English: Black Guarea.
Region: western tropical Africa, Liberia to Cameroon, south to Gabon, Congo, DR Congo.
Habitat: lowland, moist, evergreen, primary, undisturbed rainforest, forest; semi-deciduous forest; flat, well-drained sites; shade-bearer.
Culture: vulnerable because of habitat loss, degradation, selective felling
Use: medicine and timber; bark as a fish poison.
BotanyEvergreen, dioecious, sub-canopy, medium-sized to fairly large tree; up to 35 to 55 metres tall; initial growth is slow.
Stem: straight, cylindrical; free of branches for up to 20 metres; fluted; up to 150 cm in diameter; sometimes with short, blunt buttresses at the base.
Flower: flowering all year round.