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Alstonia scholaris
Apocynaceae FAMILY Least Concern

Alstonia scholaris

Alstonia scholaris

Edibility
2/5
Medicinal
3/5

Safety & Hazards

None known

Cultivation Details

HabitSemi-deciduous Tree
GrowthMedium

Succeeding in reasonably moist lowland tropical and subtropical areas, it is found at elevations from sea level to around 900 metres[1]. It grows best in areas that have a mean annual temperature in the range 12 - 32°c, and a mean annual rainfall of 1,200 - 1,400 mm[1]. It grows most commonly in monsoonal areas where the mean annual rainfall can range between 1,000 - 3,800mm[2, 3]. Prefers a sunny position in a fertile, moist, but well-drained soil[4]. Plants are tolerant of a range of soils, and have been grown successfully on shallow soils over coral, where it is only a small tree[3]. Trees are moderately fast growing[1]. Specimens in India have reached a height of 3.6 metres within 3.5 years. In Taiwan, plants reached an average of 23.5 metres in height in 18 years, whilst a maximum of 35 metres in height was attained at the age of 41 years[1]. Trees only flower after marked periods of dry weather[1]. When in flower, they are often surrounded by pollinating bees and butterflies[1]. The fruits open on the tree and the seeds, which have a tuft of silky hairs at each end, are dispersed by wind[1]. Trees coppice freely[5]. This species has been managed as a fuelwood species in Sri Lanka under a short coppice rotation of 6 - 8 years[1]. Natural regeneration is often scarce; seedlings are found scattered in groups, particularly in open places at forest edges and in secondary forest. Regeneration can be enhanced by enrichment planting using the strip system, but sufficient opening of the canopy is essential for optimal growth of the seedlings[1].

Propagation

Seed - best sown in a sunny position[3]. The germination rate of fresh seeds is high, nearly 100%, with sprouting commencing after 12 days and continuing for about 3 months[1, 3]. Seeds can be stored in closed tins for 2 months, maintaining a germination rate of 90%[1]. The seeds are difficult to collect because the fruits open while still on the tree[1]. A. Scholaris has been grafted. Cleft grafting and inverted T-grafting have been found to be most appropriate. Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2026-02-19. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Alstonia+scholaris>

Pollinators

Data unavailable

References

  1. [1]World Agroforesty Centre — http://www.worldagroforestry.org/ ↩︎An excellent online database of a huge range of trees giving very good information on each plant - its uses, ecology, identity, propagation, pests etc.
  2. [2]Trees Commonly Cultivated in SE Asia — Jensen. M. · FAO Regional Office, Bangkok. · 1999 · ISBN 974-89377-5-5 ↩︎
  3. [3]Seed Leaflets — Various · Forest & Landscape. Denmark · http://en.sl.life.ku.dk/Publikationer/Udgivelser/PopulaerPublikationer.aspx?katid={D28373CC-6EF3-4EF8-B097-6D83FABF209E}&serieid={9F1C3DB1-6E7B-4CF1-AF53-F480B0CB40EF}&sort=title ↩︎A series of leaflets, jointly produced by the University of Copenhagen and the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, focussing on seed information for a number species, but also giving a lot of other information about each plant.
  4. [4]The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. — Huxley. A. · MacMillan Press · 1992 · ISBN 0-333-47494-5 ↩︎Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
  5. [5]Trees of Laos and Vietnam - A Field Guide to 100 species. — Hoang Van Sam; Khamseng Nanthavong; Kessler P.J.A. · Blumea · 2004 ↩︎A detailed guide, with excellent line-drawings, to 100 of the more important trees of Laos and Vietnam. A very good work, giving lots of information about each plant. Originally published in the journal Blumea, it is available as a PDF on the Interne
  6. [6]Tropical and Subtropical Trees - A Worldwide Encyclopaedic Guide. — Barwick. M. · Thames & Hudson, London · 2004 · ISBN 0-500-51181-0 ↩︎A superb book, very concise and well written, giving a wealth of information on 400 or more species including descriptions, habitat, cultivation details and plant uses. A wealth of colour photographs bring each plant vividly to life.
  7. [7]Biotik, Laos — http://biotik.org/species_list_laos.html ↩︎Information on more than 100 species of Laotian trees.
  8. [8]Trade in Indian Medicinal Plants — D.K.Ved, S.Noorunnisa Begum, & K.Ravi Kumar · Apple Academic Press; Oakville, Canada · 2018 · ISBN 978-1-77188-600-0 ↩︎
  9. [9]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.
  10. [10]Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. — Bown. D. · Dorling Kindersley, London. · 1995 · ISBN 0-7513-020-31 ↩︎A very well presented and informative book on herbs from around the globe. Plenty in it for both the casual reader and the serious student. Just one main quibble is the silly way of having two separate entries for each plant.
  11. [11]Plant Resources of Southeast Asia — http://proseanet.org/ ↩︎Lots of information on the uses of the plants of SE Asia.
  12. [12]Dominica Botanic Gardens — http://www.da-academy.org/trees_shrubs.html ↩︎An on-line resource, providing top quality pictures and some basic information on various plants being grown at the Botanic Gardens, often including uses and habitat.
  13. [13]Commercial Woods of the Philippines; Their Preparation and Uses — Schneider E.E. · Bureau of Forestry; Manilla. · 1916 · http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org ↩︎A series of booklets dealing with various aspects of the Philippine forests. This volume looks at the preparation and uses of the commercial woods of the Philippines. It can be downloaded from the Internet.