Umuguruka (Pterygota)
Pterygota mildbraedii
A large deciduous forest tree (30-60m) with an open, spreading crown and tall plank buttresses (2-3m high) at the trunk base. No genuine English common name exists for the species generally (a single famous 350-year-old individual in Mubende, Uganda is known as the 'Nakayima Tree', but that names one specific sacred tree, not the species).
- Kinyarwanda name
- Umuguruka
- English name
- Pterygota
- Scientific name
- Pterygota mildbraedii
- Family
- Malvaceae
Habitat
Mesophile riverine and gallery forest, and secondary montane forest, up to about 1,200m.
Distribution
Tropical Africa: eastern DR Congo, Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda and Tanzania; the type specimen was in fact collected near Lake Muhazi, Rwanda.
Uses
Wood for beer vessels, for fuel and to make charcoal. Ornamental tree and for shade.
Ecological importance
A fast-growing pioneer component of gallery forest; its buttressed structure and rapid growth make it useful for erosion control and quick canopy establishment.
Ibisobanuro
Igiti giterwa ku mihanda mu rwego rwo kuyishariza, gitanga igicucu, kandi gikoreshwa mu gukora ibikoresho bibikwamo inzoga.