''Allanblackia floribunda'', known in English as 'tallow tree', is a species of

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...

in the family

Clusiaceae The Clusiaceae or Guttiferae Juss. (1789) (''nom. alt. et cons.'' = alternative and valid name) are a family of plants including 13 genera and ca 750 species. Several former members of Clusiacae are now placed in Calophyllaceae and Hypericaceae. ...

that has been long used in traditional African medicine to treat hypertension. It is a common understory tree in rainforests in western central Africa - from Sierra Leone to western Cameroon, and on into the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda. The medium-sized tree (up to 30 meters tall) is evergreen and dioecious (male and female flowers on different plants). The wood is said to be resistant to termites but is not particularly durable. It is fairly easy to work and finishes well but it is of little commercial importance though it has appeared on the market in Liberia as "

lacewood Lacewood is a common name for the wood produced from a number of different trees, with mostly a striking appearance of their "lace-wood“, which gets its name from the lace like pattern: These include: * ''Allanblackia floribunda'', '' Allanblacki ...

Uses

The wood is used in Nigeria in hut-building for making walls, doors, and window frames, and in Liberia for planks. In Ghana, small trees are cut for poles and used as mine pit props and bridge piles. The twigs are used in Ghana as candlesticks, and the smaller ones as chew-sticks and tooth-picks in Ghana and Gabon. The inner bark contains a sticky yellow resin. The bark has anodyne properties. In the Region, it is pounded and rubbed on the body to relieve painful conditions. In Gabon, a decoction is taken for dysentery and as a mouthwash for toothache, and in Congo (Brazzaville) for stomach pains. In Congo, a decoction of the bark or the leaves is taken for cough, asthma, bronchitis, and other bronchial affections while the lees from this preparation are rubbed over areas of pain after scarification. The tree's fruit is not edible but its seeds are the source of Allanblackia Oilbr>
long used by local populations.

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

is developing infrastructure for international-scale commercial use. It is estimated Nigeria produced about 50 tons of Allan Lacki oil in 2006. Domesticating Allanblackia floribunda is being attempted. Presently the seed is collected only from wild stands or from trees retained on farmland (When clearing land for cultivation trees are left and managed, especially for shading cocoa).

References

* Orwa, C. & Munjuga, M., 2007. Allanblackia floribunda Oliv. In: van der Vossen, H.A.M. & Mkamilo, G.S. (Editors). PROTA 14: Vegetable oils/Oléagineux. D-Rom PROTA, Wageningen, Netherlands. http://database.prota.org/PROTAhtml/Allanblackia%20floribunda_En.htm Accessed March 2008. floribunda Taxa named by Daniel Oliver {{Clusiaceae-stub