MUSANGA CECROPIOIDES - CORKWOOD - UMBRELLA TREE
Corkwood or Musanga cecropioides is a fast-growing tree with an umbrella-shaped crown and a straight trunk up to 50 cm in diameter.It reaches a height of 45 m, with support roots 2-3 m high. The trunk is rough and white-yellow. White gray to pink wood
it has a wide range of applications including rafts, toys, floats etc. It is also used as a substitute for cork. Colorless, odorless and sweet juice can be obtained from the aerial roots of stilts and young branches. The yellowish-green fruit is juicy
pulp and small seeds. It is edible but not widely favored by locals. Wood ash is used in cooking as vegetable salt. In medicine, the plant and its parts, in their various forms, have a wide range of uses, including the treatment of painfulness
menstruation, weakness, loss of appetite, lung disease, toothache, cough, lumbago, wounds, leprosy, etc. Cork cortex produces strong fibers,which is usually processed into resistant paper and string.
It is native to many tropical rainforests in west and central tropical Africa where it can occur locally.Like the closely related Cecropia, Musanga needs a lot of light to thrive. Musanga cecropioides are fast growing
and an adaptable tree that is a beautiful tropical tree. Ideally suited for the quick construction of a canopy and for protection against erosion.
Seeds germinate quickly in warm and humid conditions.