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Azobé (Lophira alata)
Photo: Ajit Ampalakkad, CC0, Wikimedia Commons

On the map in 2 countries tree

Azobé

Lophira alata

Family: Ochnaceae

On our map this plant appears in 2 countries and ranks highest in: Equatorial Guinea, Liberia.

A large tree of the humid forests of West and Central Africa, growing to 50 m, with a reddish, deeply fissured trunk. Its young leaves are bright red, and after flowering it produces fruits with two long wings that are carried by the wind. Azobé wood is among the hardest and heaviest in the world: it resists fungi, termites and shipworms, so it is used for quays, locks, bridges and railway sleepers.

Description from: Equatorial Guinea.

More: Wikipedia (en) Plants of the World Online (Kew)

Significance in each country

  1. Equatorial Guinea no. 5 of 5 native

    Azobé is one of the most distinctive giants of Río Muni’s forests, easy to recognise by its red shoots; impressive old trees survive in Monte Alén National Park.

  2. Liberia no. 5 of 5 native

    Liberia has kept the largest tracts of Upper Guinean forest, and azobé is one of their most characteristic trees and an important raw material for the local timber industry. Huge specimens survive in Sapo National Park, among other places.