Entandrophragma
| Entandrophragma | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Sapele Tree | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Rosids |
| Order: | Sapindales |
| Family: | Meliaceae |
| Genus: | Entandrophragma |
| Species | |
|
See text. | |
Entandrophragma is a genus of eleven species of deciduous trees in the mahogany family Meliaceae, restricted to tropical Africa. At least some of the species attain large sizes, reaching 40–50 m tall, exceptionally 60 m, and 2 m in trunk diameter. The leaves are pinnate, with 5-9 pairs of leaflets, each leaflet 8–10 cm long with an acuminate tip. The flowers are produced in loose inflorescences, each flower small, with five yellowish petals about 2 mm long, and ten stamens. The fruit is a five-valved capsule containing numerous winged seeds.
- Selected species
- Entandrophragma angolense - Tiama
- Entandrophragma candollei - Kosipo
- Entandrophragma cylindricum - Sapeli or Sapele
- Entandrophragma utile - Sipo or Utile
Uses
The timber of a few species is well known. These are traded under separate names and can be used more or less like mahogany, with that of Entandrophragma cylindricum perhaps closest to a mahogany-type wood. The wood has a density of 660 kg per cubic meter.[1]
References
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Entandrophragma. |
- Tiama Entandrophragma angolense
- Kosipo Entandrophragma candollei
- Sapeli Entandrophragma cylindricum
- Sipo (Utile) Entandrophragma utile