Protomegabaria stapfiana (PROTA)

Plant Resources of Tropical Africa Introduction

List of species

General importance
Geographic coverage Africa
Geographic coverage World
Timber
Forage / feed

Protomegabaria stapfiana (Beille) Hutch.

Protologue: Prain, Icon. pl. 30: t. 2929 (1913).

Family: Euphorbiaceae (APG: Phyllanthaceae)

Chromosome number: 2n = 26

Origin and geographic distribution

Protomegabaria stapfiana is distributed from Sierra Leone to Gabon.

Uses

The wood of Protomegabaria stapfiana is widely used for planks, and is also used for construction and furniture. It is considered a valuable firewood.

Properties

The heartwood is yellowish to pinkish brown with dark streaks, and not clearly demarcated from the pale brown sapwood. The grain is mostly straight, texture medium. The wood is fairly lustrous. It is medium-weight, with a density of about 700 kg/m³ at 12% moisture content. At the same moisture content, compression parallel to grain is about 53 N/mm², Janka side hardness 6750 N and Janka end hardness 7560 N.

The wood is not difficult to work and it finishes well to a smooth surface. It splits easily and is not resistant to decay.

Description

Evergreen, dioecious, small to medium-sized tree up to 30 m tall; bole short, low-branching, up to 25 cm in diameter, buttresses well developed; bark surface brownish with green patches; twigs soft-hairy, soon becoming glabrous. Leaves alternate, simple and entire; stipules triangular, 2–4 mm long, caducous; petiole 3–11 cm long; blade narrowly oblong-elliptical, 15–37 cm × 7–15 cm, base cuneate to rounded, apex rounded to short-acuminate, sparingly soft hairy below and with few glands, pinnately veined with 10–20 pairs of lateral veins. Inflorescence a glabrous raceme, male one c. 10 cm long, female one c. 4 cm long. Flowers unisexual, regular, 5(–6)-merous; pedicel 1–3 mm long; sepals triangular, up to 2 mm long; petals absent; male flowers with stamens 2–3 mm long, disk 5-lobed, ovary rudimentary; female flowers without disk, ovary superior, usually 3-celled, styles (2–)3, 2-branched. Fruit a nearly globose capsule 3–4 cm in diameter, often slightly 3-lobed, glabrous, usually 3-seeded. Seeds obovoid, c. 1 cm long, smooth, shiny. Seedling with epigeal germination; hypocotyl 2–3 cm long, epicotyl 3–5 mm long; cotyledons leafy, roundish, c. 4 cm × 3.5 cm; first leaves alternate.

Other botanical information

In Sierra Leone Protomegabaria stapfiana flowers from March until the start of the rainy season. Fruits are mature about 6 weeks after flowering.

Protomegabaria is restricted to West and Central Africa and comprises 3 species. Records of Protomegabaria macrophylla Hutch. and its uses for West Africa have been based on wrong identifications as this species is restricted to southern Cameroon and Gabon.

Ecology

Protomegabaria stapfiana is found in the understorey of primary and secondary lowland forest. It sometimes forms pure stands. It is found both in swamps as well as on well-drained localities. In swamps the trees tend to develop adventitious roots.

Management

Caution is needed at felling because boles often have a spongy heart.

Genetic resources

Protomegabaria stapfiana is widely distributed, often abundant and not much sought after because of its small and often poorly shaped bole. Therefore it is not under threat of genetic erosion.

Prospects

The wood of Protomegabaria stapfiana will probably remain of some local importance only.

Major references

• Burkill, H.M., 1994. The useful plants of West Tropical Africa. 2nd Edition. Volume 2, Families E–I. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, United Kingdom. 636 pp.

• Cooper, G.P. & Record, S.J., 1931. The evergreen forests of Liberia. School of Forestry, Yale University, Bulletin 31, New Haven, United States. 153 pp.

• 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.

• Kryn, J.M. & Fobes, E.W., 1959. The woods of Liberia. Report 2159. USDA Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory, Madison, Wisconsin, United States. 147 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

• Breteler, F.J., 2012. Phyllanthaceae. Flore du Gabon. Volume 43. Margraf Publishers, Weikersheim, Germany. pp. 1–108.

• Chave, J., 2005. Measuring wood density for tropical forest trees: a field manual for the CTFS sites. [Internet] Wood density measurement protocol, 7 pp. http://www.ecosystem-services.org/ iaicrn2015/ourwiki/images/ Chave_CTFSWoodDensityProtocol.pdf. April 2012.

• Dalziel, J.M., 1937. The useful plants of West Tropical Africa. Crown Agents for Overseas Governments and Administrations, London, United Kingdom. 612 pp.

• de la Mensbruge, G., 1966. La germination et les plantules des essences arborées de la forêt dense humide de la Côte d’Ivoire. Centre Technique Forestier Tropical, Nogent-sur-Marne, France. 389 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.

• Keay, R.W.J., 1958. Euphorbiaceae. In: Keay, R.W.J. (Editor). Flora of West Tropical Africa. Volume 1, part 2. 2nd Edition. Crown Agents for Oversea Governments and Administrations, London, United Kingdom. pp. 364–423.

• Keay, R.W.J., 1989. Trees of Nigeria. A revised version of Nigerian trees (1960, 1964) by Keay, R.W.J., Onochie, C.F.A. & Stanfield, D.P. Clarendon Press, Oxford, United Kingdom. 476 pp.

• Léonard, J., 1995. Protomegabaria meiocarpa J. Léonard espèce nouvelle d'un genre nouveau pour le Zaïre (Euphorbiaceae). Bulletin du Jardin botanique national de Belgique / Bulletin van de National Plantentuin van België 64(1/2): 53–63.

• 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.

• Savill, P.S. & Fox, J.E.D., 1967. Trees of Sierra Leone. Forest Department, Freetown, Sierra Leone. 316 pp.

Author(s)

• C.H. Bosch, PROTA Network Office Europe, Wageningen University, P.O. Box 341, 6700 AH Wageningen, Netherlands

Correct citation of this article

Bosch, C.H., 2012. Protomegabaria stapfiana (Beille) Hutch. 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 2 April 2025.

• See the Prota4U database.