Rosewood
Afzelia xylocarpa

Family: Fabaceae

What it is like

A tree. It grows to 30 m high. It loses its leaves during the year. The trunk is stout and up to 1 m across. The crown is rounded. The tree is usually divided near the base into large spreading branches. The bark is pale grey and slightly rough. The leaves are 18-25 cm long with 3-5 pairs of opposite leaflets. These are 5-9 cm long by 4-5 cm wide. The flowers are about 3 cm across and in branched clusters at the ends of the twigs. They have bright green sepals and one bright red petals. The fruit is a pod 12-20 cm long by 7-9 cm wide and dull brown. It split into 2 sections with 2-4 seeds. The seeds are black with a fleshy orange coat.

There are 15 Afzelia species. They occur in the tropics. Also as Caesalpinaceae.

Where it is found

It is a tropical plant. It grows between 100-650 m above sea level in areas with a uniform rainfall. In XTBG Yunnan.

Countries/locations it is found in

Asia, Cambodia, China, Indochina, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, SE Asia, Thailand, Vietnam

How it is used for food

The young seeds are eaten.

Edible parts

Leaves, seeds

How it is grown

Plants can be grown by seeds.

Its other names

Local names

Beng, Go do, Go ca-te, Go to-te, Kha, Sae ki mae, Tae kha

Synonyms

Afzelia cochinchinensis (Pierre) Leonard; Afzelia siamica Craib; Pahudia xylocarpa Kurz.; Pahudia cochinchinensis Pierre;