Panga-panga, Partridge wood
Millettia stuhlmannii
Family: Fabaceae
What it is like
Millettia stuhlmannii or commonly known as Panga Panga or Partridge Wood is a deciduous tree native to southeastern Afrotropics. The leaves are compound, large, green, and comprised of seven to nine pairs of opposite leaflets. The trunk is cylindrical and can be up to 120 cm in diameter. Decoction of the root is used in the treatment of stomach pain. The wood is resistant to fungi, dry wood borer, and termites attack. It is heavy and highly durable, making it an ideal flooring and furniture material and for heavy construction.
Millettia stuhlmannii is a deciduous Tree growing to 15 m (49ft) by 12 m (39ft) at a medium rate. See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 10. The flowers are pollinated by Insects. It can fix Nitrogen. 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): 15
Where it is found
Deciduous woodland, where it can be locally dominant, favouring areas of higher rainfall and the moister soils of riverine forests; at elevations up to 900 metres.
East tropical Africa - southern Tanzania, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, northern S. Africa.
Conservation Status: This taxon has not yet been assessed
Countries/locations it is found in
Tanzania, United Republic of; Mozambique; Zimbabwe
How it is used
Food
Rating: 0
Medicine
Rating: 2
A root decoction is drunk to treat stomach-ache.
Other
Rating: 4
Agroforestry Uses: Poles planted during the rainy season serve as a live fence. Other Uses The heartwood contains robinetin, a dye-precursor for keratin-based fibres. The heartwood is dark brown or black-brown, with bands of whitish tissue giving a characteristic 'partridge-breast' figure on tangential surfaces; it is sharply demarcated from the 25 - 75mm wide band of pale yellow sapwood. The grain is straight; texture fine to medium; abundant gum deposits are present. The wood is heavy, very durable, being resistant to fungal, dry-wood borer and termite attacks, but the sapwood is susceptible to powder-post beetle attack. It is somewhat difficult to saw and work, and sawteeth and cutting tools may blunt rapidly; stellite-tipped sawteeth and tungsten-carbide tipped cutting tools are recommended; a 15° cutting angle is recommended in planing. It turns well; can be polished to a fine surface, but this should be done carefully to avoid splinters; pre-boring before nailing and screwing is needed; the wood holds nails well. The wood can be rotary cut for veneer, but prior intensive steaming is needed. The gluing and varnishing properties are poor due to the presence of resin cells; the use of a filler improves the results considerably. The wood is highly valued for light and heavy flooring and for furniture. It is popular in the veneer industry, where it is used for decorative furniture. It is also used for joinery, panelling, cabinet work, doors, staircases, window frames, carving, turnery and musical instruments. It is suitable for heavy construction, ship and boat building, mine props, railway sleepers, vehicle bodies, implements, toys, novelties, precision equipment, boxes and crates, but for many of these purposes it is no longer used because of its high price.
Dye: Plants that provide dyes.
Fencing: Plants that can be used for fencing.
Furniture: A few miscellaneous uses that do not fit easily into other headings.
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.
Nitrogen Fixer: Plants that fix nitrogen in the soil
How it is grown
The tree responds well to coppicing. This species has a symbiotic relationship with certain soil bacteria; these bacteria form nodules on the roots and fix atmospheric nitrogen. Some of this nitrogen is utilized by the growing plant but some can also be used by other plants growing nearby.
Propagating it: Seed - Stem cuttings planted at the onset of the rainy season usually show fair survival rates. Suckers may develop from the roots.
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
The sawdust may cause dermatitis, asthma and irritation to throat, nose and eyes.
Its other names
Local names
Panga-panga
Synonyms
Lonchocarpus mossambicensis Sims