Abam, Apotro, Gomu
Pouteria altissima

Family: Sapotaceae

What it is like

Pouteria altissima is a tropical tree that can be found in evergreen rainforests in various parts in Africa. It grows up to 40 m in height and 1 m in trunk diameter. The trunk is straight and cylindrical. The fruits are red when ripe. There are no known medicinal and edible uses of this species. However, it can used as a shade tree in coffee, cocoa, and banana plantations. The bark yields latex but there are no known uses of the latex to date. The wood is used for light carpentry, boxes and crates, interior joinery, musical instruments, paper production, fuel, charcoal, etc.

Pouteria altissima is a TREE growing to 35 m (114ft) by 20 m (65ft) at a medium rate. See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 10. The flowers are pollinated by Bees. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers dry or moist soil.

Height (m): 35

Where it is found

A canopy tree in the driest types of semi-deciduous forest in west Africa; it can be common, locally even dominant, in rainforest in east Africa; found at elevations from 1,000 - 1,700 metres.

Tropical Africa - Guinea, through Cameroon to Sudan and Ethiopia, south to DR Congo, Zambia and Tanzania.

Conservation Status: Status: Lower Risk/conservation dependent

Countries/locations it is found in

Burundi; Cameroon; Central African Republic; Congo; Congo, The Democratic Republic of the; Côte d'Ivoire; Ethiopia; Gabon; Ghana; Guinea; Kenya; Nigeria; Rwanda; Sierra Leone; South Sudan; Sudan; Tanzania, United Republic of; Uganda, Africa, Angola, Central Africa, East Africa, Ethiopia, West Africa, Zambia,

How it is used

Food

Rating: 0

Medicine

Rating: 0

Other

Rating: 4

Agroforestry Uses: In Ethiopia and Uganda the tree is used as a shade tree in coffee, banana and cocoa plantations. The tree is considered useful as a bee plant. Other Uses A latex exudes from the bark. No uses are recorded. The heartwood is creamy white to reddish brown; it is indistinctly demarcated from the 3 - 6cm wide band of sapwood. The grain is straight, sometimes interlocked; texture fine to moderately coarse. The wood is moderately light, it is not durable and is liable to attacks by fungi, termites, dry-wood borers and marine borers. Drying usually does not cause problems, but there is a slight risk of distortion and checking and a tendency to blue stain, especially in early stages of air drying. The shrinkage rates are moderate. Once dry, the wood is moderately stable in service. The wood contains about 0.3% silica and consequently the blunting effect on saws and cutting tools is high - stellite-tipped sawteeth and tungsten-carbide tools are recommended. It sometimes finishes poorly after planing or sawing; nailing, screwing and slicing properties are good; and the wood stains, paints and glues well. The wood is especially recommended for high-quality sliced and peeled veneer. It is also used for light carpentry, interior joinery, high-class furniture, moulding, light construction, vehicle bodies, musical instruments, boxes and crates, railway sleepers, toys and novelties, turnery, and pulpwood for paper production. The wood is used for fuel and for the production of charcoal.

Charcoal: Used for fuel, drawing, deodorant, filter, fertilizer etc.

Fuel: Usually wood, plant materials that have been mentioned as being a good fuel.

Furniture: A few miscellaneous uses that do not fit easily into other headings.

Latex: A source of rubber.

Paper: Related to the entry for Fibre, these plants have been specifically mentioned for paper making.

Wood: A list of the trees and shrubs that are noted for having useful wood.

Coppice: A traditional method of woodland management which exploits the capacity of many species of trees to put out new shoots from their stump or roots if cut down.

How it is grown

In natural forest in Gabon the trees showed a mean annual bole diameter increment of 3.3mm. In the Central African Republic the annual bole diameter increment was 3.2mm in a non-perturbed forest, 4mm after exploitation of the forest and 6mm after exploitation and chemical thinning. Most trees with boles over 50 cm in diameter are capable of producing fruits. Seedlings are classified as non-pioneer light demanders. Although they may be abundant around parent trees, further development depends on the presence of gaps in the forest canopy. However, research in Uganda showed that large-scale logging operations in the forest negatively influence regeneration. Tests on regeneration in Kenya showed that artificial regeneration of this species in buffer plantations around the natural timber production forest may be needed to maintain it in sufficient numbers after logging. In cultivation, the tree can be managed by coppicing or pollarding.

Propagating it: Seed - it loses viability very quickly and should be sown directly after collection. Seeds can be sown in light shade, but seedlings will soon need higher light intensities if they are to thrive.

Best place to grow:

Habit: Tree

Hardiness: 10-12

Growth: Medium

Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)

Shade: No shade

Moisture: Dry, moist

Things to keep in mind

Its other names

Local names

Abam, Apotro, Gomu,

Synonyms

Aningeria altissima (A.Chev.) Aubr?v. & Pellegr. Hormogyne altissima A.Chev. Hormogyne gabonensis A.