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Microberlinia bisulcata
Zingana is a very tall rainforest tree from southwestern Cameroon, prized for its timber and rarely grown as a plant. It is a forest giant, not a garden or houseplant, and is threatened in the wild.
Microberlinia bisulcata is a lowland rainforest tree in the family Fabaceae, a species that is found only in Cameroon. It is threatened by habitat destruction and exploitation. Common names include African zebrawood, tigerwood, zebrano and zingana.
Microberlinia bisulcata is endemic to southwestern Cameroon. It is present in Korup National Park, Loum Forest Reserve and on the northern and western foothills of Mount Cameroon. Records from elsewhere are unreliable. It occurs in lowland rainforest, typically in flat sandy areas.
This tree is harvested for its valuable timber. The sapwood is 6 to 10 cm (2 to 4 in) thick and clearly demarcated from the heartwood, which is pale yellow to light tan with dark streaks. The wood texture is coarse and the grain interlocking. The wood is moderately durable and is used for turnery, furniture-making and cabinet-making; it can be used to make objects such as tool handles, panelling and veneers. It is resistant to tunneling insects and moderately resistant to termites and wood-rotting fungi.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Microberlinia bisulcata 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.
