Tree of the lowland rain-forest to 30 m high, tall straight bole with slight fluting at the base, occurring in the Region from Sierra Leone to W Cameroons, locally abundant, and into E Cameroun and Gabon.Wood is whitish to pale yellow, hard, fine-grained, splits easily (2, 5, 7, 9, 10, 12, 13). Stems are used for hut-posts (6, 8, 9) but the wood is not durable and is liable to insect-attack (13) and decay (9). Preservation processes are possible and it is currently recommended in Ghana for general joinery, turnery, woodwork and general purposes (1). It peels well and can be made into plywood and veneer. Logs are reported to float when green (11).The wood is also used for making small domestic articles, such as spoons, ladles, combs, water-bailers, etc. in Gabon (14). Yorubas of S Nigeria use the ashes in soap-making (9).The bark-slash is very wet and exudes a clear sap with a strong smell of bitter almonds (Sierra Leone, 12) or an amber-coloured gum (Nigeria, 10). The fresh wood also carries the marked smell. The bark is considered of great importance in witchcraft in Liberia when ju-ju amulets are losing their power. It is also an ingredient in legal oath-taking and an infallible panacea used by all Liberian herbalists (7). The bark is used in draught in Congo (Brazzaville) to relieve stomach-ache (3).The root has strong purgative and diuretic properties used in Ivory Coast to treat general oedemas (4).
