''Erythrophleum ivorense'' is a species of

leguminous A legume () is a plant in the family Fabaceae (or Leguminosae), or the fruit or seed of such a plant. When used as a dry grain, the seed is also called a pulse. Legumes are grown agriculturally, primarily for human consumption, for livestock for ...

tree in the genus ''

Erythrophleum ''Erythrophleum'' is a genus of legume in the family Fabaceae. A partial list of species includes: * ''Erythrophleum africanum'' * ''Erythrophleum chlorostachys'' * ''Erythrophleum couminga'' Baill.traditional medicine Traditional medicine (also known as indigenous medicine or folk medicine) comprises medical aspects of traditional knowledge that developed over generations within the folk beliefs of various societies, including indigenous peoples, before the ...

, and both bark and seeds are poisonous and used for hunting.

Description

''Erythrophleum ivorense'' is a tall evergreen tree that can grow to a height of . The trunk is cylindrical and up to in diameter; it may be fluted near the base and may have buttresses. The bark is grey, scaly and fissured, and the inner bark is granular and reddish. The young twigs are downy and the alternate, bi-pinnate leaves each have up to seven pairs of alternately-arranged

ovate Ovate may refer to: * Ovate (egg-shaped) leaves, tepals, or other botanical parts *Ovate, a type of prehistoric stone hand axe *Ovates, one of three ranks of membership in the Welsh Gorsedd *Vates In modern English, the nouns vates () and ova ...

leaflets and a terminal leaflet. The inflorescence is a terminal or auxiliary raceme, about long, covered with reddish-brown down. The flowers are reddish-brown and hairy, with parts in fives, and are followed by flat, leathery, dangling seed pods, each containing up to six seeds.

Distribution and habitat

''Erythrophleum ivorense''is native to tropical West Africa where its range extends from

The Gambia The Gambia,, ff, Gammbi, ar, غامبيا officially the Republic of The Gambia, is a country in West Africa. It is the smallest country within mainland AfricaHoare, Ben. (2002) ''The Kingfisher A-Z Encyclopedia'', Kingfisher Publicatio ...

Gabon Gabon (; ; snq, Ngabu), officially the Gabonese Republic (french: République gabonaise), is a country on the west coast of Central Africa. Located on the equator, it is bordered by Equatorial Guinea to the northwest, Cameroon to the nort ...

and the

Central African Republic The Central African Republic (CAR; ; , RCA; , or , ) is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It is bordered by Chad to the north, Sudan to the northeast, South Sudan to the southeast, the DR Congo to the south, the Republic of th ...

. It occurs in evergreen and moist, semi-deciduous forest, primarily in mature second-growth forest. The roots often bear nodules containing '' Bradyrhizobium'',

bacteria Bacteria (; singular: bacterium) are ubiquitous, mostly free-living organisms often consisting of one Cell (biology), biological cell. They constitute a large domain (biology), domain of prokaryotic microorganisms. Typically a few micrometr ...

which are capable of

nitrogen fixation Nitrogen fixation is a chemical process by which molecular nitrogen (), with a strong triple covalent bond, in the air is converted into ammonia () or related nitrogenous compounds, typically in soil or aquatic systems but also in industry. Atmo ...

Uses

The timber is very durable and is traded internationally. It is used for heavy construction, bridges, wharves and railway sleepers, as well as for

boat building Boat building is the design and construction of boats and their systems. This includes at a minimum a hull, with propulsion, mechanical, navigation, safety and other systems as a craft requires. Construction materials and methods Wood Wo ...

and wheel hubs. However the

sawdust Sawdust (or wood dust) is a by-product or waste product of woodworking operations such as sawing, sanding, milling, planing, and routing. It is composed of small chippings of wood. These operations can be performed by woodworking machine ...

is irritating to the mucosa and may causes

asthma Asthma is a long-term inflammatory disease of the airways of the lungs. It is characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and easily triggered bronchospasms. Symptoms include episodes of wheezing, co ...

and

allergies Allergies, also known as allergic diseases, refer a number of conditions caused by the hypersensitivity of the immune system to typically harmless substances in the environment. These diseases include hay fever, food allergies, atopic dermat ...

to workers in sawmills. The wood makes good charcoal and firewood. The bark is used in

tanning Tanning may refer to: *Tanning (leather), treating animal skins to produce leather *Sun tanning, using the sun to darken pale skin **Indoor tanning, the use of artificial light in place of the sun **Sunless tanning, application of a stain or dye t ...

and has several uses in

traditional medicine Traditional medicine (also known as indigenous medicine or folk medicine) comprises medical aspects of traditional knowledge that developed over generations within the folk beliefs of various societies, including indigenous peoples, before the ...

. Both the bark and the seeds are toxic and are used in hunting, and in Sierra Leone, the bark is used to poison fish.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15432908 ivorense Trees of Africa Flora of West Tropical Africa Flora of West-Central Tropical Africa Plants used in traditional African medicine Taxa named by Auguste Chevalier