| Turraeanthus africanus | |
|---|---|
_Pellegr._(GH0309).jpg) | |
| Herbarium specimen ofTurraeanthus africanus collected inAnkasa Forest Reserve, Ghana | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Sapindales |
| Family: | Meliaceae |
| Genus: | Turraeanthus |
| Species: | T. africanus |
| Binomial name | |
| Turraeanthus africanus | |
| Synonyms[2] | |
Turraeanthus africanus is a species ofplant in the familyMeliaceae, also known by the common namesavodiré, apeya, engan, agbe, lusamba, wansenwa, African satinwood, andAfrican white mahogany.[3]
Although the species epithet given byFrançois Pellegrin in the first publication isafricana,[4] it should be amended into masculine form, i.e.africanus per theICN (ed. 2017, Art. 62.2 (c)): "Compounds ending in‑ceras, ‑dendron, ‑nema, ‑stigma, ‑stoma, and other neuter words, are neuter. An exception is made for names ending in‑anthos (or‑anthus),‑chilos (‑chilus or‑cheilos), and‑phykos (‑phycos or‑phycus), which ought to be neuter, because that is the gender of the Greek words άνθος, anthos, χείλος, cheilos, and φύκος, phykos, but are treated as masculine in accordance with tradition."[5]
The species is found inAngola,Benin,Cameroon, theDemocratic Republic of the Congo,Ivory Coast,Equatorial Guinea,Ghana,Nigeria,Sierra Leone, andUganda. Thegenus name is derived from thebotanist Turra (1607-1688) ofPadua, Italy andanthos, a Greek word meaning flower.[6]
Turraeanthus africanus is described as a tree of therain forest, typically 115 ft (35 m), and having atrunk diameter of 2 to 3 ft (0.61 to 0.91 m). The wood of this tree has aspecific gravity of 0.48.[7] It is commonly creamy white or pale yellow but will darken upon exposure to ultra-violet light to a golden yellow color. It has an interlockedwood grain producing various figures: striped, curly, ormottled.[8]
Avodire wood has long been valued in furniture for its naturally lustrous surface, which has led to the name African Satinwood. Commonly, the highly figured wood is used forveneers inpanelling andmarquetry.
A preparation from the bark of this plant is used byBaka people in southeastern Cameroon to stun fish.[9]
It listed on theIUCN Red List as vulnerable, and is threatened byhabitat loss.
