Alphitonia zizyphoides
Alphitonia zizyphoides
Safety & Hazards
None known
Cultivation Details
Alphitonia zizyphoides is a plant of the humid tropical lowlands, found naturally at elevations up to 700 metres[1]. It grows naturally in areas where the annual rainfall is in the range 1,800 - 4,000 mm and there is either no dry season or a short dry season of up to 2 months[1]. The mean annual temperature ranges from 24 - 26°c, with a maximum of 32°c and minimum of 17°c[1]. Plants cannot tolerate temperatures lower than 10°c[1]. Grows best in a sunny position on fertile, well drained, medium-heavy, neutral, friable volcanic ash soils overlying limestone[1]. Plants can succeed on a very wide range of soils so long as they are well-drained[1]. It prefers acid to neutral soils with a pH in the range 4.0 - 7.4[1]. Plants are often found growing near to the sea and so are likely to have moderately high tolerance of salt spray[1]. Both saplings and trees in open areas have been observed to have excellent tolerance of strong cyclonic winds[1]. A fast-growing tree, on good sites it can grow at a rate of 2 - 3 metres per year during its first 3 - 4 years, thereafter reducing to 1 - 2 metres per year[1]. The age to first flowering is unknown, but is expected to be 3 - 4 years[1]. A potentially invasive species when grown outside of its natural range[1].
Propagation
Seed - pre-soaking in water for 12 - 24 hours is reported to improve the germination rate in older seed batches (e.g., more than 10 months old)[1]. For the closely related A. ponderosa, nicking or partial abrasion of the seed coat has been found to speed germination[1]. Seeds may be sown in trays in a protected, well lit or sunny situation. They are covered with a thin layer, 2- 3mm thick, of sand, loamy soil, or potting medium. Germination may commence about 7 - 16 days after sowing, but some seed lots take several months to germinate[1]. Seedlings should be pricked out and transplanted to individual containers at the cotyledon or four-leaf stage[1]. Seedlings are ready for planting out after about 16 - 20 weeks when they are about 25cm tall[1]. The seed can be stored for many years in hermetically sealed containers under cool, dry conditions[1]. Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2026-02-19. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Alphitonia+zizyphoides>
Pollinators
Data unavailable
References
- [1]Traditional Trees of Pacific Islands — Elevitch. Craig. R. (Editor) · Permanent Agriculture Resources, Hawaii · 2006 · ISBN 0970254458 ↩︎Beautifully produced book with superb photos and detailed information on over 50 species of useful plants of the Pacific Islands.
- [2]Medicinal Plants in the South Pacific — WHO Regional Publications, Manilla. · 1998 · ISBN 92-9061-118-9 ↩︎Excellent guide to 102 medicinal herbs of the Pacific Islands, with photographs of each plant and details of their constituents, biological activities and traditional uses. A description of each plant, together with habitat and distribution is given.
- [3]Ecocrop — http://ecocrop.fao.org/ecocrop/srv/en/home ↩︎Basic information on a wide range of useful plants, plus details of environmental needs where available.
- [4]IUCN Red List of Threatened Species — http://www.iucnredlist.org/ ↩︎A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat.