Canarium schweinfurthii

Canarium schweinfurthii (commonly known as the bush candle, African olive, African elemi, Empafu, or canarium), is a species of large tree native to tropical Africa. Names in many African languages are variations of mupafu.

Description

A tall tree. It grows 30-45 m tall. It loses its leaves during the year. The trunk is often straight and without branches for 30 m. The bark is grey and rough. It flakes off in pieces 30 cm by 10 cm. The crown of the tree is flat and with many branches. In young trees the branches are in rings at right angles to the trunk and curved upwards. The young branches have red-brown hairs. Roots above the ground can spread for 10 m. When the bark is cut the resin smells of incense. The leaves are compound and up to 50 cm long. The leaf stalk is 5 cm long and flattened on the top surface. There are 8-12 or more pairs of leaflets and one leaflet at the end. These are 15 cm long by 4 cm wide. They are elongated and the tip is pointed. The flowers occur in dense branched flower sprays. These can be 30 cm long. The flowers have 3 petals. The flower stalks have red brown hairs. The fruit is purplish and 4 cm by 2 cm. It is soft and smooth. The shell of the seed is long and triangular shaped. It splits evenly to release 3 seeds.

Edible Uses

The African elemi tree is one of several sources of the economically useful oleoresin known elemi. In West Africa this resin is traditionally burned for fumigating dwellings and mixed with oil for body paint. African elemi bears edible fruit with a thick, dense, hard shell. The hard stones of its fruit are used for traditional divination among Plateau speakers in the Middle Belt of central Nigeria.

Traditional Uses

The fruit is eaten after being lightly boiled and sprinkled with a little salt. They are left to soak for 2-3 days to soften. It is also roasted or fried. The seeds are sometimes eaten cooked. The seeds are a source of oil used as a substitute for shea butter.

Medicinal Uses

In the past, the resin was exported to Europe for pharmaceutical use. It was used as a substitute for gum-mastic in making wound dressings in World War II. The resin is used against roundworm infections and other intestinal parasites. It is an emollient, stimulant, diuretic and has action on skin-affections and eczema. The bark is emetic and purgative. A decoction is used as a treatment against hypertension, dysentery, gonorrhoea, coughs, chest pains, pulmonary affections, stomach complaints, food poisoning etc. The pounded bark is used against leprosy and ulcers. Root is used against adenites whereas root scrapings are made into a poultice. The leaves are boiled with other herbs and the decoction used to treat coughs. The seeds are roasted and pounded and the resulting powder mixed with skin oil or jelly to treat wounds.

Distribution

It is a tropical plant. It grows in the lowlands. It grows in forest and along the edges of rivers. It grows from sea level to 1,000 m above sea level. It grows in areas with rainfall of 900-1,400 mm per year.

Where It Grows

Africa, Angola*, Asia, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon*, Central Africa, Central African Republic, CAR, Congo DR, Congo R, Côte d'Ivoire, East Africa, Ethiopia*, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Guinée, Guinea-Bissau, Indonesia, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria, SE Asia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Southern Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, West Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe,

Cultivation

Trees are grown from seeds. Many grow naturally. For collecting seeds, the fruit which fall and collected and the fleshy layer rotted off then the hard seed cases collected. These are put in hot water which is allowed to cool and soak for 24 hours. They are then sown directly where they are to grow. Seed can be stored for a long time. Plants can be budded.

Propagation

Seed - pre-soak the seed by immersing it in hot water and then allowing it to cool in the water for 24 hours prior to sowing. The seed can be sown in nursery beds or in situ. The ripe fruits should be collected when they fall to the ground and allowed to decompose, the stones should then be separated from the outer fruit coats. Seeds can be stored for a long time.

Other Uses

The bark exudes a heavy, sticky oleoresin that smells like turpentine and solidifies to a whitish resin. It is obtained by slashing the bark and allowing the colourless expiation to trickle to the ground where it solidifies into a sulphur-yellow opaque resin. The resin is used as primitive illuminant and as incense and releases a lavender-like smell. The resin burns readily and is used as a bush candle. The flame is very smoky and soot is collected as carbon-black from the outside of pots held over it for use in tattooing and to make ink in Liberia. The resin is also used to repair broken pottery, for caulking boats and as a gum for fastening arrowheads to shafts. The resin contains 8-20 % of an essential oil, the main constituent of which is limonene. It is rich in phellandrenes, and contains also resins and a bitter principle. The resin is used as a fumigant against mosquitoes. The elemi is often left standing on cleared land to provide shade and has potential as a wind break. It has been planted for reforestation in Uganda. The endocarp is used by children as spinning tops. The seeds are strung into necklaces or attached to traditional instruments. The bark of young trees is split off in Gabon to make boxes. The wood is said to secrete oil and is used for canoe making. The heartwood is pinkish when fleshly cut but darkens to light brown mahogany colour; it is not slearly demarcated from the 5 - 15cm wide band of sapwood that is white with pinkish reflections. The texture is slightly coarse; the grain interlocked, thus causing a fine striped figure on quarter-sawn boards. The wood is light in weight; very soft; not very durable, being suseptible to fungi, dry wood borers and termites. It seasons slowly but fairly well, though there is a risk of distortion and checking; once dry it is poorly stable in service. works easily, stains and polishes well. Used as a substitute for true mahogany. The timber is used as core veneer, for decorative panelling, parquetry, furniture, flooring and for general utility purposes. Locally, the wood is used for mortars, planks, and canoes. The wood is a good fuel, igniting readily and burning with a lot of heat.

Production

Plants are slow growing. Fruit production is seasonal. In Tanzania fruiting occurs between August and December. The dry inner stone can be stored to 2 years. Fruit are collected after they fall or by climbing and shaking the tree.

Other Information

The fruit are popular with children. Fruit are sold in local markets.

Notes

There are 80-95 Canarium species.

Nutrition

Synonyms

Also Known As

Agbabubu origbo, Agbaka, Aiele, Ambah, Atile, Be, Beele, Bele, Bobele, Boele, Bombele, Bushu basum, Dolo, Ebenetidok, Empafu, Etu, Faka, Gamfle, Gejabe, Ibele, Isinge, Kasuku, Liang, Limbini, Mbani, Mbe, Mbele, Mbidi, Mbilii, Misuku, Modjetchale, Mpafu, Mubafu, Musuku, Muwafu, Nbe, Nde, Obele, Oclanca, Okpoko, Opi, Owele, Oyele, Papo canary tree, Purple canary tree, Sawa, Shele, Sigonfi, Tafeley, Tchwele, Tiongo, Toele, Ube, Ubemgba, Ube okpoko, Ube osa, Voutine

References (71)

• Abbiw, D.K., 1990, Useful Plants of Ghana. West African uses of wild and cultivated plants. Intermediate Technology Publications and the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. p 46
• Abayeh, O. J., Abdulrazaq, A. K., Olaogun, R.. 1999, Quality characteristics of Canarium schweinfurthii Engl. Oil. Plant Foods Human Nutrition 54(1), pp. 43-47.
• Agbo, N.G., Kouamé, C.O. and Simard, R.E., 1992, Canarium schweinfurthii Engl. Chemical composition of the fruit pulp, Journal of the American Oil Chemist’ Society. 69 (4): pp. 317-319.
• Agea, J. G., et al 2011, Wild and Semi-wild Food Plants of Bunyoro-Kitara Kingdom of Uganda: etc. Environmental Research Journal 5(2) 74-86
• Awodoyin, R.O., Olubode, O.S., Ogbu, J.U., Balogun, R.B., Nwawuisi, J.U. and Orji, K.O., 2015, Indigenous Fruit Trees of Tropical Africa: Status, Opportunity for Development and Biodiversity Management. Agricultural Sciences, 6, 31-41

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