Description and Uses
Dalbergia melanoxylon (African blackwood mpingo) is a
tropical
tree from
East Africa . It is mainly grown for its
timber crops
, which have a
very long shelf life. The crop is harvested by
total removing. It starts flowering after
10 -
20 years. The yield will be
n/a, but in its top season there will be a yield of
5 m trunk. Other crop types include;
timber, fuel, oil, fodder, apiculture, . The
{missing data} is used as
inedible . The
root is used as "
high vitamin-C content, " with
{missing data} (0% -
0%) as its significant
phytochemical. There is
Muvingo oil extracted by
steam distillation from the
tree's
seed/nut yielding
0.50% -
2% oil. The
tree's wood is called
Muvingo and has a density of
1,300 -
1,310 kg/m³. Regarding firewood production the
tree's growing speed is
slow, it's energetic value is
5200 ckal/kg and the wood's drying speed is
fast. After
60 years the
tree can be totally removed as it reached its commercial and ecological goal.
Dalbergia melanoxylon has a lifespan of
300 years.
Environmental limitations
The tree is
10 meters tall with a crown of
6 meters wide. The
tree prefers a planting distance of
900 cm and a row distance of
900 cm. It is
slow growing and
intolerant to shade.
Dalbergia melanoxylon has a
deep root-system and it has symbiotic associations with the
Glomus intraradices fungi
(endo-mycorrhiza). It is
able to fix nitrogen moderately with
"Bradyrhizobiaceae bacteria. The name(s) or string of bacteria include(s)
"not applicable ". The
tree's flower-morphology is
hermaphroditic and is pollinated by
insects.
Dalbergia melanoxylon is
deciduous in dry season and
not allelopathic and has
thorns.
Dalbergia melanoxylon thrives in an altitude of
0 to
1200 meters above sea-level
(tropical). The minimum temperature is
0°C; optimally between
18 -
35°C. The optimal rainfall is
1300
mm/year. Without irrigation the annual rainfall should be between
700 -
1200mm (L/m²). The optimal soil-pH is between
5.0 -
6.0 in a soil texture of
loam. To salt it is
a bit tolerant to wind
a bit tolerant and to fire
a bit tolerant.
Pests and Diseases
Dalbergia melanoxylon is susceptible to the following pests:
Batocera rubus
. And it's susceptible to the following diseases:
Oak wilt ,
,
.
Seed Propagation
Seeds are
orthodox and can be stored for
10 months. There are approximative
29250
seeds/kg. The seeds can be propagated as followed:
- (2) Soak the seeds overnight in warm water before sowing.
- (3) Remove the seeds from cold to a permanent warm temperature.
- (1) Store harvested seeds dry at room temperature
