About Terminalia leiocarpa (DC.) Baill.
Terminalia leiocarpa (DC.) Baill., commonly called African birch and known as ngálǎma in Bambara, is a tree species belonging to the genus Terminalia. It is a deciduous tree native to tropical Africa, ranging from Senegal and Guinea in the west to Eritrea in the east, and reaching as far south as the Democratic Republic of the Congo. This species germinates in the new soils formed by seasonal wetlands. It grows as a forest fringe plant, found along the edges of rainforests rather than deep within the rainforest. It also grows in savanna habitats and along riverbanks, where it forms gallery forests. The tree flowers during the rainy season, which runs from June to October. It produces winged fruits called samaras, which are dispersed by ants.
