Afzelia africana
| Afzelia africana | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Fruit and seed | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Rosids |
| Order: | Fabales |
| Family: | Fabaceae |
| Genus: | Afzelia |
| Species: | A. africana |
| Binomial name | |
| Afzelia africana Sm. | |
Afzelia africana (also called Afzelia, Lenke, Lengue, or Doussi) is a tree species in the Fabaceae family. It occurs in Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Togo, and Uganda.
Mature trees grow between 10 and 20 meters in height. They are prized for their quality wood, their bark which has many medicinal uses, and their nitrogen-rich leaves which enrich the soil.
Afzelia africana was used in the Middle Ages for ship building.[1] It is one of the traditional djembe woods.[2] The building of a reconstructed 9th-century Arab merchantman, the Jewel of Muscat, required thirty-eight tons of Afzelia africana wood, which was supplied from Ghana. Curved trees were chosen for the ship's frames and timbers.[3]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Afzelia africana. |
References
- ↑ Jackson, Robert (March–April 2012). "Sailing Through Time: Jewel of Muscat". Saudi Aramco World. Retrieved 26 July 2012.
- ↑ Henning, Michi. "Djembe Woods: What You Need to Know". djembefola.com. Archived from the original on 20 January 2012. Retrieved 19 January 2012.
- ↑ Jewel of Muscat timeline. Accessed 2013-01-13.
External links
- Afzelia africana in West African plants – A Photo Guide.
- African Regional Workshop (Conservation & Sustainable Management of Trees, Zimbabwe) 1998. Afzelia africana. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on 20 August 2007.