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| Ocotea bullata | ||||||||||||||
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| Ocotea bullata (Burch.) Baill. |
Ocotea bullata (Stinkwood tree) is a species of flowering plant in the family Lauraceae, native to South Africa.
It is an evergreen tree that grows up to 30 m tall. The leaves are dark green and glossy, with bubbles or blisters (bullae) produced on the upper surface of the leaves, hence the specific name bullata.
Other names for it are Cape Walnut, Stinkhout, Cape Laurel and Laurel wood. It derives its name from having a strong and unpleasant smell when fresh felled.
Uses
The tree yields a beautiful timber much prized by cabinet-makers. The wood is dark walnut or reddish brown to black with a yellow sap-wood, and the grain extremely fine, close, dense and smooth. It is said to be as durable as teak. The tree is badly overexploited and the wood is not available commercially.
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