Common Name:

General Information

Uapaca heudelotii is an evergreen tree with a dense, low-branching crown; it usually grows up to 30 metres tall, though specimens to 40 metres have been recorded The bole is up to 100cm in diameter, usually with many stilt roots up to 3 metres high. The bole is seldom branchless for more than 7 - 8 metres[, ].
The plant is used locally as a source of food, medicines and timber. It is planted by rivers to stabilize the soil.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

West tropical Africa - Senegal to Central African Republic, south to Angola and DR Congo.

Habitat

Riparian situations in the closed and fringing-forests[]. Always in wet places, mostly on river borders, usually partly in the water[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Evergreen Tree
Height	25.00 m
Self-fertile	No
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Wild

Cultivation Details

A dioecious species, both male and female forms need to be grown if fruit and seed are required[].

Edible Uses

Fruit[]. The flavour is said to be similar to the medlar (Mespilus germanica)[]. The ellipsoid to obovoid fruit is 22 - 30 mm long and 18 - 22mm wide[].

Medicinal

The inner bark contains a sticky red sap. A bark-extract is used on skin-affections and as an emetic[].

A stem or root-bark-decoction is used in the treatment of female sterility, food-poisoning, rheumatism, localised oedemas and rachitic and premature babies. It is applied as an enema in the treatment of haemorrhoids[].
The decoction is used as a mouthwash and gargle for treating tooth-troubles[].

The leaves, or the bark, are pulped with palm-oil for external application to furuncles, migraines and rheumatism; it is also used as a massage for children who are late in learning to walk[].

A quantity of saponin is present in the leaves, but there are no reports of other active principles[].

The plant (part not specified) is used to promote intelligence[].

Agroforestry Uses:

The stilt-roots, and in addition adventitious aeration roots, of the tree on stream-banks encourage accumulation of silt and the formation of solid ground, thus countering erosion[].

Other Uses

The inner bark contains a sticky red sap. A bark-extract is used to dye fishing-lines[].

The heartwood is reddish-brown; the sapwood light-coloured tinged with red[]. The grain resembles mahogany but is a bit harder, more fibrous and less easily worked. The wood is durable. It splits well. It is cut for building poles; is suitable for carpentry and general construction; is used in buildings; and is cut for planks and timbers. It has been suggested for barrel-staves[].
The stilt-roots and the branches are used for ribs of boats and parts of canoes[].
The wood makes a good fuel and charcoal[].

Propagation

Seed -

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