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Black Afara

Ton Hu Krachong | ต้นหูกระจง  | Terminalia Ivorensis

Family: Combretaceae - Genus: Terminalia

There are two of these beautiful trees near the Food Forest Kitchen Restaurant of Eco-Logic Thailand.

 

The Black Afara originates from West Africa, it is a large, deciduous forest tree, distinguishable by its slender, upright trunk, and for it's evenly distributed foliage that often runs horizontally, providing rare symmetry for such a large tree. The tree is quite common in Thailand too. The Black Afara is also known as Ivory Coast almond, idigbo, framire and emeri.


The tree is listed as a threatened tree species due to lumbering and loss of natural habitat.

The wood has a density of about 560 kg per cubic meter. The wood is a pale yellow-brown in color, seasons well with little movement in service, but is generally of low strength.

Flowering begins in April after the new leaves have begun to appear and lasts until June. The flowers are fertilized by insects.


 

The papaya is a small, sparsely branched tree, usually with a single stem growing from 5 to 10 meter tall, with spirally arranged leaves confined to the top of the trunk. The lower trunk is usually scarred where leaves and fruit were borne. All parts of the plant contain latex.
TREE

THE TREE

The Black Afara can grow up to 45 meter tall. The root system consisting of a taproot and several strong superficial lateral roots.

The brances of the Black Afara are straight and culindrical and can reach up to 30 meter. The tree's bark surface is smooth and grey in young trees, but with deep longitudinal furrows and dark brown to black in older trees.



 
The leaves of the papaya are large, 50-70 cm in diameter, with seven lobes.
Leaf

THE LEAVES

The leaves of the Black Afara are arranged spirally, clustered near ends of branchlets, 5–15 centimeter long, leathery, glabrous, veined with 6–9 pairs of veins.







 
The flowers are five-parted; the male flowers have the stamens fused to the petals. The female flowers have a superior ovary and five contorted petals loosely connected at the base. The flowers are sweet-scented, open at night, and wind- or insect-pollinated.
FLOWER

THE FLOWERS

The Black Afara flowers as a spike, 7-15 centimeter long and slender. The flowers are bisexual or male, regular, pale yellow.






 
The flowers are five-parted; the male flowers have the stamens fused to the petals. The female flowers have a superior ovary and five contorted petals loosely connected at the base. The flowers are sweet-scented, open at night, and wind- or insect-pollinated.
FRUIT

THE FRUIT

The flowers are five-parted; the male flowers have the stamens fused to the petals. The female flowers have a superior ovary and five contorted petals loosely connected at the base. The flowers are sweet-scented, open at night, and wind- or insect-pollinated.
SEEDS

The fruit of the Black Afara is a nut, oblong in outline, 5–8 centimeter long.


The seeds are winged.





 

CULINARY USES

No plant part of the Black Afara is edible. However, it is highly valued medicinally and for its high quality wood.



 

TRADITIONAL MEDICINAL USE


NOTE: please take advice from a doctor if you are planning to use herbal medicine.


Bark decoctions or powdered bark are used in traditional medicine to treat wounds, sores, ulcers and haemorrhoids, against malaria and yellow fever, and as an anodyne in cases of rheumatism and muscular pain. Leaf sap is applied to cuts and against colds, and is also taken, together with bark decoctions, as an enema to treat gonorrhoea and kidney complaints, and as an aphrodisiac.

 

INTO THE WILD: a down to earth experience

For guests and visitors to Paksong we organize weekly tours "The Edible Forest" and Foraging weekends: Into the Wild. We work with local guides to take you in the jungle of Paksong. After foraging, we will cook a meal with the ingredients, using bamboo together with you!


Come and join and learn about the abundance of food that nature gives us!


INTO THE WILD!

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