Aphanocalyx heitzii (Pellegr.) Wieringa

Family

Caesalpiniaceae (Leguminosae - Caesalpinioideae)

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Synonyms

Monopetalanthus heitzii Pellegr. (1938).

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Vernacular names

Andoung de Heitz, andoung rouge (Fr).

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Origin and geographic distribution

Aphanocalyx heitzii has a small area of distribution, being endemic to southern Equatorial Guinea and western and central Gabon.

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Uses

The wood, traded from Gabon as ‘andoung’ together with other Aphanocalyx spp., Bikinia spp. and species of some other Caesalpiniaceae genera, is used for light construction, joinery, furniture, vehicle bodies, ladders, sporting goods, toys, novelties, tool handles, boxes, crates, matches, veneer, plywood and pulpwood. It is also suitable for light flooring, interior trim, ship building and railway sleepers. In Europe the wood is in demand for the manufacture of xylophone-type percussion instruments. In Gabon the bark has been used to make boxes for ritual purposes and beehives, and also to make bath tubs to treat yaws. A bark maceration is taken to treat whooping cough.

Production and international trade

The export of ‘andoung’ logs from Gabon increased from 2700 m³ in 1991 to 36,000 m³ in 1997 and 47,000 m³ in 1999. The contribution of Aphanocalyx heitzii was probably moderate. At present, the export of ‘andoung’ timber from Gabon seems insignificant.

Properties

The heartwood is pinkish white when freshly cut, darkening slightly to pinkish brown with glints of copper upon exposure, and not distinctly demarcated from the up to 15 cm wide sapwood. The grain is usually interlocked, texture moderately fine to fine and even.
The wood is lightweight to medium-weight, with a density of 460–600(–690) kg/m³ at 12% moisture content, and rather soft to moderately hard. It air dries fairly well with little degrade, but some care is needed. The rates of shrinkage are moderate, from green to oven dry 3.0–4.5% radial and 6.3–8.2% tangential. Once dry, the wood is moderately stable in service.
At 12% moisture content, the modulus of rupture is 87–135 N/mm², modulus of elasticity 7740–9800(–14,700) N/mm², compression parallel to grain 28–50 N/mm², shear 3.5–10 N/mm², cleavage 11–24 N/mm and Chalais-Meudon side hardness 1.3–2.9(–4.1).
The wood saws and works well with both machine and hand tools. In planing operations woolly surfaces may occur due to the interlocked grain. The wood holds screws and nails well. Gluing properties are good and the wood paints well and takes a satisfactory finish. Boring and peeling characteristics are good. The wood is moderately durable, being susceptible to fungal, pinhole borer and Lyctus attacks. The heartwood is resistant to impregnation with preservatives, but the sapwood is permeable.
The wood contains 45% cellulose, 26.5% lignin, 20% pentosan, 0.5% ash and traces of silica. The solubility is 3.7% in alcohol-benzene, 0.2% in hot water and 15.5% in a 1% NaOH solution.

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Adulterations and substitutes

The wood of Aphanocalyx heitzii is easily confused with that of Bikinia spp. and Tetraberlinia bifoliolata (Harms) Hauman.

Description

Medium-sized to large tree up to 45 m tall; bole straight, cylindrical, branchless for up to 25 m, up to 180(–200) cm in diameter, with thick plank buttresses up to 4 m high; bark surface smooth, finally becoming rough and scaly, greyish brown to reddish brown, with vertical lines of lenticels, inner bark fibrous, purplish to brownish red, with little purplish exudate; crown hemispherical; twigs dark greyish brown with red-brown lenticels, hairy. Leaves arranged spirally, paripinnately compound with 20–32 pairs of leaflets; stipules fused, obovate to spatulate, up to 3 cm long, early caducous leaving annular scars on twigs; petiole 0.5–1 cm long, rachis up to 24(–28) cm long, flattened above; leaflets opposite, sessile, half-obovate to rectangular, 0.5–3.5(–5.5) cm × 0.1–1 cm, papery to leathery, distal side of leaflet completely absent and midrib at margin, glabrous. Inflorescence an axillary compound raceme 3.5–12(–19) cm long, greyish brown to silvery short-hairy, with up to 8 lateral branches up to 7 cm long; bracts up to 0.5 cm long. Flowers bisexual or male, zygomorphic, scented, at base with 2 thick, hairy bracteoles up to 17 mm long; pedicel (0.5–)1–1.5 cm long, hairy; sepals 5, up to 6 mm long, 2 partly fused, rounded at apex; petals 5, yellowish, one spatulate and up to 1.5 cm long, inrolled at base, others linear and up to 3.5 mm long; stamens 9, fused at base, anthers greenish to brownish yellow; ovary superior, up to 6 mm long, with 2–3.5 mm long stipe, hairy, 1-celled, style up to 13 mm long, glabrous; male flowers with reduced ovary. Fruit an oblong-elliptical, flat pod 10–19 cm × 3.5–5.5 cm, with 1–1.5 cm long stipe, short-pointed at apex, with a longitudinal vein on the lateral sides close to the upper suture, 1–6-seeded. Seeds lens-shaped, 1.5–2.5 cm long, with fairly thin, glossy dark brown seed coat. Seedling with epigeal germination; hypocotyl 6–12 cm long, epicotyl 1.5–3.5 cm long; first two leaves opposite, with 8–15 pairs of leaflets, subsequent leaves alternate.

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Other botanical information

Aphanocalyx comprises 14 species and occurs from Sierra Leone to western Côte d’Ivoire and from Cameroon to western Tanzania, northern Angola and northern Zambia. It is most closely related to Bikinia and Tetraberlinia.
Aphanocalyx microphyllus (Harms) Wieringa is a small to large tree up to 45 m tall with often contorted bole up to 100(–160) cm in diameter. It comprises 2 subspecies, subsp. microphyllus (synonym: Monopetalanthus microphyllus Harms) occurring from Cameroon east to eastern DR Congo and south southern DR Congo and northern Angola, and subsp. compactus (Hutch. ex Lane-Poole) Wieringa (synonym: Monopetalanthus compactus Hutch. ex Lane-Poole) occurring in Sierra Leone, Liberia and south-western Côte d’Ivoire. The comparatively heavy wood of subsp. microphyllus is used in DR Congo for house construction, joinery, railway sleepers and axe-handles, and as firewood. No uses have been recorded for subsp. compactus, but its wood has been classified as promising.
Aphanocalyx pteridophyllus (Harms) Wieringa (synonym: Monopetalanthus pteridophyllus Harms) is a small to medium-sized tree up to 30 m tall with bole up to 45(–75) cm in diameter, occurring in Sierra Leone and Liberia. The boles are used to make canoes, whereas the seeds are reported to be edible and pulverized bark is applied to the skin to treat onchocerciasis.

Anatomy

Wood-anatomical description (IAWA hardwood codes):
Growth rings: 1: growth ring boundaries distinct; 2: growth ring boundaries indistinct or absent. Vessels: 5: wood diffuse-porous; 13: simple perforation plates; 22: intervessel pits alternate; 23: shape of alternate pits polygonal; 25: intervessel pits small (4–7 μm); 26: intervessel pits medium (7–10 μm); (27: intervessel pits large (≥ 10 μm)); 29: vestured pits; 30: vessel-ray pits with distinct borders; similar to intervessel pits in size and shape throughout the ray cell; 42: mean tangential diameter of vessel lumina 100–200 μm; 43: mean tangential diameter of vessel lumina ≥ 200 μm; 46: ≤ 5 vessels per square millimetre; (47: 5–20 vessels per square millimetre); 58: gums and other deposits in heartwood vessels. Tracheids and fibres: 61: fibres with simple to minutely bordered pits; 66: non-septate fibres present; 69: fibres thin- to thick-walled. Axial parenchyma: 79: axial parenchyma vasicentric; 80: axial parenchyma aliform; (81: axial parenchyma lozenge-aliform); 83: axial parenchyma confluent; 89: axial parenchyma in marginal or in seemingly marginal bands; 92: four (3–4) cells per parenchyma strand; 93: eight (5–8) cells per parenchyma strand. Rays: 96: rays exclusively uniseriate; (97: ray width 1–3 cells); 104: all ray cells procumbent; 106: body ray cells procumbent with one row of upright and/or square marginal cells; 115: 4–12 rays per mm; 116: ≥ 12 rays per mm. Secretory elements and cambial variants: (131: intercellular canals of traumatic origin). Mineral inclusions: 136: prismatic crystals present; 142: prismatic crystals in chambered axial parenchyma cells.
(C. Essien, P. Baas & H. Beeckman)

Growth and development

An average annual growth rate of 1.1 cm in bole diameter has been estimated for a tree with a bole diameter of 96 cm in Gabon based on growth ring analysis.
The main peak in flowering is in February–March. Pollination is probably by insects such as bees, flies, butterflies and moths, and perhaps also by sunbirds. Fruits take about 10 months to mature, and seed fall is usually in January. Seedlings probably need ectomycorrhizal fungi for proper growth.

Ecology

Aphanocalyx heitzii occurs in dry-land rainforest up to 200 m altitude. It usually occurs in small clusters of about 5 mature trees.

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Harvesting

The minimum bole diameter allowed for harvesting in Gabon is 70 cm.

Handling after harvest

Logs are susceptible to insect and fungal attacks after felling; they should be removed from the forest as soon as possible or treated with preservatives. However, they have not shown evidence of attacks by longhorn beetles. Fresh logs float in water and thus can be transported by river.

Genetic resources and breeding

Although Aphanocalyx heitzii has a small distribution area, it does not seem to be threatened by genetic erosion at present because it is not logged intensively at present. However, more intensified logging operations in the future might easily endanger this species, and therefore monitoring of populations is important.

Prospects

Aphanocalyx heitzii provides wood of good quality, and, like some other Aphanocalyx spp. and Bikinia spp., it may have good prospects for planting in timber plantations because it seems to grow quite rapidly into large, straight and cylindrical boles, even on poor soils. However, much research is still needed, especially on propagation and growth in relation to mycorrhizal relationships.

Major references

• Aubréville, A., 1968. Légumineuses - Caesalpinioidées (Leguminosae - Caesalpinioideae). Flore du Gabon. Volume 15. Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France. 362 pp.
• Bodinga-bwa-Bodinga, S. & Van der Veen, L., 1993. Plantes utiles des Evia: Pharmacopée. Pholia 8: 27–66.
• Bolza, E. & Keating, W.G., 1972. African timbers: the properties, uses and characteristics of 700 species. Division of Building Research, CSIRO, Melbourne, Australia. 710 pp.
• CTFT (Centre Technique Forestier Tropical), 1953. Fiche botaniques, forestières, industrielles et commerciales: andoung (Monopetalanthus heitzii Pellegr.). Bois et Forêts des Tropiques 30: 39–42.
• de Saint-Aubin, G., 1963. La forêt du Gabon. Publication No 21 du Centre Technique Forestier Tropical, Nogent-sur-Marne, France. 208 pp.
• Détienne, P., 2001. Du nouveau chez les andoungs. Bois et Forêts des Tropiques 267(1): 101–103.
• Sallenave, P., 1955. Propriétés physiques et mécaniques des bois tropicaux de l’Union française. Centre Technique Forestier Tropical, Nogent sur Marne, France. 129 pp.
• Sallenave, P., 1971. Propriétés physiques et mecaniques des bois tropicaux. Deuxième supplément. Centre Technique Forestier Tropical, Nogent-sur-Marne, France. 128 pp.
• Takahashi, A., 1978. Compilation of data on the mechanical properties of foreign woods (part 3) Africa. Shimane University, Matsue, Japan. 248 pp.
• Wieringa, J.J., 1999. Monopetalanthus exit: a systematic study of Aphanocalyx, Bikinia, Icuria, Michelsonia and Tetraberlinia (Leguminosae, Caesalpinioideae). Wageningen Agricultural University Papers 99(4). Wageningen Agricultural University, Wageningen, Netherlands. 320 pp.

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Other references

• Brancheriau, L., Baillères, H., Détienne, P., Kronland, R. & Metzger, B., 2006. Classifying xylophone bar materials by perceptual, signal processing and wood anatomy analysis. Annals of Forest Science 63(1): 73–81.
• Burkill, H.M., 1995. The useful plants of West Tropical Africa. 2nd Edition. Volume 3, Families J–L. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, United Kingdom. 857 pp.
• CIRAD Forestry Department, 2009. Andoung. [Internet] Tropix 6.0. http://tropix.cirad.fr/ africa/andoung.pdf. Accessed August 2010.
• CIRAD-CTFT, 1990. Nouvelles essences commercialisables d’Afrique: andoung. Nogent-sur Marne, France 4 pp.
• CTFT (Centre Technique Forestier Tropical), 1961. Résultats des observations et des essais effectués au CTFT sur andoung de Heitz, Monopetalanthus heitzii. Information technique No 91. Nogent-sur-Marne, France. 5 pp.
• Fortin, Y. & Poliquin, J., 1976. Natural durability and preservation of one hundred tropical African woods. International Development Research Centre, Ottawa, Canada. 131 pp.
• Hawthorne, W. & Jongkind, C., 2006. Woody plants of western African forests: a guide to the forest trees, shrubs and lianes from Senegal to Ghana. Kew Publishing, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, United Kingdom. 1023 pp.
• Normand, D. & Paquis, J., 1976. Manuel d’identification des bois commerciaux. Tome 2. Afrique guinéo-congolaise. Centre Technique Forestier Tropical, Nogent-sur-Marne, France. 335 pp.
• Voorhoeve, A.G., 1979. Liberian high forest trees. A systematic botanical study of the 75 most important or frequent high forest trees, with reference to numerous related species. Agricultural Research Reports 652, 2nd Impression. Centre for Agricultural Publishing and Documentation, Wageningen, Netherlands. 416 pp.
• Wilks, C. & Issembé, Y., 2000. Les arbres de la Guinée Equatoriale: Guide pratique d’identification: région continentale. Projet CUREF, Bata, Guinée Equatoriale. 546 pp.

Sources of illustration

• Wieringa, J.J., 1999. Monopetalanthus exit: a systematic study of Aphanocalyx, Bikinia, Icuria, Michelsonia and Tetraberlinia (Leguminosae, Caesalpinioideae). Wageningen Agricultural University Papers 99(4). Wageningen Agricultural University, Wageningen, Netherlands. 320 pp.
• Wilks, C. & Issembé, Y., 2000. Les arbres de la Guinée Equatoriale: Guide pratique d’identification: région continentale. Projet CUREF, Bata, Guinée Equatoriale. 546 pp.

Author(s)

•	C.H. Bosch PROTA Network Office Europe, Wageningen University, P.O. Box 341, 6700 AH Wageningen, Netherlands

Editors

•	R.H.M.J. Lemmens PROTA Network Office Europe, Wageningen University, P.O. Box 341, 6700 AH Wageningen, Netherlands
•	D. Louppe CIRAD, Département Environnements et Sociétés, Cirad es-dir, Campus international de Baillarguet, TA C 105 / D (Bât. C, Bur. 113), 34398 Montpellier Cédex 5, France
•	A.A. Oteng-Amoako Forestry Research Institute of Ghana (FORIG), University P.O. Box 63, KNUST, Kumasi, Ghana

Associate editors

•	E.A. Obeng Forestry Research Institute of Ghana (FORIG), University P.O. Box 63, KNUST, Kumasi, Ghana

Photo editor

•	G.H. Schmelzer PROTA Network Office Europe, Wageningen University, P.O. Box 341, 6700 AH Wageningen, Netherlands

Correct citation of this article

Bosch, C.H., 2011. Aphanocalyx heitzii (Pellegr.) Wieringa. [Internet] Record from PROTA4U. Lemmens, R.H.M.J., Louppe, D. & Oteng-Amoako, A.A. (Editors). PROTA (Plant Resources of Tropical Africa / Ressources végétales de l’Afrique tropicale), Wageningen, Netherlands. <http://www.prota4u.org/search.asp>. Accessed .

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