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]
^ abAfrican Regional Workshop (Conservation & Sustainable Management of Trees, Zimbabwe, July 1996). 1998. Triplochiton scleroxylon. In: IUCN 2013. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2013.1. Downloaded on 24 July 2013.
