Aspidosperma subincanum
Apocynaceae FAMILY

Aspidosperma subincanum

Aspidosperma subincanum

Edibility
0/5
Medicinal
0/5

Safety & Hazards

The freshly cut wood and sap of Aspidosperma species causes irritation of the eyes, nose, and throat, with general malaise[1]. The sawdust, on contact with abraded skin, produces local burning and a vesicular eruption with general symptoms of muscular weakness and cramps, sweating, dryness of the mouth, and faintness[1]. Once the wood is thoroughly dry it loses its toxicity unless polishes or dyes in organic solvents are used on it[1]

Cultivation Details

HabitDeciduous Tree
GrowthMedium

Grows best in a sunny position[2]. Established plants are drought tolerant[2]. Young plants have a moderate rate of growth[2]. This species possibly hybridizes in the wild with Aspidosperma tomentosa[3].

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a partially shaded position in a nursery seedbed or in individual containers. A germination rate usually in excess of 50% can be expected, with the seed sprouting within 15 - 30 days[2]. When the seedbed-sown seedlings are 5 - 6cm tall, pot them up into individual containers[2]. The seed has a viability of no more than 5 months[2]. Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2026-02-19. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Aspidosperma+subincanum>

Pollinators

Insects

References

  1. [1]BoDD (Botanical Dermatology Database) — http://bodd.cf.ac.uk/ ↩︎Brief notes on a very wide range of plants that have reports of causing harm to the skin.
  2. [2]Brazilian Trees. Volume 1. 4th Edition. — Lorenzi. H. · Instituto Plantarum De Estudos Da Flora; Brazil. · 2002 · ISBN 85-86714-17-8 ↩︎Information on 350 species of Brazilian trees. Stunning photographs of each species, brief details on the plant, its uses and how to grow it from seed. A superb work, with the minor irritation that the translation from Portuguese is not of the best.
  3. [3]Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden Vol. 38 — Missouri Botanical Garden · 1951 ↩︎An excellent botanical publication, available for download from the Internet. This volume contains part of the Flora of Panama and a revision of the genus Aspidosperma, amongst other things.
  4. [4]Woods of Northeastern Peru — Williams L. · Field Museum Press; Chicago. · 1936 · http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/ ↩︎Gives information on the properties of the wood of well over 1,000 species of woody plants from northeastern Peru. Can be downloaded from the Internet.