Oldfieldia africana, also known as the African oak, is a large tree which can grow to 36 metres or more in height. It is to be found across

West Africa West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali, M ...

in such countries as Ivory Coast, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Gabon, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Congo Republic.Tropicos, ''Oldfieldia'' Benth. & Hook. f.
/ref> Numbers have decreased as its timber is very heavy and hard, comparable to

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 ( pan ...

. John MacCormac an Irish businessman who settled on the banks of the

Rokel River The Rokel River (also Seli River; previously Pamoronkoh River) is the largest river in the Republic of Sierra Leone in West Africa. The river basin measures in size, with the drainage divided by the Gbengbe and Kabala hills and the Sula Mountains ...

Sierra Leone Sierra Leone,)]. officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered by Liberia to the southeast and Guinea surrounds the northern half of the nation. Covering a total area of , Sierr ...

for example, established the local timber trade in 1816, and for a while enjoyed a substantial income from it.

Medicinal uses

The bark maybe used as an antiseptic and haemostatic. It can also be added to various herbs in order to increase their potency. Another use is a decoction of the barkwhich can be added to baths or draughts as a treatment for

blennorrhoea Blennorrhoea aka blennorrhagia or myxorrhoea ('blenno' mucus, 'rrhoea' flow), is a medical term denoting an excessive discharge of watery mucus, especially from the urethra or the vagina, and also used in ophthalmology for an abnormal discharge fro ...

. The powdered bark can be used in a dressing to hasten healing or to treat sores. The bark can be boiled with

palm-oil Palm oil is an edible vegetable oil derived from the mesocarp (reddish pulp) of the fruit of the oil palms. The oil is used in food manufacturing, in beauty products, and as biofuel. Palm oil accounted for about 33% of global oils produced from ...

to make an ointment, to treat lice infestation or the leaves can be used in a similar way.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15367788 Picrodendraceae