Pericopsis elata

Pericopsis elata
	Afrormosia wood
Systematics
Order :	Fabales (Fabales)
Family :	Legumes (Fabaceae)
Subfamily :	Butterflies (Faboideae)
Tribe :	Sophoreae
Genre :	Pericopsis
Type :	Pericopsis elata
Scientific name
	Pericopsis elata
	( Harms ) Meeuwen

Pericopsis elata (Harms) Meeuwen ( Syn .: Afrormosia elata Harms ) is a species of plant from the genus Pericopsis in the subfamily of the butterflies (Faboideae). It is native to tropical Africa. Pericopsis elata supplies a precious wood that has gained importance as a substitute for teak. Trade names for the wood include Afrormosia , Kokrodua or Assamela . The overexploitation of the tropical rainforests of Africa has resulted in Pericopsis elata being a critically endangered species and listed in CITES Appendix II.

description

Vegetative characteristics

Pericopsis elata grows as a tree that can reach heights of around 45 meters or more and trunk diameters of 1–1.5 meters. Sometimes smaller buttress roots are formed. The bark is greyish and flaky in many patches that leave reddish-brown scars.

The alternate leaves are pinnate unpaired with 7–11 short-stalked leaflets with small, filamentous stipples . The leaves are with a petiole up to 20 centimeters long. The leaflets are about 4–8 inches long and 1.5–3.5 inches wide. They are ovate to obovate or elliptical and pointed at the tip. The small stipules are sloping.

Hanging and stalked panicles up to 12 centimeters long are formed. The hermaphrodite and stalked butterfly flowers with small bracts are described as inconspicuous and small. They are greenish to white or cream in color. The small cup-shaped calyx is fine-haired with triangular tips. The 10 stamens are free.

The formed, flat and non-opening legumes are approx. 10-17 centimeters long and 2.5-3 centimeters wide. One fruit contains 1–4 flat and round seeds about 10–15 millimeters in size.

Generative characteristics

Only a few fruits are formed, so the natural reproduction rate is rather low.

distribution

The range of Pericopsis elata is in western to central tropical Africa, in Cameroon , in the Congo , Democratic Republic of the Congo , the Ivory Coast , in Ghana and Nigeria .

use

It is used in furniture production, in interior and exterior construction, in boat building and as veneer wood .

Protection status

Pericopsis elata has been subject to the Washington Convention on Endangered Species since 1992 . It is listed there in Appendix II and may therefore be traded subject to conditions.

The IUCN has the species as endangered ( endangered classified).

Wood properties

The wood is characterized by a strongly protruding so-called alternating twist and is easy to work up. The wood has a high resistance to some insects and fungi . Termites are also harmless to this tree.

The density of the wood averages 725 kg / m ³ . The heartwood is brown to olive-brown in color. The wood is relatively grainy and has a natural sheen. The pores are unevenly scattered and the rings can be of different sizes due to the parenchyma . The wood gives off a distinctive fragrance during processing . Even if Afromosia is largely low in allergies, there are complaints of irritation to the skin, eyes and respiratory tract.

literature

N. Bourland, Ph. Lejeune, F. Feteke, YL Kouadio: Ecology and management of Pericopsis elata (Harms) Meeuwen (Fabaceae) populations: A review. In: Biotechnology, Agronomy, Society and Environment. 16 (4), 2012, pp. 486-498, online at researchgate.net.

Web links

Pericopsis elata . In: S. Dressler, M. Schmidt, G. Zizka (Eds.): African plants - A Photo Guide. Senckenberg, Frankfurt / Main 2014.
Pericopsis elata at Useful Tropical Plants.
Pericopsis elata in PROTA.
Entry in Global Trees Campaign ( Memento from September 1, 2003 in the Internet Archive )
Commercial timbers at DELTA by HG Richter and MJ Dallwitz.
Afromosia on schreiner-seiten.de, accessed on November 15, 2016.

Individual evidence

^ ^A ^b Pericopsis elata in the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN), USDA , ARS , National Genetic Resources Program. National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland.
↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d The Wood Database ( en ) Retrieved August 17, 2015.
↑ ^a ^b A. H. Unwin: West African forests and forestry. TF Unwin, 1920, pp. 271, 352, doi : 10.5962 / bhl.title.26864 .
↑ Federal Agency for Nature Conservation : List of the wood species protected in CITES (as of January 2, 2017). Retrieved on: May 10, 2017
↑ Pericopsis elata in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2013.1. Listed by: African Regional Workshop (Conservation & Sustainable Management of Trees, Zimbabwe), 1998. Accessed September 4, 2013.

[grin-1] A ^b Pericopsis elata in the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN), USDA , ARS , National Genetic Resources Program. National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland.

[WoodDatabase-2] The Wood Database ( en ) Retrieved August 17, 2015.

[unwin-3] A. H. Unwin: West African forests and forestry. TF Unwin, 1920, pp. 271, 352, doi : 10.5962 / bhl.title.26864 .

[4] Federal Agency for Nature Conservation : List of the wood species protected in CITES (as of January 2, 2017). Retrieved on: May 10, 2017

[5] Pericopsis elata in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2013.1. Listed by: African Regional Workshop (Conservation & Sustainable Management of Trees, Zimbabwe), 1998. Accessed September 4, 2013.