Musanga cecropioides, the African corkwood tree or umbrella tree, is found in tropical Africa from Sierra Leone south to Angola and east to Uganda. It is typical in secondary forests.
| Musanga cecropioides | |
|---|---|
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| Musanga cecropioides tree in the Mayombe region | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Rosales |
| Family: | Urticaceae |
| Genus: | Musanga |
| Species: | M. cecropioides
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| Binomial name | |
| Musanga cecropioides | |
This tree is also known as parasolier, n'govoge, govwi, doe, kombo-kombo, musanga, and musanda.
Description
editMusanga cecropioides can reach a height of 100 feet (30 m) with a diameter of 1–3 feet (0.30–0.91 m). Its trunk has a pale whitish/yellow tone with a rough, granular texture.
Ecology
editMusanga cecropioides is a pioneer species and readily springs up in newly cleared patches of forest. In Nigeria it is joined in these locations by the poison devil's-pepper (Rauvolfia vomitoria), the Ivory Coast almond (Terminalia ivorensis) and the dragon's blood tree (Harungana madagascariensis). Five years later, M. cecropioides has become dominant, with a closed canopy at 10 m (33 ft)[1]
Uses
editUses of the wood from the African corkwood tree range from flotation devices, such as rafts, to toys. The wood of the African corkwood tree has a frail concreteness and has a tendency to mold and tarnish easily. The tree has traditional medical uses among the Bantu peoples of the Central African Republic, Gabon and Equatorial Guinea.[2]
References
edit- ^ Aweto, Albert O. (2013). Shifting Cultivation and Secondary Succession in the Tropics. CABI. p. 78. ISBN 978-1-78064-043-3.
- ^ Atta-ur- Rahman (2011). Studies in Natural Products Chemistry: Bioactive Natural Products (Part L). Gulf Professional Publishing. pp. 803–805. ISBN 978-0-08-045847-2.
External links
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Gallery
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Foliage -
Female flower -
Male flower
