Triplochiton scleroxylon

Triplochiton scleroxylon is a tree of the genus Triplochiton of the family Malvaceae. The timber is known by the common names African whitewood, abachi, obeche (in Nigeria), wawa (in Ghana), ayous (in Cameroon) and sambawawa (in Ivory Coast). The tree is the official state tree of Ekiti State, Nigeria.^[2]

Triplochiton scleroxylon
Specimen collected in Kakum National Park, Ghana
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 2.3)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Rosids
Order:	Malvales
Family:	Malvaceae
Genus:	Triplochiton
Species:	T. scleroxylon
Binomial name
Triplochiton scleroxylon K.Schum.

Description

The species is distributed over the tropical areas of West Africa and Central Africa.^[3]

Uses

Workmen spraying the trunk of an Obeche tree with Gammaxene to protect it against timber-boring insects

The timber yielded is typically pale yellow and is moderately soft and light for a hardwood.^[4]

Abachi wood

The timber is used in the manufacture of veneer, furniture, picture frames and mouldings. It is also used by guitar makers. Gibson and Fender Japan have used the wood to produce limited edition guitars.^[5][6]

The tree is a host of the African silk moth, Anaphe venata, whose caterpillars feed on the leaves and spin cocoons which are then used to make silk.^[7]

The wood is exploited in its natural habitat, a harvest that is unsustainable in some areas. However, it remains classed as 'least concern' on the IUCN Red List.^[1]