Pterocarpus soyauxii

Last updated

Pterocarpus soyauxii
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Fabales
Family: Fabaceae
Subfamily: Faboideae
Genus: Pterocarpus
Species:
P. soyauxii
Binomial name
Pterocarpus soyauxii
A bonsai stand made from African padauk wood A --bonsai-- stand made from African Padauk wood 2013-06-02 13-19.jpg
A bonsai stand made from African padauk wood

Pterocarpus soyauxii, the African padauk or African coralwood, is a species of Pterocarpus in the family Fabaceae, native to central and tropical west Africa, from Nigeria east to Congo-Kinshasa and south to Angola. [1] [2]

It is a tree growing to 27–34 m tall, with a trunk diameter up to 1 m with flaky reddish-grey bark. The leaves are pinnate, with 11–13 leaflets. The flowers are produced in panicles. The fruit is a thorny pod 6–9 cm long, which does not split open at maturity. [3]

Uses

The leaves are edible, and contain large amounts of vitamin C; they are eaten as a leaf vegetable. [3]

Bark extracts are used in herbal medicine to treat skin parasites and fungal infections. [3]

The wood is valuable; it is very durable, red at first, becoming purplish-brown on exposure to light, with a density of 0.79 g/cm3. [4] It is resistant to termites. [3] It is valued for making drums in Africa due to its tonal resonance. [3] The wood is also favored for its use in stringed instruments (namely acoustic and electric guitars) for its tonal attributes and durability. [5]

Dust from the wood produced during wood processing can cause dermatitis in some people. [6]

Native African names include Kisese (Congo), Mbel (Cameroon), Mukula, N'gula (Zaire), and Tacula (Angola). [4]

Related Research Articles

<i>Quercus montana</i> Species of oak tree

Quercus montana, the chestnut oak, is a species of oak in the white oak group, Quercus sect. Quercus. It is native to the eastern United States, where it is one of the most important ridgetop trees from southern Maine southwest to central Mississippi, with an outlying northwestern population in southern Michigan. It is also sometimes called rock oak because of its presence in montane and other rocky habitats.

<i>Pterocarpus</i> Genus of legumes

Pterocarpus is a pantropical genus of trees in the family Fabaceae. It belongs to the subfamily Faboideae, and was recently assigned to the informal monophyletic Pterocarpus clade within the Dalbergieae. Most species of Pterocarpus yield valuable timber traded as padauk ; other common names are mukwa or narra. P. santalinus also yields the most precious red sandalwood in China known as Zitan. The wood from the narra tree and the Burmese padauk tree is marketed as amboyna when it has grown in the burl form. The scientific name is Latinized Ancient Greek and means "wing fruit", referring to the unusual shape of the seed pods in this genus.

<i>Pterocarpus indicus</i> Species of legume

Pterocarpus indicus is a species of Pterocarpus native to southeastern Asia, northern Australasia, and the western Pacific Ocean islands, in Cambodia, southernmost China, East Timor, Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, the Ryukyu Islands, the Solomon Islands, Thailand, and Vietnam.

<i>Schinus terebinthifolia</i> Species of flowering plant in the cashew and mango family Anacardiaceae

Schinus terebinthifolia is a species of flowering plant in the cashew family, Anacardiaceae, that is native to subtropical and tropical South America. Common names include Brazilian peppertree, aroeira, rose pepper, broadleaved pepper tree, wilelaiki, Christmasberry tree and Florida holly. The species name has been very commonly misspelled as ‘terebinthifolius’.

<i>Grevillea robusta</i> Species of shrub in the family Proteaceae endemic to eastern Australia

Grevillea robusta, commonly known as the southern silky oak, silk oak or silky oak, silver oak or Australian silver oak, is a flowering plant in the family Proteaceae. It is a tree, the largest species in its genus but is not closely related to the true oaks, Quercus. It is a native of eastern coastal Australia, growing in riverine, subtropical and dry rainforest environments.

<i>Terminalia elliptica</i> Species of Terminalia

Terminalia elliptica is a species of Terminalia native to southern and southeast Asia in India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam. It is a prominent part of both dry and moist deciduous forests in southern India up to 1000 m.

<i>Celtis australis</i> Species of tree

Celtis australis, the European nettle tree, Mediterranean hackberry, lote tree, or honeyberry, is a deciduous tree native to Southern Europe, North Africa, and Asia Minor. The tree was introduced to England in 1796.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manchineel</span> Poisonous plant from tropical North and South America

The manchineel tree is a species of flowering plant in the spurge family (Euphorbiaceae). Its native range stretches from tropical southern North America to northern South America.

<i>Acacia melanoxylon</i> Species of legume

Acacia melanoxylon, commonly known as the Australian blackwood, is an Acacia species native in South eastern Australia. The species is also known as blackwood, hickory, mudgerabah, Tasmanian blackwood, or blackwood acacia. The tree belongs to the Plurinerves section of Acacia and is one of the most wide-ranging tree species in eastern Australia and is quite variable mostly in the size and shape of the phyllodes.

<i>Pterocarpus angolensis</i> Species of legume

Pterocarpus angolensis is a species of Pterocarpus native to southern Africa, in Angola, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Eswatini, Tanzania, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Zimbabwe, and Zambia. It is a protected tree in South Africa. The name Kiaat, although Afrikaans, is sometimes used outside South Africa as well. In Zimbabwe, depending on what region you are in, it is known as Mukwa or Mubvamaropa.

<i>Afrocarpus falcatus</i> Species of conifer

Afrocarpus falcatus is a species of tree in the family Podocarpaceae. It is native to the montane forests of southern Africa, where it is distributed in Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa, and Eswatini. Common names include common yellowwood, bastard yellowwood, outeniqua yellowwood, African pine tree, weeping yew, Afrikaans: outeniekwageelhout, kalander, Sotho: mogôbagôba, Xhosa: umkhoba and Zulu: umsonti. It is widespread, in some areas abundant, and not considered threatened, but it is a protected tree in South Africa. It is grown as an ornamental tree, especially in South Africa, and occasionally abroad.

<i>Pterocarpus macrocarpus</i> Species of legume

Pterocarpus macrocarpus, or Burma padauk, is a tree native to the seasonal tropical forests of southeastern Asia: in Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, and Vietnam. It has been naturalized in India and the Caribbean.

Prioria balsamifera, the agba or tola, is a tall forest tree in the family Fabaceae. It is native to lowland tropical rainforest in west Africa, from Nigeria southwards to the Congo basin in Angola, Cameroon, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, scattered or in local pockets, favouring deep soil and plenty of moisture. It is threatened by habitat loss and over-cutting for timber.

Guibourtia ehie is an evergreen tree of the genus Guibourtia in the family Fabaceae, also known by the common names amazique, amazoué, hyedua, black hyedua, mozambique, ovangkol and shedua.

Guibourtia arnoldiana is a species of Guibourtia in the family Fabaceae, native to tropical western Africa from the Gabon, Republic of the Congo, western Democratic Republic of the Congo, and northernmost Angola (Cabinda).

<i>Milicia excelsa</i> Species of tree

Milicia excelsa is a tree species from the genus Milicia of the family Moraceae. Distributed across tropical Central Africa, it is one of two species yielding timber commonly known as African teak, iroko, intule, kambala, moreira, mvule, odum and tule.

<i>Vitex pinnata</i> Species of tree

Vitex pinnata is a tree of the family Lamiaceae. It is native to south and south east Asia. It grows slowly, ultimately reaching 20 metres in height with 1–3 m. circumference trunk. It features a grey-brown-yellow bark. Its leaves are scented.

<i>Pycnanthus angolensis</i> Species of tree

Pycnanthus angolensis is a species of tree in the nutmeg family, Myristicaceae. It is native to Tropical Africa. Its English language common names include African nutmeg, false nutmeg, boxboard, and cardboard. In Africa it is widely known as ilomba.

<i>Ostrya knowltonii</i> Species of tree

Ostrya knowltonii is a species of tree known by the common names Knowlton's hophornbeam, western hophornbeam, woolly hophornbeam, and wolf hophornbeam. It is also one of many trees called ironwood. It is native to Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas in the United States, but its distribution is localized and sporadic.

<i>Maesopsis</i> Genus of trees

Maesopsis eminii, the umbrella tree, is a species of tree in the family Rhamnaceae found in India and Africa. It is the only species in the genus Maesopsis. It is often grown as a plantation tree, and as a shade tree in coffee plantations and other crops. Birds and monkeys may disperse the seeds. Since this tree grows fast it is often used for regeneration of destroyed forest lands. Its timber is used for construction and firewood and its leaves for animal fodder.

References

  1. International Legume Database & Information Service: Pterocarpus soyauxii
  2. "Pterocarpus soyauxii". Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Agricultural Research Service (ARS), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Retrieved 16 January 2018.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 World Agroforestry Centre: Pterocarpus soyauxii Archived 2009-02-13 at the Wayback Machine
  4. 1 2 CIRAD Forestry Department: Padouk (pdf file) Archived 2007-10-28 at the Wayback Machine
  5. "Tonewoods". Archived from the original on 2009-02-21. Retrieved 2009-11-01.
  6. Kiec-Swierczynska, M., Krecisz, B., Swierczynska-Machura, D., Palczynski, C. (2004). Occupational allergic contact dermatitis caused by padauk wood (Pterocarpus soyauxii Taub.). Contact Dermatitis 50 (6): 384-385.