East African Olive

Olea capensis, the black ironwood,^[4] is an African tree species in the olive family Oleaceae. It is widespread in sub-Saharan Africa: from the east in Somalia, Ethiopia and Sudan, south to the tip of South Africa, and west to Cameroon, Sierra Leone and the islands of the Gulf of Guinea, as well as Madagascar and the Comoros.^[2] It occurs in bush, littoral scrub and evergreen forest.^[5]

Other common names in English include ironwood, ironwood olive, East African olive and Elgon olive.^[5]

O. c. subsp. macrocarpa, like all subspecies of black ironwood, can reach enormous proportions in the wild.

Description

The black ironwood is a bushy shrub, or a small to medium-sized tree, up to 10 metres (33 ft) in height, occasionally reaching 40 metres (130 ft).^[5]

• Bark: light grey, becoming dark grey and vertically fissured with age; a characteristic blackish gum is exuded from bark wounds.
• Leaves: light to dark green and glossy above and paler green below; petiole often purplish, 0.3–1.7 cm long; lanceolate-oblong to almost circular, 3–10 x 1.5–5 cm.
• Flowers: white or cream and sweetly scented, small and in many flowered axillary or terminal heads, bisexual, 3–15 cm long.
• Fruit: when ripe they are somewhat succulent purplish drupes; ovoid up to 2 x 1 cm.

Subspecies

The species has been divided into 3 subspecies:^[5]

• Olea capensis subsp. macrocarpa: flowers in lax heads, fruits oblong to elliptic.
• Olea capensis subsp. capensis: flowers in dense heads, leaves very variable, apex often rounded, and fruits almost spherical to oblong elliptic.
• Olea capensis subsp. enervis: leaves usually broadly elliptic, apex tapering.

Uses

Food

Olea capensis has masses of sweetly scented bisexual flowers, that produce large edible fruits.

Timber

The wood of the tree is very hard, fine grained, and heavy, and although difficult to work, it is widely used for art and artifacts.

Gardens

Olea capensis is cultivated as an ornamental tree in parks and gardens.

The Guinness Book of World Records lists this tree as the world's heaviest wood, with a specific gravity of 1.49, similar to that of anthracite or dry earth.^[6] It is known for its tendency to sink in water, unlike other wood materials. It is also the one of the world's hardest woods according to the Janka hardness test. The timber has a good abrasion resistance and is very strong. It is an excellent turnery wood, and is used for a wide range of decorative items.

Gallery

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  Flowers
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  Timber
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  Leaves
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  Trunk and bark

References

• "Olea capensis". Ecocrop FAO. Archived from the original on 2011-07-26. Retrieved 2010-02-09.
• "Olea capensis subsp. capensis". Aluka. Archived from the original on 2013-08-01. Retrieved 2010-02-09.
• "Olea capensis subsp. capensis". Fernkloof Nature Reserve. Archived from the original on 2011-07-16. Retrieved 2010-02-09.
• Media related to Olea capensis at Wikimedia Commons