Oroko, Iroko
Milicia regia

Family: Moraceae

What it is like

Milicia regia is a tropical, deciduous tree belonging in the Moraceae family. It has a wide and rounded crown, tall and straight trunk, and smooth reddish-brown bark. It grows up to 35 m in height and 200 cm in trunk diameter. It can be found in West Africa particularly in Senegal and Gambia to Ghana. The edible fruit is comprised of achenes, with each achene containing a pale brown seed. The tree is used medicinally for wounds, burns, gonorrhea, dysmenorrhea, stomach pain, heart problems, scabies, fever, diarrhea, dysentery, etc. The bark produces white latex that is used as a glue. The wood is of high quality.

Milicia regia is a deciduous Tree growing to 30 m (98ft) by 25 m (82ft) at a fast rate. See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 10. The plant is not self-fertile. Suitable for: light (sandy) and medium (loamy) 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

Rainforests at low elevations, but also often found as a lone tree in cultivated areas.

West tropical Africa - Senegal and Gambia to Ghana.

Conservation Status: Status: Vulnerable A1cd

Countries/locations it is found in

Benin; Cameroon; Côte d'Ivoire; Gambia; Ghana; Guinea; Guinea-Bissau; Liberia; Senegal, Africa, Côte d'Ivoire, Guinée, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Southern Africa, West Africa,

How it is used

Food

Rating: 2

Fruit - raw. The fruit comprises a number of achenes, each 2.5 - 3 mm long, arranged in an infructescence 5 - 8cm long and 1.2 - 2cm wide. Each achene contains a pale brown seed about 2mm long.

Medicine

Rating: 2

The latex in the plant is credited with antiseptic and healing properties and is applied on wounds and burns. Other plant parts probably have similar medicinal uses as those of Milicia excelsa.. These are as follows: 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.

Antiseptic: Preventing sepsis, decay or putrefaction, it destroys or arrests the growth of micro-organisms.

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

Other Uses The bark is used for dyeing leather and cloth. A white latex exudes from the bark. It is used as a glue, and has been used as an adulterant in rubber. The heartwood is pale yellow to brown, darkening upon exposure; it is clearly demarcated from the 50 - 75mm wide band of paler sapwood. The grain is interlocked; texture medium to coarse; the wood has a strong mint-like odour and a slightly oily feel. The wood is of medium weight, moderately hard, of good durability, being resistent to fungi, dry wood borers and termites. The wood seasons well, without warping or splitting; movement in service is small. The wood is easy to saw and to work with hand and machine tools - it contains, however, hard deposits ('iroko stones', mainly consisting of calcium carbonate), which can blunt cutting edges. In planing, the interlocked grain may cause some tearing, but this can be avoided by using cutting angles of 15° or less. The wood holds nails well, but nailing may cause some splitting. It finishes well, but filler is needed. It glues easily. A wood of high quality, 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 used for fuel and for making charcoal299].

Adhesive: Glues.

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.

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

Latex: A source of rubber.

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

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.

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

Milicia regia is a plant of the moist, lowland tropics. It has been cultivated and has grown well in Nigeria, on sandy soils with 2,000 - 2,500mm of rain per year, whereas on coarse sand and gravel with 1,000 - 1,500mm of rainfall, the trees grew poorly and were of bad form. The tree demands intense light and does not tolerate deep shade. In young secondary forest it cannot compete with the climbers and shrubs. It requires a well-drained soil. This species is considered to be more water demanding and less drought-resistant than the closely related Milicia excelsa. Cultivation of the plant has proven to be difficult because plantations are often severely affected by pest problems. Young plants transplant well. Four-year-old trees in a plantation in Nigeria were 9 metres tall with a stem diameter of 13cm. The plant coppices well. A dioecious species, both male and female forms need to be grown if fruit and seed are required.

Propagating it: Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a sunny position in a nursery seedbed. A high germination rate can be expected, with the seed sprouting within 14 - 28 days. When the seedlings are 5 - 6cm tall, pot them up into individual containers and they should be ready to plant out about 4 months later. Stem cuttings. Good percentage. Root cuttings. Good percentage. Layering. Grafting.

Best place to grow:

Habit: Tree

Hardiness: 10-12

Growth: Fast

Soil: Light (sandy), medium

Shade: No shade

Moisture: Moist

Things to keep in mind

The wood and sawdust may cause dermatitis, irritation to nose and throat, and asthmatic reactions

Its other names

Local names

Semli (Sierra Leone); Semei (Sierra Leone); Rokko (Nigeria); Semli (Liberia); Semei (Liberia); Pau bicho (Guinea-Bissau); siri (Guinea); Odum (Ghana); Iroko (Côte d`Ivoire); Kambala (Belgium); Molundu (Zaire); Mokongo (Zaire); Lusanga (Zaire); Kambala (Zaire); Mandji (Gabon); Abang (Gabon); Abang (Equatorial Guinea); Kambala (Congo); Abang (Cameroon); Mvuli (Uganda); Mvule (Uganda); Mvuli (Tanzania); Mvule (Tanzania); Mvuli (Kenya); Mvule (Kenya); Mvuli (Ethiopia); Mvule (Ethiopia); Tule (Mozambique); Mufala (Mozambique); Moreira (Angola); Iroko. Binam-ne, Cunde, Kambala, Odum, Odum-nua, Po-de-bicho-amarelo, Po-de-bicho-risso, Po-de-sinsa, Semei, Time, Tumbiro, Tumbu-suro,

Synonyms

Chlorophora regia A.Chev. Maclura regia (A.Chev.) Corner