Lophira alata

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Lophira alata
Systematics
Rosids
Eurosiden I
Order : Malpighiales (Malpighiales)
Family : Ochnaceae
Genre : Lophira
Type : Lophira alata
Scientific name
Lophira alata
Banks ex CFGaertn.
Typical fruit of the genus Lophira

Lophira alata is one of two species of the genus Lophira in the family of Ochnaceae . This type is z. B. in Cameroon "Bongossi", "Bang" or "Bakoundou", in Ghana "Kakou", on the Ivory Coast "Esore", in Nigeria "Aba", "Eba" or "Bongossi", in Sierra Leone "Endwi" Some of these names are also trade names for the wood : Red Ironwood or Ekki is the most common trade name in English-speaking countries, Azobé and Bongossi are probably the most important names for this wood in German-speaking countries.

description

Vegetative characteristics

Lophira alata is a mostly semi-evergreen , tropical deciduous tree that can reach heights of up to 40–60 meters and trunk diameters of up to 1.4–1.8 meters. The bark is grayish to brownish and flakes off easily in scales or strips. This species partly has buttress roots or is fluted on the trunk.

The simple, smooth, leathery, shiny and stalked, obovate, lanceolate or lanceolate leaves are 12 to 30 cm long and 4 to 11 cm wide. They are arranged in a spiral at the branch ends and are lighter on the underside and have entire margins, as well as rounded to marginalized at the tip. The petiole is 1 to 2.5 cm long. The veins are very finely pinnate with a lighter central vein. When budding, the young leaves are reddish and on young plants they are sometimes a lot longer. The early falling stipules are 5 to 6 mm long.

Generative characteristics

The terminal, pyramidal and glabrous, loose paniculate inflorescence is about 15 to 20 cm long. The strongly fragrant flowers are stalked, hermaphrodite, radial symmetry and five-fold with a double flower envelope . The flower stalks are up to 2.5 cm long and glabrous and in the upper part with a "joint". The five, free and bare, greenish to white-red sepals are slightly unequal and up to 1 cm long. The free, smooth and yellow (possibly white first) and roof-tile arranged petals are inverted-heart-shaped and up to 1.5 cm long. There may be streaky, orange sap marks on the petals . The many, free, circular and up to 10 mm long stamens have white stamens and elongated, orange anthers . The conical, unilocular (incomplete bicompartmental) and rippige ovary is upper constant and yellowish-white, as well as with a small disc or lining to the base and with some ovules . The short, conical stylus has two spreading stigma lobes .

The relatively smooth, egg-shaped, long-pointed and slightly woody, brownish, non-opening wing fruits (pseudosamara) are up to 3 cm long and 1.5 cm wide. During the ripening of the fruit, two of the five sepals attached to the fruit enlarge unequally. The five sepals are first white-red and then woody, fine-veined and brownish. Two become large and elongated, winged; one is 8 to 12 cm long and 2 to 3 cm wide and the other 4 to 6 cm long and about 1 to 1.4 cm wide. The other three attached sepals remain small. Each fruit contains only one egg-shaped seed with a thin seed coat .

The number of chromosomes is 2n = 28.

Occurrence

This species has occurrences from Senegal to Cameroon and Gabon , as well as to the Republic of the Congo and the Congo . The main occurrence thrives in Cameroon and the Ivory Coast . Lophira alata is a very rare species of tree and may be critically endangered.

Systematics

It was first described as Lophira alata in 1805 by Karl Friedrich von Gärtner in Supplementum Carpologiae: 52, Tab. 188 (CLXXXVIII), f. 2, after Joseph Banks. A synonym for the species is Lophira procera A.Chev. others are Lophira simplex G. Don , Lophira thollonii Tiegh. , Lophira africana Loudon ex G.Don , Lophira barteri Tiegh. and Lophira macrophylla Tiegh.

use

Lophira alata wood used for flooring on a pedestrian bridge in Wroclaw

The trees provide a deep red-brown, very heavy, rapidly shrinking, hard and weatherproof construction wood, for land, water and vehicle construction, stairs and tool handles, fence posts and other things. Due to its high density, it sinks to the ground in the water ( ironwood ), which is why it is also used in hydraulic engineering. The wood is slightly oily, splinters can cause infections. Due to the high density, the wood is difficult to work with (nailing without pre-drilling is not possible). When cutting into the trunk, unpleasant smells can arise which will dissipate after a short time. The resistance to insects and fungi is very high.

Parameters:

swell

  • Quentin Meunier, Carl Moumbogou, Jean-Louis Doucet: Les arbres utiles du Gabon. Presses Agronomiques de Gembloux, 2015, ISBN 978-2-87016-134-0 , p. 246 f, limited preview in the Google book search.
  • J. Gérard, D. Guibal, S. Paradis, J.-C. Cerre: Tropical Timber Atlas. Éditions Quæ, 2017, ISBN 978-2-7592-2798-3 , pp. 144 ff, limited preview in the Google book search.
  • JBA Guillemin , S. Perrottet , A. Richard : Florae Senegambiae Tentamen. 1833, p. 109 f, t. 24, online at biodiversitylibrary.org.
  • Lophira alata at PROTA.
  • A. Engler , K. Prantl: The natural plant families. III. Part, Dept. 6, 6a, Engelmann, 1895, pp. 133 f, 137 f, 143 f, online at biodiversitylibrary.org.
  • D. Oliver : Flora of Tropical Africa. Vol. I, 1868, p. 173 f, online at biodiversitylibrary.org.
  • AB Biwolé, N. Bourland, K. Daïnou, J.-L. Doucet: Définition du profil écologique de l'azobé, Lophira alata, une espèce ligneuse africaine de grande importance: synthèse bibliographique et perspectives pour des recherches futures. In: Biotechnology, Agronomy and Society and Environment. 16 (2), 2012, pp. 217-228, online at researchgate.net.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ online at biodiversitylibrary.org.