African elemi
Canarium schweinfurtii
Family: Burseraceae
What it is like
Note: Canarium schweinfurtii - Engl. often appears online and in text as Canarium schweinfurthii. theplantlist.org show the accepted name as Canarium schweinfurtii.
Canarium schweinfurtii is an evergreen Tree growing to 30 m (98ft) by 30 m (98ft) at a medium rate. See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 10. The flowers are pollinated by Insects. 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 moist soil.
Height (m): 30
Where it is found
Riverine forest and forest patches or remaining as isolated trees, probably because of the destruction of other forest species. Rain forest, gallery forest and transitional forest.
Africa - Senegal to west Cameroon and extending to Ethiopia, Tanzania and Angola.
Conservation Status: This taxon has not yet been assessed
Countries/locations it is found in
Angola; Cameroon; Congo, The Democratic Republic of the; Congo; Ghana; Guinea; Côte d'Ivoire; Nigeria; Guinea-Bissau; Senegal; Sierra Leone; Tanzania, United Republic of; Togo; Central African Republic; South Sudan
How it is used
Food
Rating: 3
The slightly greenish outer pulp of the fruit is oily and edible. It can be eaten raw or softened in warm water to improve palatability. It tastes similar to olives and is very popular as a snack among herders and children. Often used as a condiment. The fruit is about 35mm long. The pulp oil is about 71 % palmitic acid and 18 % oleic acid. The seed-kernel is oily and edible. It is cooked, and is sometimes prepared into a vegetable-butter and eaten as a substitute for shea-butter. The seeds contain several fatty acids including oleic (36 %), linoleic (28 %), palmitic (26 %), stearic (7 %). Carbon Farming - Staple Crop: oil.
Oil: Oil
Seed: includes nuts, cereals, peas and beans.
Condiment: the various plants that are used as flavourings, either as herbs, spices or condiments.
Gum: can be chewed as a chewing gum or can often be used as a sweetener or thickening agent in foods.
Medicine
Rating: 3
In the past, the resin was exported to Europe for pharmaceutical use. It was used as a substitute for gum-mastic in making wound dressings in World War II. The resin is used against roundworm infections and other intestinal parasites. It is an emollient, stimulant, diuretic and has action on skin-affections and eczema. The bark is emetic and purgative. A decoction is used as a treatment against hypertension, dysentery, gonorrhoea, coughs, chest pains, pulmonary affections, stomach complaints, food poisoning etc. The pounded bark is used against leprosy and ulcers. Root is used against adenites whereas root scrapings are made into a poultice. The leaves are boiled with other herbs and the decoction used to treat coughs. The seeds are roasted and pounded and the resulting powder mixed with skin oil or jelly to treat wounds.
Antitussive: Prevents or relieves coughing.
Diuretic: Acts on the kidneys, promoting the flow of urine.
Dysentery: Used in treating dysentery - an infection of the intestines that causes diarrhoea containing blood or mucus.
Eczema: Used in the treatment of eczema - a chronic health condition that affects the skin, causing redness, dryness, itching and infections.
Emetic: Induces vomiting.
Emollient: Softens the skin, causing warmth and moisture.
Hypotensive: Reduces blood pressure, it is used in the treatment of high blood pressure
Leprosy: Used to treat leprosy - a chronic bacterial infection of the skin and superficial nerves (in the skin) caused by Mycobacterium leprae.
Poultice: A moist, usually warm or hot, mass of plant material applied to the skin in the treatment of burns etc.
Purgative: A drastic laxative causing a cleansing or watery evacuation of the bowels, usually with a griping pain.
Skin: Plants used in miscellaneous treatments for the skin.
Stimulant: Excites or quickens activity of the physiological processes. Faster acting than a tonic but differing from a narcotic in that it does not give a false sense of well-being.
Other
Rating: 3
The bark exudes a heavy, sticky oleoresin that smells like turpentine and solidifies to a whitish resin. It is obtained by slashing the bark and allowing the colourless expiation to trickle to the ground where it solidifies into a sulphur-yellow opaque resin. The resin is used as primitive illuminant and as incense and releases a lavender-like smell. The resin burns readily and is used as a bush candle. The flame is very smoky and soot is collected as carbon-black from the outside of pots held over it for use in tattooing and to make ink in Liberia. The resin is also used to repair broken pottery, for caulking boats and as a gum for fastening arrowheads to shafts. The resin contains 8-20 % of an essential oil, the main constituent of which is limonene. It is rich in phellandrenes, and contains also resins and a bitter principle. The resin is used as a fumigant against mosquitoes. The elemi is often left standing on cleared land to provide shade and has potential as a wind break. It has been planted for reforestation in Uganda. The endocarp is used by children as spinning tops. The seeds are strung into necklaces or attached to traditional instruments. The bark of young trees is split off in Gabon to make boxes. The wood is said to secrete oil and is used for canoe making. The heartwood is pinkish when fleshly cut but darkens to light brown mahogany colour; it is not slearly demarcated from the 5 - 15cm wide band of sapwood that is white with pinkish reflections. The texture is slightly coarse; the grain interlocked, thus causing a fine striped figure on quarter-sawn boards. The wood is light in weight; very soft; not very durable, being suseptible to fungi, dry wood borers and termites. It seasons slowly but fairly well, though there is a risk of distortion and checking; once dry it is poorly stable in service. works easily, stains and polishes well. Used as a substitute for true mahogany. The timber is used as core veneer, for decorative panelling, parquetry, furniture, flooring and for general utility purposes. Locally, the wood is used for mortars, planks, and canoes. The wood is a good fuel, igniting readily and burning with a lot of heat.
Adhesive: Glues.
Beads: Used as necklaces etc.
Containers: Plants, such as gourds, that can be used as containers. Does not include baskets or containers made from wood.
Essential: Essential oils that are used in perfumery, medicines, paint solvents, insect repellents 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.
Gum: Gums have a wide range of uses, especially as stabilizers, emulsifiers, thickening agents, adhesives etc.
Incense: Aromatic plants that can be burnt to impart a pleasant smell, repel insects and disinfect closed areas.
Ink: Plants that can be used as an ink.
Insecticide: Kills insects.
Lighting: Plants that can be used as torches etc. See also Oil and Wax.
Oil: Vegetable oils have many uses, as lubricants, lighting, soap and paint making, waterproofing etc. This does not include the edible oils unless they are also mentioned as having other uses.
Resin: Used in perfumery, medicines, paints, soap making etc. This also includes turpentine, which is extracted from many resins and used as a preservative, water proofer etc,
Shelterbelt: Wind resistant plants than can be grown to provide shelter in the garden etc.
Waterproofing: Does what it says. See also Pitch and Oil.
Wood: A list of the trees and shrubs that are noted for having useful wood.
Management: Standard: Plants grow to their standard height. Harvest fruit, seeds, or other products. Non-Destructive management systems.
Regional Crop: These crops have been domesticated and cultivated regionally but have not been adopted elsewhere and are typically not traded globally, Examples in this broad category include perennial cottons and many nuts and staple fruits.
Staple Crop: Oil: (0-15 percent protein, 16+ percent oil). Some of these are consumed whole while others are exclusively pressed for oil. Annuals include canola, poppyseed, maize, cottonseed, sunflower, peanut. Perennials include high-oil fruits, seeds, and nuts, such as olive, coconut, avocado, oil palm, shea, pecan, and macadamia. Some perennial oil crops are consumed whole as fruits and nuts, while others are exclusively pressed for oil (and some are used fresh and for oil).
Management: Standard: Plants grow to their standard height. Harvest fruit, seeds, or other products. Non-Destructive management systems.
Regional Crop: These crops have been domesticated and cultivated regionally but have not been adopted elsewhere and are typically not traded globally, Examples in this broad category include perennial cottons and many nuts and staple fruits.
Staple Crop: Oil: (0-15 percent protein, 16+ percent oil). Some of these are consumed whole while others are exclusively pressed for oil. Annuals include canola, poppyseed, maize, cottonseed, sunflower, peanut. Perennials include high-oil fruits, seeds, and nuts, such as olive, coconut, avocado, oil palm, shea, pecan, and macadamia. Some perennial oil crops are consumed whole as fruits and nuts, while others are exclusively pressed for oil (and some are used fresh and for oil).
Carbon Farming: Plants that can be a critical part of the solution to climate problems. The Carbon Farming Solution - Eric Toensmeier.
Food Forest: Plants for Edible Forest Gardens and Food Forests.
How it is grown
A tree of the hot tropical rainforests, growing at elevations from sea level to 1,000 metres. It grows best in areas where the mean annual rainfall is in the range 900 - 1,400mm. Climate: tropical. Humidity: humid. Carbon Farming - Cultivation: regional crop only. Management: standard.
Propagating it: Seed - pre-soak the seed by immersing it in hot water and then allowing it to cool in the water for 24 hours prior to sowing. The seed can be sown in nursery beds or in situ. The ripe fruits should be collected when they fall to the ground and allowed to decompose, the stones should then be separated from the outer fruit coats. Seeds can be stored for a long time.
Best place to grow:
Habit: Tree
Hardiness: 10-12
Growth: Medium
Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)
Shade: No shade
Moisture: Moist
Things to keep in mind
Its other names
Local names
African Elemi, canarium, mupafu, ube osa, mpafu, kenari or mbani
Synonyms
Canarium chevalieri Guill. Canarium khiala A.Chev. Canarium occidentale A.Chev. C. schweinfurthii (incorrect spelling).