Nkoba flower plant (Baikiaea insignis) 
RARE Plant
 
Plant Size :  6" - 8" Inches Size

Baikiaea insignis is an evergreen tree with a crown that is often wide and spreading; it can grow from 5 to 34 metres tall. The cylindrical bole is usually straight; it can be free of branches for 3.5 to 20 metres; around 20 to 100 cm in diameter; often fluted at the base and rarely with buttresses. The tree is harvested from the wild for local use of its wood and is also sometimes used as a famine food. The wood is also sometimes traded. The tree is sometimes planted as a shade-providing avenue tree and is very ornamental because of its very large, handsome flowers which can be around 25 cm in diameter.

Range
Tropical Africa - Senegal, Nigeria, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Congo, DR Congo, northern Angola, Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania.


Cultivation Details
A slow-growing tree.
Trees respond well to coppicing when young and can also be pollarded.
The pod splits open and throws the seeds out several metres from the mother tree. To obtain the seeds, a search must be made on the ground.


Although many species within the family Fabaceae have a symbiotic relationship with soil bacteria, this species is said to be devoid of such a relationship and therefore does not fix atmospheric nitrogen.

 

Edible Uses

Seeds - cooked. They are roasted and eaten during times of famine, when better foods are not available.
 
Other Uses
The heartwood is straw-colored or more yellowish with a pinkish tinge, turning a grayish brown on drying, and often marked with darker streaks; there is little or no distinction from sapwood. The texture is medium; the grain is straight. When worked, the wood has a green fig odor but is free of any distinctive taste. The wood is moderately hard, heavy, strong; it is rated as nondurable and is very liable to beetle and termite attack. It seasons well with little or no degrade except for end checking and moderate cup; once dry, it is moderately stable in service. Green timber is difficult to saw because gummy sawdust clogs the teeth and blade; it works easily with hand and machine tools, though there is some tearing of the grain in planing. The wood is used for flooring, heavy construction (if treated), furniture components, joinery, shelving, etc.
The wood is used for fuel and to make charcoal.