African Rosewood
Guibourtia demeusei

Family: Fabaceae

What it is like

Guibourtia demeusei or commonly known as African Rosewood is a usually 40m tall tree with a dense crown and straight bole of up to 1 m in diameter. It is a source of Congo copal, a hard resin that is used to make varnishes and lacquers. The wood is of high quality and used for veneers, high class furniture, cabinet work, flooring, heavy carpentry, joinery, panelling, etc.

Guibourtia demeusei is an evergreen Tree growing to 25 m (82ft) by 20 m (65ft) at a slow 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. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers moist or wet soil.

Height (m): 25

Where it is found

Periodically flooded and swampy forests; gallery forest, often in pure stands.

Western tropical Africa - Cameroon to the Central African Republic, south to the Congo.

Conservation Status: This taxon has not yet been assessed

Countries/locations it is found in

Cameroon; Central African Republic; Congo; Congo, The Democratic Republic of the; Gabon

How it is used

Food

Rating: 0

Medicine

Rating: 0

Other

Rating: 4

Other Uses: A source of Congo copal, used for making varnishes and lacquers. Copal is a hard resin, obtained from various tropical trees, that is used to make varnish. The heartwood is a pink or reddish brown with some fine, purplish-red veins and some brown veins; it is clearly demarcated from the 2 - 8cm wide band of whitish sapwood. The texture is medium; the grain straight or interlocked, sometimes wavy; it has an unpleasant odour when first cut which disappears on drying. The wood is heavy to very heavy; hard to very hard; moderately to very elastic; durable, being resistant to fungi, dry wood borers and termites. It seasons slowly, with a high risk of checking and distortion; once dry it is poorly stable in service. The wood has a high blunting effect - stellite-tipped and tungsten carbide tools are recommended; care is needed when working with interlocked grains, but a good finish can be obtained; nailing and screwing are good, but require pre-boring; gluing is correct for internal purposes only and needs to be done with care because the wood is dry and smooth. The wood is very decorative and has some resemblance to rosewood; it is often used for veneers, and is also used to make high class furniture, cabinet work, turnery, flooring, stairs, heavy carpentry, joinery, panelling, railway sleepers etc.

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

Lacquer: A type of varnish.

Varnish: Plants that can be used as a varnish without any special treatment. Does not include varnishes made from oils etc.

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

How it is grown

Although many species within the family Fabaceae have a symbiotic relationship with soil bacteria, this species is said to be devoid of such a relationship and therefore does not fix atmospheric nitrogen.

Propagating it: Seed

Best place to grow:

Habit: Tree

Hardiness: 10-12

Growth: Slow

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

Shade: No shade

Moisture: Moist, wet

Things to keep in mind

Its other names

Local names

Akume, Bubinga, Ebana, Essingang, Kevazingo, Kewazingo, Okweni, Ovang, Waka

Synonyms

Copaifera demeusei Harms Copaifera laurentii De Wild