Afzelia
Pod Mahogany
Afzelia quanzensis
Family: Leguminosae (legume)
Other Names: Pod-Mahogany,
mahogany
bean, msambamfumu, chanfuta, chamfuti, peulmanhonia, mkehli, Rhodesian
mahogany, bilinga, doussie, mkola, uvala
Distribution:
The species Afzelia can be found in the Miombo forests of
West, Central, and East African regions of sub-Saharan Africa. The
species A. quanzensis is distributed in both lowland rain and dry
forest and savannas in the coastal belt of eastern Africa from Kenya to
Mozambique and South Africa.
The Tree: This is a very large and spreading tree reaching heights of
70-80 ft (21-24m). However, its straight bole rarely exceeds 12-20 ft
(3.7-6.1m). Its diameter can swell to 4 ft (1.2m) in ideal growing
conditions. The greenish-gray bark tends to flake in circular patches
giving the tree a distinctive pitted effect. The leaves are alternate,
compound, with 4-6 pairs of opposite or nearly opposite oblong-elliptic
leaflets. The fruit is a large, flat, dark brown, thickly wooded pod.
Embedded in a white pith inside the pod are 6-10 distinctive dark
blackish-brown seeds. The large black seeds with their red anils are
used for necklaces and ornaments.
Leaves and pods are used as animal feed in Tanzania. The leaves are
also
edible by humans.
The wood is very heavy, hard and
durable. Its
hardness is said to equal that of oak.
The roots are used to treat chest pains, kidney problems, and for
snakebites. The Chichewa name 'msambamfumu'
refers to the use made of the infusion of the bark for Chiefs to wash
in.
Afzelia Burl
