''Guibourtia tessmannii'' is a species of legume in the family Fabaceae. It is a medium to large-sized tree and is native to

Cameroon Cameroon (; french: Cameroun, ff, Kamerun), officially the Republic of Cameroon (french: République du Cameroun, links=no), is a country in west-central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west and north; Chad to the northeast; the C ...

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 Equatorial Guinea. The timber has an attractive appearance and has many uses, and the bark is used 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 ...

Description

''Guibourtia tessmannii'' is a fairly large tree with a dense, rounded crown, growing to a height of about . The trunk is straight and cylindrical, often with tall slender buttresses. It can be up to in diameter and is usually devoid of branches for about half of the tree's height. The greyish or brownish bark has circular scaly patches which become detached, leaving orange depressions. The leaves are arranged spirally and are pinnate, with one pair of ovate or elliptical leaflets, each up to in length. The

inflorescence An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a Plant stem, stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphology (biology), Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of sperma ...

is a terminal or axillary panicle with thick stems clad in red hairs. The flowers are small, whitish and fragrant, with four sepals, no petals, ten stamens and a superior ovary. They are followed by slightly-flattened, leathery pods up to long containing one or two large, kidney-shaped seeds with orange-red arils.

Distribution and habitat

This tree is found in primary evergreen forests in

and Equatorial Guinea.

Uses

The wood of ''G. tessmannii'' is dense, hard and durable, the heartwood being reddish-brown with purplish streaking. The timber is harvested from the wild and sold under the trade name "bubinga". It is used for house construction as beams, joists, flooring, panelling and for other purposes. It is also used for making high-quality furniture, plywood, turning, containers, musical instruments and handicrafts. The wood has an attractive appearance and is often used for veneers. The bark is much esteemed in

and is often removed from living trees; it is sold at the markets of

Yaoundé Yaoundé (; , ) is the capital of Cameroon and, with a population of more than 2.8 million, the second-largest city in the country after the port city Douala. It lies in the Centre Region of the nation at an elevation of about 750 metres (2,50 ...

, Cameroon. A concoction of the bark is used to treat hypertension and

gonorrhea Gonorrhea, colloquially known as the clap, is a sexually transmitted infection (STI) caused by the bacterium ''Neisseria gonorrhoeae''. Infection may involve the genitals, mouth, or rectum. Infected men may experience pain or burning with u ...

, to prevent

abortion Abortion is the termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. An abortion that occurs without intervention is known as a miscarriage or "spontaneous abortion"; these occur in approximately 30% to 40% of pre ...

, as an

anthelmintic Anthelmintics or antihelminthics are a group of antiparasitic drugs that expel parasitic worms (helminths) and other internal parasites from the body by either stunning or killing them and without causing significant damage to the host. They may ...

and to clean wounds. Various other claims are made for the bark including activity against

typhoid fever Typhoid fever, also known as typhoid, is a disease caused by '' Salmonella'' serotype Typhi bacteria. Symptoms vary from mild to severe, and usually begin six to 30 days after exposure. Often there is a gradual onset of a high fever over several ...

and many other conditions. Another use is as a fungicide for controlling black pod disease in cocoa trees. The seeds are eaten by hornbills, monkeys and chimpanzees and these may serve to disperse the seed.

References

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q15537413 tessmannii Trees of Africa Flora of West-Central Tropical Africa