[, ].

Other Uses

A reddish brown dye can be obtained from the bark[]. It has been used for dyeing cloth and hides[].

Twigs are used as chew-sticks to clean the teeth and maintain their health[].

The heartwood is pale pinkish brown to reddish brown; more or less distinctly demarcated from the whitish brown or greyish brown sapwood[]. The grain is usually straight; the texture fine to moderately coarse[]. The wood is moderately lightweight, soft, moderately durable, susceptible to blue stain, dry-wood borer and marine borer attacks, whereas the liability to termite attack is recorded as variable[]. It is rather difficult to saw and work because of quickly gumming up and blunting of sawteeth and cutting edges; it planes and finishes satisfactorily, producing nice back-sawn and quarter-sawn surfaces; the nailing and gluing properties are good[]. The wood is used in house building, especially for piles. It is locally favoured for wood carving, and is used for making masks and canoes. It is suitable for light flooring, joinery, interior trim, ship building, vehicle bodies, furniture, cabinet work, boxes, crates, toys, novelties, veneer, plywood, hardboard and particle board, as well as pulpwood for paper production[].
It is also used as firewood and for charcoal production[].

Propagation

Seed - when sown immediately after harvest, they germinate within 8 - 15 days, with a high germination percentage[]. Young seedlings require shade[].

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