Afzelia quanzensis Welw. Ð Rhodesian mahogany  - Fabaceae

This tall tree known as pod mahogany or Rhodesia mahogany grows in Rhodesia and Angola on the Cuanza River.  The specific name of Afzelia quanzensis and one of its common names reflects these geographical locations.

Pods six inches long (15 centimeters) contain six or more hard, shiny black beans with an orange aril (seed appendage).  The Zulu name for these seeds, inkehli, suggests a betrothed girl with an ochre topknot.  The seeds are often sold as curios or made into necklaces.7

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