African Teak
Milicia excelsa

Family: Moraceae

What it is like

Milicia excelsa or African Teak is a nitrogen-fixing tree that can also be used as a shade tree. It is large and deciduous, growing up to 50 m high and 350 cm in trunk diameter. The trunk is often buttressed and can be branchless for up to 20 m. The crown is wide and flat. The bark is pale, thick, and produces milky latex once damaged. The leaves are green, long, and ovate with toothed edges. The fruits are green, wrinkled, long, and fleshy. African Teak is threatened by habitat loss. It is one of the two species producing timber known as iroko. Iroko is used for construction, furniture, flooring, panelling, etc. As herbal medicine, various plant parts of African Teak are used in the treatment of a wide range of conditions such as coughs, heart problems, inflammation, female sterility, asthma, stomach pain, abdominal pain, wounds, scabies, diarrhea, dysentery, and skin problems. The fruits are edible and the fruit juice is used for flavoring. Young leaves are cooked.

Milicia excelsa is a deciduous Tree growing to 50 m (164ft) by 35 m (114ft) at a medium rate. See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 10. The plant is not self-fertile. 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): 50

Where it is found

Deciduous, semi-deciduous or evergreen, primary or secondary forest, with an apparent preference for drier forest types, at elevations up to 1,200 metres. Often occurs in gallery forest and in forest islands or as lone trees in savannah regions.

Tropical Africa - Guinea Bissau east to Ethiopia and south to Angola, Zimbabwe and Mozambique.

Conservation Status: Status: Lower Risk/near threatened

Countries/locations it is found in

Angola; Benin; Burundi; Cameroon; Central African Republic, Congo, The Democratic Republic of the; Côte d'Ivoire; Equatorial Guinea; Ethiopia; Gabon; Ghana; Kenya; Malawi; Mozambique; Nigeria; Rwanda; Sao Tomé and Principe; Sierra Leone; South Sudan; Sudan; Tanzania, United Republic of; Togo; Uganda; Zimbabwe, Africa, Asia, Burkina Faso, Central Africa, East Africa, Guinea-Bissau, India, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sao Tome & Principe, Sierra Leone, Southern Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, West Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe,

How it is used

Food

Rating: 2

Young leaves - cooked. The ripe fruits are edible. The fruit juice is used for flavouring. The fruit is green, wrinkled, fleshy and resembles a fat green caterpillar. It is up to 7.5cm long and 2.5 cm wide.

Condiment: the various plants that are used as flavourings, either as herbs, spices or condiments.

Medicine

Rating: 3

African teak is widely used in African traditional medicine. Research has shown that chlorophorin, a phenolic compound found in the plant, has inhibitory effects on melanin biosynthesis. Its more stable derivative, hexahydrochlorophorin, may have potential for use in skin-whitening agents and for treating disturbances in pigmentation. Two phenolic compounds (chlorophorin and iroko) have shown in-vitro anti-amoebic activity. A methanol extract of the stem bark has shown in-vivo anti-inflammatory properties. A root decoction is taken to treat female sterility. A decoction of the root and stem bark is taken as an aphrodisiac. The bark is aphrodisiac, galactagogue, purgative and tonic. It is used to treat a wide range of conditions including cough, asthma, heart trouble, lumbago, spleen pain, stomach pain, abdominal pain, oedema, ascites, dysmenorrhoea, gonorrhoea, general fatigue, rheumatism, sprains. Bark preparations are externally applied to treat scabies, wounds, loss of hair, fever, venereal diseases and sprains. They are also applied as an enema to cure piles, diarrhoea and dysentery. The latex is considered to be galactagogue. It is taken in the treatment of stomach problems, hypertension, tumours and obstructions of the throat. Externally, it is applied on burns, wounds, sores and against eczema and other skin problems. The leaves are galactagogue. They are eaten to treat insanity, and a decoction is taken for the treatment of gallstones. Externally, leaf preparations are used in the treatment of snakebites and fever, and as eye drops to treat filariasis.

Antiasthmatic: Treats asthma.

Antidiarrhoeal: Provides symptomatic relief for diarrhoea. Also see Astringent.

Antihaemorrhoidal: Treats haemorrhoids (piles). This would probably be best added to another heading.

Antiinflammatory: Reduces inflammation of joints, injuries etc.

Antirheumatic: Treats rheumatism.

Antitussive: Prevents or relieves coughing.

Aphrodisiac: Increases the sexual appetite.

Cardiac: Used in the treatment of heart problems.

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.

Febrifuge: Reduces fevers.

Galactogogue: Promotes the flow of milk in a nursing mother.

Ophthalmic: Treats eye complaints.

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.

Tonic: Improves general health. Slower acting than a stimulant, it brings steady improvement.

Other

Rating: 5

Agroforestry Uses: The tree is used for soil improvement through its leaf mulch, and soil conservation. A natural pioneer species within its native range, supplying a high-grade timber. It could be a useful addition in reforestation projects to restore native woodland. Other Uses The mature leaves have been used as sandpaper. The bark is used for dyeing leather and cloth. The bark is used for making the roofs of houses. The bark of young trees has been used for making loincloths. The heartwood is pale yellow to yellow, darkening on exposure to yellowish or greenish brown or sometimes to chocolate brown; it is clearly demarcated from the 50 - 75mm wide band of yellowish white sapwood. The grain is interlocked; texture medium to coarse; figure mottled. The wood is somewhat greasy and is odourless. The wood is of medium weight, moderately hard, of good durability, being resistent to fungi, dry wood borers and termites. Working properties for hand and machine tools are generally good but variable; the interlocked grain may hamper sawing and planing. The wood is rather abrasive due to the presence of hard deposits (‘iroko stones’, mainly consisting of calcium carbonate), which can blunt cutting edges. Tearing in planing can be avoided by using cutting angles of 15° or less. The wood has good nailing, screwing, mortising and gluing properties and turns easily. It finishes well, but filler is needed. The wood contains the stilbene derivative chlorophorin, which prevents oil-based paints from drying, and which corrodes metal in contact with it. Steam-bending properties of the wood are moderate. The wood is a highly valued commercial timber in Africa, for which demand is large. It is used for construction work, shipbuilding and marine carpentry, sleepers, sluice gates, framework, trucks, draining boards, outdoor and indoor joinery, stairs, doors, frames, garden furniture, cabinet work, panelling, flooring and profile boards for decorative and structural uses. It is also used for carving, domestic utensils, musical instruments and toys. As it is resistant to acids and bases, it is used for tanks and barrels for food and chemical products and for laboratory benches. It is used as sliced veneer but only rarely as rotary veneer. The wood is also used as firewood and for making charcoal..

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

Dye: Plants that provide dyes.

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.

Hair: Plants used as hair shampoos, tonics, to treat balding etc.

Mulch: Used for covering the ground to conserve the nutrients in the soil.

Pioneer: Plants, usually trees and shrubs, that can be used to reforest land.

Roofing: Used to give a waterproof roof to buildings. See also Thatching.

Sandpaper: Plants used to smooth rough wooden surfaces by means of abrasion.

Soil conditioner: Plants grown to improve the structure of the soil. See also Green manures.

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

How it is grown

A tree of moist to wet tropical forests at low to medium elevations from sea level to 1,600 metres. It occurs in regions with an average annual temperature of 25 - 35°c and an average annual rainfall of 1,150 - 1,900mm. The tree can tolerate a dry season of up to 6 months and can grow in areas with mean annual rainfall as low as 700mm provided it has access to extra water from a perennial stream or underground source. African teak succeeds on a large variety of soils so long as they are fertile, it is especially sensitive to low levels of potassium and phosphorus. Its presence is considered to be an indicator of fertile soil suitable for cultivation. It prefers well-drained soils and does not tolerate impeded drainage. It is a pioneer species, demanding intense light and unable to stand deep shade. Young trees grow continuously, but growth of adult trees is periodical. Trees are fairly fast growing - in a 6-year-old plantation some trees were over 6 metres tall, although the variability was large. On average it takes 130 years here for a tree to reach a trunk diameter of 80cm. Male trees can start flowering within 10 years from seed, but females can take 15 years. It takes 5 - 6 weeks from fertilization to fruit maturation. Seed dispersal is mostly by birds, bats and squirrels. Trees respond well to pruning and coppicing. In the dry season Milicia excelsa is deciduous for a short period. Dioecious - both male and female forms need to be grown if seed is required.

Propagating it: Seed - can be stored at room temperature for at least 12 months. When sown fresh it normally gives good germination rates of 90% or more within 2 - 4 weeks. Seeds are sown in a seedbed and transplanted to pots or nursery beds 3 weeks after germination. Seedlings should be grown under shade to limit attacks by Phytolyma spp. About 4 months after sowing the seedlings are around 30cm tall and ready for planting out in the field. Young plants transplant well. Stem cuttings. Successful propagation has been achieved using stem cuttings from 1- and 2-year-old trees, but from mature trees cuttings should be taken from coppice shoots. Root cuttings. Grafting.

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

The wood and sawdust may cause dermatitis, irritation to nose and throat, and asthmatic reactions, due to the presence of the phenol chlorophorin.

Its other names

Local names

African Teak, Abeng, Ala, Bang, Bangi, Bangui, Diedie, Iroko, Kambala, Mucuco, Murritulula, Muule, Mvule, Ngunde, Odum, Tule, Uloko, african oak, loko, msule, mwala, orjih, roko, sanga, semo.

Synonyms

Chlorophora excelsa (Welw.) Benth. Maclura excelsa (Welw.) Bureau. Milicia africana Sim Morus excels