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Pycnanthus angolensis is a large evergreen rainforest tree from tropical Africa, grown mainly for its light timber and fatty seeds rather than as an ornamental. It is a forest tree and is not commonly grown as a houseplant or garden plant.
Pycnanthus angolensis is a species of tree in the nutmeg family, Myristicaceae. It is native to tropical Africa. Its English language common names include African nutmeg, false nutmeg, boxboard, and cardboard. In Africa it is widely known as ilomba.
This tree is cultivated for its products. Seeds are sown in the field, and seedlings are grown in plant nurseries until they have large taproots. They cannot tolerate drought. After a year the tree is about half a meter tall, and within 4 years it can reach 4 meters. A 20-year-old tree can be 25 meters tall. Stands of cultivated trees are pruned and thinned periodically.
Pest insects such as Monochamus scabiosus and Mallodon downesi and fungi such as Ophiostoma sp. have been observed, but they are not severe problems. The freshly harvested wood may become discolored due to bacterial growth, the light-colored wood developing dark brown staining.
The tree grows in moist rainforests up to about 1200 meters in elevation among other evergreens and semideciduous trees. It occurs in secondary forest, sometimes taking hold in new canopy gaps or clearings. It thrives in sunny locations. It grows in riparian forests such as gallery forests, and in some regions it can be found in swamps. It occurs in areas receiving between about 1300 and 1800 millimeters of rain per year, but the optimal seems to be about 2000 millimeters.
This species has a wide variety of human uses. It is harvested for its wood, which is light, soft, and whitish gray or pink-tinged in color. Its popularity rose after World War II when plywood was in demand, and during the mid-20th century it was one of the more valuable timbers in Central Africa. It is not very durable and tends to warp, but it is easy to cut and work and can be used for many purposes. It is suitable for furniture, and in house construction as panelling, siding, roof shingles, and framing. It is used for fuel and paper pulp. The wood can be vulnerable to termites, powderpost beetles, and other pests.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Pycnanthus angolensis 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.
