Afzelia spp.
Specifications
Family
Fabaceae
Species
Afzelia spp.
Description
The sapwood is yellowish-white, clearly differentiated from the golden-brown or reddish heartwood, with a coarse texture, interwoven grain, and a density between 0.70 and 1.00. Pockets filled with concretions and whitish dust are common. The dust resulting from processing is irritating to the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract and eyes. It exhibits high mechanical strength and poor sapwood durability, but excellent heartwood durability.
Plant morphology
Medium-sized trees, up to 35 m tall, have trunks up to 1 m in diameter and fissured gray-green bark. The alternate, compound leaves darken with age. The flowers are fragrant, green with a more strikingly colored petal. The fruit is a large, woody legume containing reddish-black seeds.
Natural occurrence
Countries of origin and distribution
Tropical Africa: Tanzania, Uganda, Burundi, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Gabon, Benin, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Guinea Bissau, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Togo, Angola, Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia.
Habitat and ecology
These plants grow in a wide variety of environments depending on the species considered, but are generally found in high-altitude forests on deep, well-drained sandy soils.
Uses
Use class
CU1
CU2
CU3
CU4
CU5
Application areas
It is used for load-bearing structures, outdoor constructions, fixtures, floor strips, velodrome and gym tracks, slats, and containers for chemical products.
Threats and Conservation
Threats
These species are threatened primarily by both legal and illegal harvesting for the national and international trade in valuable timber. These species are generally slow-growing and have a low regeneration rate, a factor that, combined with unsustainable logging, has led to a species crisis. In the case of Afzelia bipindensis and A. pachyloba, only a few mature individuals survive in the wild and are therefore capable of propagating.
Conservation measures
Some species, such as Afzelia africana and A. bella, are present in protected areas and ex situ collections. For the majority, however, no active protection measures are reported to date.
IUCN Red List
IUCN
Afzelia africana VU - Vulnerable - Vulnerable (2019); Afzelia bella LC - Least Concern - Low Concern (2019); Afzelia bipindensis VU - Vulnerable - Vulnerable (1998); Afzelia pachyloba VU - Vulnerable - Vulnerable (1998); Afzelia quanzensis LC - Least Concern - Low Concern (2019).
CITES. Year of assessment
CITES
CITES Italia • Ultimo aggiornamento
Not present.
Technical data
Aesthetic characteristics
Grain
Obvious
Texture
Coarse
Physical and mechanical properties
Density
ρ
ρ
805
kg/m3
Radial shrinkage
Rad. sh.
Rad. sh.
3
MPa
Tangential shrinkage
Tang. sh.
Tang. sh.
44
MPa
Bending strength
M.O.R.
M.O.R.
124
MPa
Modulus of Elasticity
M.O.E.
M.O.E.
17020
MPa
Durability characteristics
Fungal resistance
Very durable
Insect resistance
Resistant
Miscellaneous
Doussie is a wood obtained from the processing of various species of the Afzelia genus: A. africana Sm. Ex Pers., A. bella Harms, A. bipindensis Harms, A. pachyloba Harms, and A. quanzensis Welw. The leaves and bark of these plants are a source of food for elephants. Given the conservation status of some species in the wild, careful selection is necessary before purchasing.