West African rosewood
Pterocarpus erinaceus

Family: Fabaceae

What it is like

A tree. It grows 12-15 m high. It can be 35 m high. The trunk is straight. There can be buttresses in old trees. The crown is oval or round. The bark is dark brown. It is very scaly. The branches are hairy. The leaves are alternate and 30 cm long. There are up to 11 leaflets along the stalk with one at the end. The leaflets are 10 cm long by 5 cm wide. The flowers are light yellow and in groups. The fruit are green and become papery and rounded. They are 7.5 cm across.

Where it is found

A tropical plant. It grows in the Sahel. It grows on shallow and gravelly soils. In Nigeria it has been recorded at 1,000 m above sea level. It grows in areas with between 700-1,200 mm of rain each year. It can grow in arid places.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central Africa, Central African Republic, CAR, Chad, Côte d'Ivoire, East Africa, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinée, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Mali, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Sahel, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Togo, West Africa

How it is used for food

The leaves are cooked and eaten. Seeds need to be well cooked before eating.

The fruit are eaten especially by children.

Edible parts

Leaves, fruit, seeds, gum

How it is grown

Plants can be grown from seeds. They can also be grow by cuttings. Trees can re-grow after pruning back.

Its other names

Local names

Bane, Bani, Belele, Beliad-je, Beliedje, Betei, Buana, Djego, Kene, N'sila, Olei, Pau-sangue, Po-di-sangue, Psila, Queno, Sila, Toran, Ulei

Synonyms

Pterocarpus angolensis DC.; Pterocarpus echinatus DC.;