Afraegle gabonensis

Read about Afraegle gabonensis in the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture

Balsamocitrus gabonensis, Swingle. A little-known tree or shrub: Lvs. narrowly lanceolate, simple, with short petioles: vigorous young trees, when they have reached a height of 8 or 10ft., begin to show trifoliolate Lvs. with relatively small lateral lfts. from one-third to one-half as long as the terminal lft. and like it acute at both ends; terminal lft. sessile : fls. unknown : fr. nearly globular, slightly pear- shaped, with a thick woody rind.—The natives remove the contents through an opening at the stem end and use the empty fr. as a powder-flask. Native to the M'fan or Pahouin country in N. French Congo and S. Kamerun where the fr. is known to the French residents as "poire a poudre" (powder-flask). This species grows very rapidly under greenhouse conditions. It has been grafted successfully on the tabog (Chaetospermum glutinosa), a related tree native to the Philippines, and may prove of value as a stock for citrous fruits on account of its vigor and healthiness. Ill. Bull. Soc. Bot. Fr. v. 68, Mem. 8d, pl. 3, and Fig. B., p. 235. The above text is from the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture. It may be out of date, but still contains valuable and interesting information which can be incorporated into the remainder of the article. Click on "Collapse" in the header to hide this text.