Aptandra zenkeri (PROTA)

Plant Resources of Tropical Africa Introduction

List of species

General importance
Geographic coverage Africa
Geographic coverage World
Medicinal
Timber

distribution in Africa (wild)

flowers

flowers

Aptandra zenkeri Engl.

Protologue: Engl. & Prantl, Nat. Pflanzenfam., II–IV Nachtr. 1: 147 (1897).

Family: Olacaceae

Origin and geographic distribution

Aptandra zenkeri occurs from Liberia east to DR Congo, and south to Angola.

Uses

The wood, if available in sufficiently large pieces, is used for joinery. It is also used for charcoal production. Powdered burnt wood mixed with palm oil is applied to treat liver problems. Powdered seeds are used as a hair dressing.

Production and international trade

The wood of Aptandra zenkeri is only used locally.

Properties

The wood is pale pink to reddish, hard and resistant to decay.

Description

• Dioecious shrub or small tree up to 15 m tall; bole branching low, up to 25 cm in diameter; bark surface reddish, with lenticels; twigs green, glabrous.
• Leaves alternate, simple and entire; stipules absent; petiole 0.5–1 cm long, grooved above; blade lanceolate to elliptical, 5–13(–17) cm × 2–6 cm, cuneate at base, acute to short-acuminate at apex, leathery, glabrous, pinnately veined with 5–7 pairs of lateral veins. Inflorescence a short axillary raceme, glabrous, 10–30-flowered.
• Flowers unisexual, regular, 4-merous, small; pedicel up to 1(–1.5) cm long, elongating in fruit; calyx cup-shaped, minute, toothed; petals free, c. 4 mm × 1 mm, fleshy, glabrous, greenish white, with thick glandular lobes opposite petals; stamens fused into a tube 1.5–3.5 mm long, pink; ovary superior, c. 1 mm long, glabrous, style c. 2 mm long; male flowers with non-functional ovary; female flowers with sterile stamens.
• Fruit an ellipsoid-ovoid drupe 1.5–2.5(–3) cm long, blue-black when ripe, with an annular orange-red disk at base, subtended by the much enlarged, up to 10 cm wide, pink calyx, 1-seeded. Seed oily.

Other botanical information

Aptandra comprises about 5 species, all in tropical America except Aptandra zenkeri. It is most closely related to Ongokea.

Ecology

Aptandra zenkeri grows in rainforest on valley bottoms, in undergrowth of deciduous forest in damp sites, in upland mixed forest and on river banks or in regularly flooded localities, up to 850 m altitude.

Genetic resources

Aptandra zenkeri is widespread and there are no indications that it is in danger of genetic erosion.

Prospects

Aptandra zenkeri is likely to remain of limited local use.

Major references

• Aubréville, A., 1959. La flore forestière de la Côte d’Ivoire. Deuxième édition révisée. Tome premier. Publication No 15. Centre Technique Forestier Tropical, Nogent-sur-Marne, France. 369 pp.

• Burkill, H.M., 1997. The useful plants of West Tropical Africa. 2nd Edition. Volume 4, Families M–R. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, United Kingdom. 969 pp.

• Louis, J. & Léonard, J., 1948. Olacaceae. In: Robyns, W., Staner, P., De Wildeman, E., Germain, R., Gilbert, G., Hauman, L., Homès, M., Lebrun, J., Louis, J., Vanden Abeele, M. & Boutique, R. (Editors). Flore du Congo belge et du Ruanda-Urundi. Spermatophytes. Volume 1. Institut National pour l’Étude Agronomique du Congo belge, Brussels, Belgium. pp. 249–278.

• Neuwinger, H.D., 2000. African traditional medicine: a dictionary of plant use and applications. Medpharm Scientific, Stuttgart, Germany. 589 pp.

• Villiers, J.-F., 1973. Olacaceae. Flore du Cameroun. Volume 15. Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France. pp. 101–162.

Other references

• Hawthorne, W.D., 1995. Ecological profiles of Ghanaian forest trees. Tropical Forestry Papers 29. Oxford Forestry Institute, Department of Plant Sciences, University of Oxford, United Kingdom. 345 pp.

• Hawthorne, W. & Jongkind, C., 2006. Woody plants of western African forests: a guide to the forest trees, shrubs and lianes from Senegal to Ghana. Kew Publishing, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, United Kingdom. 1023 pp.

• Irvine, F.R., 1961. Woody plants of Ghana, with special reference to their uses. Oxford University Press, London, United Kingdom. 868 pp.

• Malécot, V. & Nickrent, D.L., 2008. Molecular phylogenetic relationships of Olacaceae and related Santalales. Systematic Botany 33(1): 97–106.

• Normand, D. & Paquis, J., 1976. Manuel d’identification des bois commerciaux. Tome 2. Afrique guinéo-congolaise. Centre Technique Forestier Tropical, Nogent-sur-Marne, France. 335 pp.

• Villiers, J.-F., 1973. Olacacées. Flore du Gabon. Volume 20. Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France. pp. 101–162.

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., 2012. Aptandra zenkeri Engl. In: 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 18 December 2024.

• See the Prota4U database.