Macaranga spinosa
Mull.Arg.
iNaturalist· cc-by-nc
(c) Bart Wursten, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Bart Wursten
iNaturalist· cc-by-nc
(c) Bart Wursten, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
Description
A small tropical tree growing to 13 m tall, with small spiny branches, belonging to the Euphorbiaceae family.
This description is brief — help expand it
Medicinal Uses
Used medicinally.
Distribution
It is a tropical plant.
Where It Grows
Africa, Angola, Benin, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, CAR, Congo DR, Congo R, Côte d'Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Guinea, Guinée, Ivory Coast, Uganda, West Africa,
Cultivation
A dioecious species, both male and female forms need to be grown if fruit and seed are required.
Other Uses
Potters sprinkle an extract from the crushed stem bark on pots that come from the fire and are still red hot, to make them waterproof. A water extract of the stem bark contains procyanidins, of which the pyrolysis products have waterproofing properties. The wood is used for construction of house posts, stools and spoons. The wood is used for fuel and to make charcoal. In the forest-savanna transition zone in littoral Congo, it is one of the pioneer species involved in forest expansion.
Synonyms
Also Known As
Boengi
References (1)
- World Checklist of Useful Plant Species 2020. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
