''Afzelia'' is a
genus of plants in
family . The thirteen species all are trees, native to tropical
Africa or
Asia.
The genus name of ''Afzelia'' is in honour of
Adam Afzelius (1750–1837), a Swedish botanist and an apostle of
Carl Linnaeus.
Uses
''Afzelia'' species are used primarily for
wood, though some species also have medicinal uses. The timber is most commonly traded under the collective name "doussie", as well as under name "afzelia". One of the common names is also "pod mahogany", adding to the confusion surrounding the name
mahogany
Mahogany is a straight-grained, reddish-brown timber of three tropical hardwood species of the genus ''Swietenia'', indigenous to the AmericasBridgewater, Samuel (2012). ''A Natural History of Belize: Inside the Maya Forest''. Austin: Unive ...
.
The
seeds are red and black and are used as
beads.
The wood is often used as the surface material for outdoor
velodromes.
The highly figured wood of the Asian species, ''
Afzelia xylocarpa'', is sold as Afzelia xylay. The seeds and bark of this species are used as
medicine.
The dense and wavy wood of an ''
Afzelia africana
''Afzelia africana'', the African mahogany, afzelia, lenke, lengue, apa, or doussi, is a tree species in the family Fabaceae.
Range
It occurs in Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, DRCongo, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Guinea, ...
'' is used in
ship-building.
[National Geographic TV, ''Arab Treasure Ship.'' Viewed 2013-01-13.]
References
External links
ILDIS world database of legumesDoussie technological characteristics
Tropix program, CIRAD Agricultural Research for Development Countries
Fabaceae genera
Wood
{{Detarioideae-stub