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Astronium graveolens
Anacardiaceae FAMILY

Astronium graveolens

Astronium graveolens

Edibility
0/5
Medicinal
0/5

Safety & Hazards

None known

Cultivation Details

HabitEvergreen Tree
Growth—

A plant of the moist lowland tropics, where it is found at elevations from 150 - 1,000 metres, but most commonly at 500 - 600 metres[1]. It grows best where mean annual temperatures are around 24 - 27.5°c and the mean annual rainfall is between 1,200 - 3,000mm[1]. It thrives in areas with a distinct dry season that can be up to 6 months long[2]. The best growth is obtained on lighter soils with less than 40% clay, a neutral pH and good drainage[1]. Plants do not tolerate waterlogging or heavy clay soils[1].

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe - it does not require pre-treatment[1]. Sow in seed trays in a shady position - germination is usually quite rapid. When they have developed two seedleaves, prick out the seedlings into individual containers and keep them shaded for the next two weeks before gradually exposing them to the sun. Five weeks after sowing, when the plants are 35 - 40cm tall, they can be planted out into their permanent positions[1]. Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2026-02-19. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Astronium+graveolens>

Pollinators

Insects

References

  1. [1]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.
  2. [2]Trees of Costa Rica's Pacific Slope — http://www.cds.ed.cr/teachers/harmon/page1.html ↩︎Information on over 80 species of tree from the Pacific coast of Costa Rica.
  3. [3]Tropical Timbers of the World. Ag. Handbook No. 607. — Chudnoff. Martin. · USDA Forest Service. Wisconsin. · 1984 ↩︎Terse details on the properties of the wood of almost 400 species of trees from the Tropics.
  4. [4]Dictionary of Economic Plants. — Uphof. J. C. Th. · Weinheim · 1959 · ISBN - ↩︎An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.
  5. [5]Tropix 7 — CIRAD · http://tropix.cirad.fr/en ↩︎An on-line guide to the timbers of 245 species of trees.