Colubrina faralaotra (PROTA)

Plant Resources of Tropical Africa Introduction

List of species

General importance
Geographic coverage Africa
Geographic coverage World
Timber
Fuel

Colubrina faralaotra (H.Perrier) Capuron

distribution in Africa (wild)

Protologue: Adansonia, sér. 2, 6: 130 (1966).

Family: Rhamnaceae

Synonyms

• Macrorhamnus faralaotra H. Perrier (1943).

Origin and geographic distribution

Colubrina faralaotra is endemic to northern and eastern Madagascar.

Uses

The wood, known as ‘faralaotra’ or ‘malemisalaza’ in Madagascar, is in demand for construction, high-quality parquet flooring, and for indoor as well as outdoor joinery. It has also been used for railway sleepers, often after impregnation. It is suitable for interior trim, ship building, hydraulic works in fresh water, furniture, toys and novelties. The wood is also used as firewood and for charcoal production.

Properties

The heartwood is greenish yellow, turning reddish brown upon exposure. It is distinctly demarcated from the whitish and wide sapwood. The texture is medium.

The wood is medium-weight to fairly heavy, with a density of 710–830 kg/m³ at 12% moisture content. It should be dried with care because it splits easily. The rates of shrinkage are moderately high, from green to oven dry 3.3–4.0% radial and 7.6–8.4% tangential. Quarter-cutting of logs before drying is recommended. Once dry, the wood is moderately stable to quite unstable in service. At 12% moisture content, the modulus of rupture is 152–198 N/mm², modulus of elasticity 11,950–15,690 N/mm², compression parallel to grain 66–83 N/mm², shear 6–8 N/mm², cleavage 11–22 N/mm and Chalais-Meudon side hardness 3.6–9.1.

The wood saws and works fairly easily. It finishes well. Nailing, painting and staining show satisfactory results. The wood is moderately durable, being resistant to fungi and moderately resistant to termites, but susceptible to marine borers. The sapwood is liable to Lyctus attack. The heartwood is moderately resistant to impregnation with preservatives.

Chemical analyses of the leaves, bark and wood led to the identification of some aporphine alkaloids, phenolic acids and flavonoids. The flavonoid aglycones kaempferol, quercetin and myricetin have also been demonstrated, as well as the flavonol-O-triosides faralatroside and faratroside, which are derivatives from kaempferol and quercetin, respectively.

Description

• More or less evergreen shrub or small to medium-sized tree up to 25(–30) m tall; bole branchless for up to 18 m, usually straight and cylindrical, up to 90(–120) cm in diameter; twigs reddish brown hairy.
• Leaves alternate, sometimes nearly opposite, simple; stipules small, early caducous; petiole 2–6 mm long; blade ovate to ovate-lanceolate or obovate, 3–11 cm × 2–7 cm, base rounded, sometimes shallowly cordate, apex obtuse to short-acuminate, margins entire to slightly wavy, membranous, nearly glabrous, with translucent glands below, 3-veined from the base and additionally with 2–3 pairs of lateral veins.
• Inflorescence a short, axillary cyme, with very short to fairly long peduncle, densely reddish brown hairy, 3–40-flowered.
• Flowers bisexual, regular, 5-merous, white, fragrant; pedicel 2–8 mm long; calyx lobes triangular, c. 1.5 mm × 1.5 mm; petals hood-shaped, c. 1 mm long; stamens free, each stamen partly enveloped by a petal; disk flat, glabrous, covering the ovary; ovary for the greater part superior, 3-celled, style c. 1 mm long, with 3 short lobes.
• Fruit a nearly globose capsule 8–10 mm in diameter, with short cup at base, glabrous to slightly hairy, becoming bluish black, splitting into three 1-seeded parts, each opening with a slit.
• Seeds c. 2.5 mm long, slightly compressed, black, with small aril at base.

Other botanical information

Colubrina faralaotra is variable, and some subspecies and varieties have been distinguished, based on leaf shape and size, number of flowers in the inflorescence, and hairiness of the fruit.

Colubrina comprises about 30 species occurring throughout the warmer parts of the world. In Madagascar 6 species occur, of which one (Colubrina asiatica (L.) Brongn.) also occurs along the coasts of East Africa.

Colubrina arborescens

Colubrina arborescens (Mill.) Sarg. is a small tree up to 8(–30) m tall, native of Middle America and the Caribbean and occasionally planted as ornamental shade tree in Africa. The durable wood is mainly used for posts and piles. In tropical America, bark decoctions are used in traditional medicine to treat diabetes, hypertension and stomach disorders. Leaf decoctions are applied in a bath against fever, skin complaints, haemorrhoids and joint pains, and are taken to treat gonorrhoea. Leaves and bark rubbed in water are used as a substitute of soap.

Ecology

Colubrina faralaotra occurs in dense, humid evergreen forest, from sea-level up to 1000(–1700) m altitude.

Genetic resources

Colubrina faralaotra is fairly widespread and locally common, and there are no indications that it is in danger of genetic erosion.

Prospects

Too little information is available to assess the prospects of Colubrina faralaotra as an economically important timber tree with sustainable production.

Major references

• Blaser, J., Rajoelison, G., Tsiza, G., Rajemison, M., Rabevohitra, R., Randrianjafy, H., Razafindrianilana, N., Rakotovao, G. & Comtet, S., 1993. Choix des essences pour la sylviculture à Madagascar. Akon’ny Ala: Bulletin du Département des Eaux et Forêts 12–13. 166 pp.

• Bolza, E. & Keating, W.G., 1972. African timbers: the properties, uses and characteristics of 700 species. Division of Building Research, CSIRO, Melbourne, Australia. 710 pp.

• CFPF (Centre de Formation Professionelle Forestière), 2008. Fiches techniques: version francaise. Centre de Formation Professionelle Forestière, Morondova, Madagascar. 14 pp.

• Guéneau, P., Bedel, J. & Thiel, J., 1970–1975. Bois et essences malgaches. Centre Technique Forestier Tropical, Nogent-sur-Marne, France. 150 pp.

• Takahashi, A., 1978. Compilation of data on the mechanical properties of foreign woods (part 3) Africa. Shimane University, Matsue, Japan. 248 pp.

Other references

• Bedolla, A., 1997. Les trente deux essences recommendées pour la parquéterie à Madagascar. Département des Eaux et Forêts, Ecole Supérieure en Sciences Agronomiques, Université d’Antananarivo, Antananarivo, Madagascar. 126 pp.

• Guéneau, P., 1971. Bois de Madagascar. Possibilités d’emploi. Centre Technique Forestier Tropical, Antananarivo, Madagascar. 75 pp.

• Guinaudeau, H., Leboeuf, M., Cave, A., Duret, S. & Paris, R.R., 1976. Alcaloides et composés polyphenoliques du Colubrina faralaotra ssp. sinuata; composés polyphenoliques du Colubrina faralaotra ssp. faralaotra (Rhamnacees). Planta Medica 30(3) : 201–210.

• Guinaudeau, H., Seligmann, O., Wagner, H. & Neszmelyi, A., 1981. Faralatroside and faratroside, two flavonol triglycosides from Colubrina faralaotra. Phytochemistry 20(5): 1113–1116.

• Johnston, M.C., 1971. Revision of Colubrina (Rhamnaceae). Brittonia 23(1): 2–53.

• Parant, B., Chichignoud, M. & Rakotovao, G., 1985. Présentation graphique des caractères technologiques des principaux bois tropicaux. Tome 5. Bois de Madagascar. CIRAD, Montpellier, France et Département des Recherches forestières et piscicoles du FOFIFA, Antananarivo, Madagascar. 162 pp.

• Perrier de la Bâthie, H., 1950. Rhamnacées (Rhamnaceae). Flore de Madagascar et des Comores (plantes vasculaires), famille 123. Firmin-Didot et cie., Paris, France. 51 pp.

• Schatz, G.E., 2001. Generic tree flora of Madagascar. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, United Kingdom. 477 pp.

Author(s)

• L.P.A. Oyen, PROTA Network Office Europe, Wageningen University, P.O. Box 341, 6700 AH Wageningen, Netherlands

Correct citation of this article

Oyen, L.P.A., 2011. Colubrina faralaotra (H.Perrier) Capuron. [Internet] Record from PROTA4U. Lemmens, R.H.M.J., Louppe, D. & Oteng-Amoako, A.A. (Editors). PROTA (Plant Resources of Tropical Africa / Ressources végétales de l’Afrique tropicale), Wageningen, Netherlands.

Accessed 21 December 2024.

• See the Prota4U database.