Wenge
Millettia laurentii
Family: Fabaceae
What it is like
Millettia laurentii is a tropical leguminous tree that grows up to 30 m in height (20 meters without branches) and 120 cm in trunk diameter. It has spreading downward type of branches. The wood also known as Wenge is of high quality, very dark in color and has a distinct pattern. The tree has no known edible parts, but has several uses in medicine and agroforestry industry. In traditional medicine, it is used for diabetes, liver problems, hernia, skin diseases, fever, rheumatism, constipation, sores, epilepsy, smallpox, edema, and abscesses. The bark is used as fish poison and arrow poison.
Millettia laurentii is a deciduous Tree growing to 25 m (82ft) by 20 m (65ft) at a medium rate. See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 10. The flowers are pollinated by Bees. 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): 25
Where it is found
Rainforest, often in well-drained localities, but also in forest subject to regular inundation; also in riverine forest and tree savannah.
West tropical Africa - Cameroon, Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Congo, DR Congo.
Conservation Status: Status: Endangered A1cd
Countries/locations it is found in
Cameroon; Congo; Congo, The Democratic Republic of the; Equatorial Guinea; Gabon
How it is used
Food
Rating: 0
Medicine
Rating: 4
In traditional medicine a bark decoction is used to treat liver complaints, diabetes, hernia, skin diseases, constipation, fever and rheumatism. The bark is also applied as an expectorant, emetic and vermifuge, as well as to treat epilepsy, smallpox, oedema, sores and abscesses. Several isoflavones have been isolated from the heartwood, and several alkaloids, including guanidine alkaloids, from bark and seeds.
Epilepsy: Used in the treatment of Epilepsy - a disorder in which nerve cell activity in the brain is disturbed, causing seizures.
Other
Rating: 3
Agroforestry Uses: Flowering trees provide nectar to honey bees. Stem cuttings are planted as a live fence. The tree is used as a pioneer, being planted for the reforestation of formerly cultivated land. Other Uses The bark has insecticidal properties. The seeds contain about 35% oil, though no uses are mentioned. The heartwood is yellow when freshly sawn but darkens on exposure to dark brown or black-brown, with black streaks; it is sharply demarcated from the 2 - 5cm wide band of pale yellow sapwood. The grain is straight, texture medium to coarse. The wood is heavy, hard, elastic and very durable, being resistant to fungal, dry-wood borer and termite attacks and moderately resistant to marine borers, but the sapwood is susceptible to attack by powder-post beetles. It has a tendency to split. It saws and works well, but force is required and sawteeth and cutting tools may blunt rapidly; stellite-tipped sawteeth and tungsten-carbide tipped cutting tools are recommended; it is difficult to polish and the use of a finishing wax is recommended; pre-boring before nailing and screwing is needed; it slices well and can also be rotary cut, but intensive steaming is then needed. The gluing and varnishing properties are poor due to the presence of resin cells, but the use of a filler improves the results considerably. The wood is commonly used for heavy flooring, interior and exterior joinery, interior and exterior panelling, cabinet work, furniture, carving, turnery and sliced veneer. It is also suitable for heavy construction, mine props, vehicle bodies, implements, sporting goods, toys, novelties, boxes, crates and railway sleepers. It is in high demand for decorative furniture and parquet flooring. It is also used for high-quality musical instruments, especially guitars; it is said to give a good and strong tone. It is popular for the production of sculptures, masks and drums.
Fencing: Plants that can be used for fencing.
Furniture: A few miscellaneous uses that do not fit easily into other headings.
Insecticide: Kills insects.
Pioneer: Plants, usually trees and shrubs, that can be used to reforest land.
Wood: A list of the trees and shrubs that are noted for having useful wood.
Attracts Wildlife: Plants noted for attracting wildlife
Nitrogen Fixer: Plants that fix nitrogen in the soil
How it is grown
The wood does not float and therefore cannot be transported by river. 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 - Cuttings. In a trial in DR Congo, 48% of stem cuttings planted at the onset of the rainy season sprouted.
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 bark is used as fish poison and arrow poison. Contact with the fine sawdust produced during processing may cause occupational asthma and allergic dermatitis in workers. A quinone (2,6-dimethoxy-1, 4-benzoquinone) has been isolated from the wood and identified as a contact allergen.
Its other names
Local names
Wenge