Alyxia stellata
Alyxia stellata
Safety & Hazards
None known
Cultivation Details
A plant of the dry to moist tropics, in Hawaii it can be found at elevations from sea level to 1, 500 metres with a mean annual rainfall of up to 2,500mm[1]. Grows well in the dappled shade of a woodland, but also succeeds in full sun or in deep shade[1]. Requires a well-drained soil, preferably moist, but it is also tolerant of somewhat dry conditions[1]. Established plants are drought tolerant[1].
Propagation
Seed - the plant is easy to grow from seed, especially if the fruit pulp is removed prior to sowing[2, 3]. Treated seeds sprout in 2-4 weeks, initial growth is slow, increases after 1-2 months[4]. Cuttings of 5 - 8mm diameter and 10 - 15cm long are preferred. The cuttings are directly inserted to a depth of 2cm in a medium of equal parts soil and compost. The cuttings should be screened from direct sunlight and regularly sprayed to maintain humidity. After 2 weeks roots of 1cm length will have developed, and the first pair of leaves can be discerned after 3 weeks. The cuttings are ready for transplanting when 2 - 3 pairs of leaves have developed. Shade as well as frequency of watering can be gradually reduced[2]. Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2026-02-19. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Alyxia+stellata>
Pollinators
Data unavailable
References
- [1]Native Plants Hawaii — http://nativeplants.hawaii.edu/plant/ ↩︎A website containing information on a range of native Hawaiian plants, with descriptions, habitat, traditional uses etc.
- [2]Plant Resources of Southeast Asia — http://proseanet.org/ ↩︎Lots of information on the uses of the plants of SE Asia.
- [3]Hawaiian Native Plant Propagation Database — http://pdcs.ctahr.hawaii.edu:591/hawnprop/ ↩︎Detailed information on the propagation of a wide range of Hawaiian plants.
- [4]Hawaiian Ethnobotany Online Database — http://www2.bishopmuseum.org/ethnobotanydb/index.asp ↩︎Brief details on over 100 species of Hawaiian plants.
- [5]The Useful Plants of the Island of Guam — Safford W.E. · Smithsonian Institute; Washington. · 1905 · http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/ ↩︎A very comprehensive, if rather dated, guide to the plants of Guam. It can be downloaded from the Internet.
- [6]Flora Vitiensis Nova — Smith. A.C. · Pacific Tropical Botanical Garden; Hawaii · 1979 · http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org ↩︎A comprehensive flora of Fiji, often showing plant uses. It can be downloaded from the Internet.
- [7]National Tropical Botanical Garden — http://ntbg.org/plants/choose_a_plant.php ↩︎General information on almost 400 species, with descriptions, habitats and some uses.