Olea capensis

Black ironwood
In Cape Town
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Lamiales
Family: Oleaceae
Genus: Olea
Species:
O. capensis
Binomial name
Olea capensis
      approximate range
Synonyms
  • Olea laurifolia Lam.

Olea capensis, the black ironwood, 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. It occurs in bush, littoral scrub and evergreen forest.

Other common names in English include ironwood, ironwood olive, East African olive and Elgon olive.

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).

Subspecies

The species has been divided into 3 subspecies:

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 and is an excellent turnery wood. Guinness 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. This causes the wood to sink in water, unlike other wood materials. It is also one of the world's hardest woods according to the Janka hardness test.

Gardens

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

References

  1. ↑ Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI) & IUCN SSC Global Tree Specialist Group (2020). "Olea capensis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2020 e.T61919282A146444162. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-2.RLTS.T61919282A146444162.en. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  2. 1 2 "Olea capensis". World Checklist of Selected Plant Families (WCSP). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Archived from the original on August 5, 2019.
  3. ↑ "Olea laurifolia". World Checklist of Selected Plant Families (WCSP). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Archived from the original on September 20, 2020.
  4. ↑ "Olea capensis". Germplasm Resources Information Network. Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved 4 August 2017.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "Olea capensis" (PDF). World Agroforestry Centre. Retrieved 4 August 2017.
  6. 1 2 "IRC - Natives for Your Neighborhood". www.regionalconservation.org. Retrieved 2024-03-05.
  7. 1 2 "Olea capensis - Useful Tropical Plants". tropical.theferns.info. Retrieved 2024-03-05.
  8. ↑ "Solids and Metals - Specific Gravities".
  9. ↑ "Black Ironwood | The Wood Database (Hardwood)". Retrieved 2026-07-21.