Pericopsis elata

Afrormosia
veneer sample
Conservation status
Endangered  (IUCN 2.3)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Rosids
Order:	Fabales
Family:	Fabaceae
Genus:	Pericopsis
Species:	P. elata
Binomial name
Pericopsis elata (Harms) van Meeuwen
Synonyms
Afrormosia elata Harms

Pericopsis elata, the African teak, afromosia, or afrormosia, is a species of flowering plant in the legume family, Fabaceae, which is native to moist, semi-deciduous African forests.^[1] It is a tall tree that produces timber of high commercial value.

Range

It is found in Cameroon, Republic of the Congo, DRC, Ivory Coast, Ghana, and Nigeria.^[2]

Growth and reproduction

Annual diameter increases between unlogged and logged areas have been shown to be similar. It is a deciduous species that flowers at the end of the main dry season. The minimum trunk diameter for reproduction is given as 32 cm, while that for effective flowering is 37 cm. The fruit take 7 months to mature.^[1]

Stocks and extraction

The DRC has the world's largest remaining stocks of Afrormosia, which are largely confined to the Équateur and Orientale Provinces.^[3]

Illegal logging and habitat loss pose a realistic threat to the afrormosia, which ranks among the most valued hard tropical timber species.^[4] Following decades of extraction in the 20th and 21st century, it is ranked CITES Appendix II. This implies that it is subject to trade regulation because it is recognised that unregulated trade puts the species at risk of extinction. The factors that control its population dynamics are however imperfectly known.^[1] With a minimum logging diameter of 90 cm, full recovery is expected over a 30 year period. Selective logging of 12% of seed trees has been shown to have little influence on its survival. Sustainability is believed to be best achieved by purposeful actions to ensure regeneration after logging.^[1]

References