Sacoglottis gabonensis
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| Sacoglottis gabonensis | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Malpighiales |
| Family: | Humiriaceae |
| Genus: | Sacoglottis |
| Species: | S. gabonensis |
| Binomial name | |
| Sacoglottis gabonensis (Baill.) Urb. | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
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Sacoglottis gabonensis, commonly known as bitterbark tree or cherry mahogany is a medium to large sized evergreen tree within the Humiriaceae family.[2] It is the only species within the genus that is native to tropical Africa.[1] It occurs in rainforests or on sandy soils of Senegal eastwards to Angola in central Africa. It is traded locally and known in some countries under the name Ozouga.[3]
A large species that can reach 40 metres (130 ft) tall and a diameter of 1.8 m (6 ft) at maturity, it has a scaly dark brown bark with pustulate lenticels and a red-brown slash, its trunk is crooked but occasionally straight while the base is irregular, with wide spreading buttressed roots or deeply fluted surface roots.[4] Leaves are simple, alternate and distichous in arrangement, with a coriaceous surface that is dull green in color; stipules up to 1 mm long, petiole is 6 to 10 mm (0.2 to 0.4 in) long; leaf-blade is narrowly ovate, elliptic or oblong in outline, 6 to 15 cm (2.4 to 5.9 in) long and 2.5 to 6 cm (1.0 to 2.4 in) wide.[4] Inflorescence is axillary cymes, bracts are 1 to 2 mm (0.0 to 0.1 in) long, pedicel is 0.5 to 1.5 mm (0.02 to 0.06 in) long. Fruit is an ellipsoid drupe, greenish to yellow when ripe, 1-5 seeded.[4]