Iroko (also known as in Igbo language, '' in the

Urhobo language Urhobo is a South-Western Edoid language spoken by the Urhobo people of southern Nigeria. From the region of Delta and Bayelsa State. They are also known as fishermen. Their neighbours are the Isoko to the South East, the Itsekiri to the West, ...

of Southern

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 ...

, and as odum in the

Kwa languages The Kwa languages, often specified as New Kwa, are a proposed but as-yet-undemonstrated family of languages spoken in the south-eastern part of Ivory Coast, across southern Ghana, and in central Togo. The name was introduced 1895 by Gottlob Kra ...

Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...

) is a large

hardwood Hardwood is wood from dicot trees. These are usually found in broad-leaved temperate and tropical forests. In temperate and boreal latitudes they are mostly deciduous, but in tropics and subtropics mostly evergreen. Hardwood (which comes from ...

tree from the west coast of tropical

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

that can live up to 500 years. This is the common name for the genus ''Milicia'', in which there are two recognized species, which are closely related: ''

Milicia excelsa ''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 (the other being ''Milicia regia'') yielding timber commonly known as African teak ...

'' and ''

Milicia regia ''Milicia regia'' is a species of tropical tree in the family Moraceae. It grows in a belt on the west coast of Africa that extends from the Gambia to Ghana. It is threatened by habitat loss and logging. Description ''Milicia regia'' has a wide ...

''. The genus name of ''Milicia'' is in honour of Milici (19th and 20th centuries), an administrator in Portuguese East Africa (in modern-day

Mozambique Mozambique (), officially the Republic of Mozambique ( pt, Moçambique or , ; ny, Mozambiki; sw, Msumbiji; ts, Muzambhiki), is a country located in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi ...

) who supported the work of the author of the genus,

Thomas Robertson Sim Thomas Robertson Sim (25 June 1858 in Northfield, Aberdeenshire, Scotland – 23 July 1938 in Durban, Natal) was a botanist, bryologist, botanical artist and Conservator of Forests in Natal, best known for his monumental work ''The Forests a ...

. It was first described and published in Forest Fl. Port. E. Afr. on page 97 in 1909. The tree is known to the

Yoruba The Yoruba people (, , ) are a West African ethnic group that mainly inhabit parts of Nigeria, Benin, and Togo. The areas of these countries primarily inhabited by Yoruba are often collectively referred to as Yorubaland. The Yoruba constitute ...

as , or and is believed to have healing properties. Iroko is known to the

Igbo people The Igbo people ( , ; also spelled Ibo" and formerly also ''Iboe'', ''Ebo'', ''Eboe'', * * * ''Eboans'', ''Heebo''; natively ) are an ethnic group in Nigeria. They are primarily found in Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, and Imo States. A ...

as wood. It is one of the woods sometimes referred to as African teak, although it is unrelated to the

teak Teak (''Tectona grandis'') is a tropical hardwood tree species in the family Lamiaceae. It is a large, deciduous tree that occurs in mixed hardwood forests. ''Tectona grandis'' has small, fragrant white flowers arranged in dense clusters (panicl ...

family. The wood colour is initially yellow but darkens to a richer copper brown over time.

Species

Iroko is yielded mostly (probably) by ''

''. In much of the literature on this timber the names of the trees that yields it are given as ''

Chlorophora excelsa ''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 (the other being '' Milicia regia'') yielding timber commonly known as African tea ...

'' (syn. ''Milicia excelsa'') and ''

Chlorophora regia ''Milicia regia'' is a species of tropical tree in the family Moraceae. It grows in a belt on the west coast of Africa that extends from the Gambia to Ghana. It is threatened by habitat loss and logging. Description ''Milicia regia'' has a wide ...

'' (syn. ''

''). ''

'' is currently listed as 'lower risk/near threatened' on the IUCN Red List."", The IUCN Red List of Endangered Species Both species are

dioecious Dioecy (; ; adj. dioecious , ) is a characteristic of a species, meaning that it has distinct individual organisms (unisexual) that produce male or female gametes, either directly (in animals) or indirectly (in seed plants). Dioecious reproductio ...

, with male and female flowers on separate individuals.

Uses

The timber is used for a variety of external and internal purposes including boat-building, domestic flooring, furniture and outdoor gates. From the late 1990s, it was used as part of the txalaparta, a Basque musical instrument constructed of wooden boards, due to its lively sound. Iroko is one of the traditional

djembe A djembe or jembe ( ; from Maninka language, Malinke ''jembe'' , N'Ko script, N'Ko: ) is a rope-tuned skin-covered goblet drum played with bare hands, originally from West Africa. According to the Bambara people in Mali, the name of the djembe ...

woods. Iroko wood was the wood chosen for the

pew A pew () is a long bench (furniture), bench seat or enclosed box, used for seating Member (local church), members of a Church (congregation), congregation or choir in a Church (building), church, synagogue or sometimes a courtroom. Overview ...

s in the

Our Lady of Peace Basilica The Basilica of Our Lady of Peace (french: link=no, Basilique Notre-Dame de la Paix) is a Catholic minor basilica dedicated to Our Lady of Peace in Yamoussoukro, the administrative capital of Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast). Guinness World Records l ...

. It is a very durable wood; iroko does not require regular treatment with oil or varnish when used outdoors, although it is very difficult to work with tools as it tends to splinter easily, and blunts tools very quickly. In the UK there are no trade restrictions on the machining of this timber. The only reported adverse effects known to be caused by the dust from iroko are

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, cou ...

dermatitis Dermatitis is inflammation of the skin, typically characterized by itchiness, redness and a rash. In cases of short duration, there may be small blisters, while in long-term cases the skin may become thickened. The area of skin involved can v ...

and nettle rash.

Cultural beliefs

The tree is feared in some cultures where it originates and hence is shunned or revered with offerings.

people believe that the tree is inhabited by a spirit, and anybody who sees the Iroko-man face to face becomes insane and speedily dies. According to the Yoruba, any man who cuts down any iroko tree causes devastating misfortune on himself and all of his family, although if they need to cut down the tree they can make a prayer afterwards to protect themselves. They also claim that the spirit of the Iroko can be heard in houses which use iroko wood, as the spirit of the Iroko is trapped in the wood. In

the iroko wood is of much lower quality due to soil conditions as well as root-rot. Some Westerners refer to the wood as "poor man's

Gallery

File:Milicia Excelsa (''

'') (Bangla - আফ্রিকান টিকওক).jpg, Trunk of iroko /

African teak African teak is a common name for several plants and may refer to: *''Baikiaea plurijuga'', native to the northern Kalahari *''Milicia excelsa'', also known as iroko, native to Africa from the Ivory Coast to Ethiopia and south to Angola and Mozambi ...

(Chlorophora Excelsa) in

Lawachara National Park Lawachara National Park ( bn, লাউয়াছড়া) is a major national park and nature reserve in Bangladesh. The park is located at Kamalganj Upazila, Moulvibazar District in the northeastern region of the country. It is located with ...

, Bangladesh. 2016.

References

External links

Toxic woods
(HSE) {{Taxonbar, from=Q144717 Wood Trees of Benin Yoruba mythology Plant common names Milicia Moraceae genera Dioecious plants Plants described in 1909