Nauclea diderrichii


Nauclea diderrichii is a species of tree of the genus Nauclea in the family Rubiaceae. It is known by the common names bilinga, aloma, badi, kusia and opepe.

Description

Nauclea diderrichii is found in Angola, Cameroon, Central African Republic, the Republic of the Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Gabon, Ghana, Liberia, Mozambique, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, and Uganda. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. It grows to around 35m to 48m tall, and 1m to 2m in diameter at breast height. It is threatened by habitat loss.

Uses

The timber is known as bilinga, or aloma in Germany and opepe in the UK. It is hard, dense and resistant to fungi and insects, and is used in joinery, flooring and marine construction.