Description

The species grows to 30-45m tall with a trunk of 1–1.8m in diameter. Annual diameter increases between unlogged and logged areas have been shown to be similar. It is a deciduous species that flowers at the end of the main dry season. The minimum trunk diameter for reproduction is given as 32 cm, while that for effective flowering is 37 cm. The fruit take 7 months to mature. Despite its relatively small diameter, trees can live to be over 400 years old.

Range

The species is native to moist, semi-deciduous forests in Cameroon, Republic of the Congo, DRC, Ivory Coast, Ghana, and Nigeria. Up until the mid 20th century, the tree was commonly found in its native range. However, after its wood was introduced to world markets in 1948, its range quickly diminished. It can no longer be found in the Ivory Coast and only small pockets remain in other countries besides the DRC where it is still threatened.

Ecology

The seed pods are eaten by birds and monkeys while the seeds themselves provide food to beetles. Flowers provide homes for butterflies. The crowns of the trees provide shade and shelter to many understory plant species. Its fire resistant bark and nitrogen fixing roots make it an important pioneer species for areas damaged by fires.

Uses

The tree produces hardwood timber of high commercial value due to its texture, strength, density and durability. It is used in the manufacture of boats, veneer, and furniture.

Stocks and extraction

The DRC has the world's largest remaining stocks of Afrormosia, which are largely confined to the Équateur and

Orientale Province Orientale Province ( French: ''Province orientale'', "Eastern province") is one of the former provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and its predecessors the Congo Free State and the Belgian Congo. It went through a series of boundary ...

Illegal logging Illegal logging is the harvest, transportation, purchase or sale of timber in violation of laws. The harvesting procedure itself may be illegal, including using corrupt means to gain access to forests; extraction without permission, or from a pro ...

and

habitat loss Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss and habitat reduction) is the process by which a natural habitat becomes incapable of supporting its native species. The organisms that previously inhabited the site are displaced or dead, thereby ...

pose a realistic threat to the afrormosia, which ranks among the most valued hard tropical timber species.ITTO (2005) Following decades of extraction in the 20th and 21st century, it is ranked

CITES Appendix II CITES (shorter name for the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, also known as the Washington Convention) is a multilateral treaty to protect endangered plants and animals from the threats of interna ...

. This implies that it is subject to trade regulation because it is recognised that unregulated trade puts the species at risk of extinction. The factors that control its population dynamics are however imperfectly known. With a minimum logging diameter of 90 cm, full recovery is expected over a 30-year period. Selective logging of 12% of seed trees has been shown to have little influence on its survival. Sustainability is believed to be best achieved by purposeful actions to ensure regeneration after logging.

References

External links

EcoPort

Encyclopedia of Life

GBIF

Useful Tropical Plants
Faboideae Flora of West Tropical Africa Endangered plants Taxonomy articles created by Polbot Wood {{Faboideae-stub