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Cynometra alexandri
Uganda ironwood is a large tropical forest tree from central and east Africa, grown mainly for its hard timber rather than as an ornamental. It needs warm, humid lowland conditions and is not practical as a houseplant or garden tree outside the tropics.
Cynometra alexandri, the Uganda ironwood or muhimbi, is a species of legume that occurs in tropical lowland forests of central and east Africa. They grow gregariously in drier forest types and as a constituent of swamp forests. They reach some 120 feet (37 m) to 150 feet (46 m) in height, and larger trees often develop hollow boles and buttress roots.
In Uganda it is widespread in the lowland forests (below 2,000 metres a.s.l) in the Western Rift Escarpment, where it shows a tendency toward monospecific dominance. After initial colonising, a mixed forest would contain Uganda ironwood, Alstonia congensis, Trichilia prieuriana, Khaya anthotheca and Celtis mildbraedii. When climax forest develops at altitudes between 1,000 and 1,200 m, Uganda ironwood becomes highly dominant. Though a common species, its range has been reduced by wood cutting, large scale farming and subsistence cultivation.
The durable and dull, reddish brown heartwood is resistant to termite damage or abrasion, while the greyish sapwood is permeable to preservatives. It is employed in industrial or heavy-duty flooring, besides construction, marine work and for railway sleepers.
Cynometra ananta · Cynometra beddomei · Cynometra bourdillonii · Cynometra brachyrrhachis · Cynometra browneoides · Cynometra cauliflora · Cynometra cubensis · Cynometra engleri · Cynometra falcata · Cynometra filifera · Cynometra gillmanii · Cynometra grandiflora
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Cynometra alexandri by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
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.
