African teak

Baikiaea plurijuga is a medium-sized deciduous tree with pinnate leaves, each with 4-5 pairs of opposed leaflets. They show pink to deep mauve flowers, have yellow stamens, and are clustered in large axillary racemes; they flower from November to April. The fruit are flattened, woody pods with a hooked tip that splits explosively, sending the seeds out over some distance.

Baikiaea plurijuga is confined to the Kalahari sands, and its dominant woodland is known as Gusu woodland. This woodland grows on the deep, aeolian, and fluvial Kalahari Sands, which have virtually no clay or silt. These sands provide exceptional growing conditions for deep-rooting trees, but the deficiency in clay restricts tree growth to sites holding nutrients in organic matter.

The wood of Baikiaea plurijuga forms a dense hardwood, making it difficult to work. Still, it is valued for its termite resistance and resistance to rot and is used for railway sleepers, construction, and furniture making. The commercial timber industry has over-exploited extensive teak forests in some parts of its range (e.g., in Sesheke District, Zambia). However, Baikiaea plurijuga is not listed in the CITES Appendices.