Prunus africana

Prunus africana or otherwise known as Pygeum is a fast-growing, evergreen canopy tree about 30-40 m in height. It has a spreading, spherical crown and bole that is up to 1 m in diameter. It also has alternate leaves that are simple, long, elliptical, and dark green. The flowers are greenish-white and the fruits are purple. Its bark is black to brown in color, rough, and a popular remedy for enlarged prostate. Other medicinal uses of the plant include traditional remedy for diseases and conditions such as fever, malaria, wounds, stomach ache, kidney diseases, and, gonorrhea, and as appetite booster. Pygeum fruits can be eaten raw. The wood is used for furniture, carving, chopping blocks, floors, wagons, utensils, etc.

Prunus africana is an evergreen Tree growing to 18 m by 18 m at a fast rate.
It is hardy to zone 10. The flowers are pollinated by Bees.
Suitable for: light and medium soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: acid, neutral and basic soils and can grow in very acid soils.
It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers moist soil.

A tree of higher elevations in the humid and semi-humid tropics, also of middle elevations in the humid tropics, it is found at elevations from 900 - 3,400 metres. It grows best in areas where the mean annual temperature is within the range 14 - 18°c, but can tolerate 12 - 26°c. It prefers a climate with a distinct dry season and a mean annual rainfall in the range 900 - 1,400mm, but can tolerate 700 - 2,000mm. Requires a sunny position. Prefers medium to light soils. Prefers a pH in the range 5.5 - 6.5, but tolerates 5 - 7. The tree is able to withstand severe bark removal so long as the cambium layer is not damaged, but poor harvesting of the bark may lead to tree death. The bark is only collected from two quarters of the circumference of the tree, each quarter on opposite sides of the tree. It is harvested from about 35cm above the ground level to the height of the first branch. In this way, it is thought that the bark can be harvested sustainably every 4 - 5 years, harvesting from alternate pairs of quarters each time. Mean bark yield per tree is 55 kg, ranging from a low of 34 kg up to 74 kg. Bark removal induces early flowering.