Trilepisium madagascariense (Bekele-Tesemma, 2007)

← Trichilia emetica

Bekele-Tesemma, Useful trees and shrubs for Ethiopia, 2007 Trilepisium madagascariense (Bekele-Tesemma, 2007)

Vepris dainellii →

Trilepisium madagascariense (Bosquiea phoberos) Moraceae Indigenous

Common names

• English: False fig
• Amargna: Chai
• Oromugna: Shero, Yuga

Ecology

A tall forest tree that dominates the upper canopy of rain forests or grows as an understorey tree in the humid lower highland forests of Moist and Wet Kolla and Weyna Dega agroclimatic zones of Wolega and Kefa, 1,000 - 1,600 m.

Uses

Firewood, timber (light construction, furniture, floors, veneer, boxes), dye (sap).

Description

An evergreen tree, usually 20–30 m high, diameter usually 50–100 cm, with straight clean bole to a small rounded crown with drooping branches.

• BARK: Grey and smooth, when cut white latex drips out; outer part of the cut bark pink-red. The latex soon becomes violet and the whole area turns brown.
• LEAVES: Simple, alternate, tough and leathery, dark shiny green above to 12 cm on a stalk about 1 cm. The edge is rolled under and the looping veins join up below the edge. The narrow tip is drawn out about 1 cm.
• FLOWERS: Both male and female flowers develop inside the bell-shaped receptacle, about 1.5 cm long. Receptacle has a wide opening and stamens like a cream-mauve brush hang out, about 1 cm across. The female parts are hidden inside.
• FRUIT: When ripe the fleshy oval receptacle, about 2 cm long, turns purple-black (false fig) contains a single seed in a hard nut.

Propagation

Seedlings, wildings, cuttings.

Seed

• Treatment: Soak it in cold water for 24 hours and put in the sun. Macerate it to release the nut.
• Storage: can store well if the nut is not cracked.

Management

Pruning, lopping, coppicing.

Remarks

The wood is perishable in the ground. The timber is pink-red, fairly straight grained and moderately strong. It is easy to plane, glue and nail.