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Baikiaea plurijuga
Also called Zambesi Redwood, Zambezi Teak, African Teak, Zambezi Redwood, Gusi, Rhodesian Chestnut, Zambian Teak
Baikiaea plurijuga, known as African teak, Mukusi, Rhodesian teak, Zambian teak, or Zambesi redwood, is a species of Afrotropical tree from the legume family, Fabaceae. It is native to southern Africa. The genus is named for William Balfour Baikie (1824-1864), a Scottish explorer of the Niger River, and the species name means "having many pairs."
Baikiaea plurijuga is confined to the Kalahari sands, and its dominant woodland is known as Gusu woodland. This woodland grows on the deep, aeolian, and fluvial Kalahari Sands, which have virtually no clay or silt. These sands provide exceptional growing conditions for deep-rooting trees, but the deficiency in clay restricts tree growth to sites holding nutrients in organic matter.
The wood of Baikiaea plurijuga forms a dense hardwood, making it difficult to work. Still, it is valued for its termite resistance and resistance to rot and is used for railway sleepers, construction, and furniture making. The commercial timber industry has over-exploited extensive teak forests in some parts of its range (e.g., in Sesheke District, Zambia). However, Baikiaea plurijuga is not listed in the CITES Appendices.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Baikiaea plurijuga by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts are shared under the same licence.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
