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Brownea macrophylla
Fabaceae FAMILY

Brownea macrophylla

Brownea macrophylla

Edibility
0/5
Medicinal
1/5

Safety & Hazards

None known

Cultivation Details

HabitEvergreen Tree
GrowthSlow

A plant of the moist tropics, it cannot tolerate frosts. Prefers a position in partial shade[1, 2]. Requires a moist soil, preferring a deep, rich, slightly acid soil[1]. A slow-growing tree[2]. Plants can commence flowering when 3 - 4 years old from seed.

Propagation

Seed - it has a hard seedcoat and benefits from scarification before sowing in order to speed up and improve germination[1]. This can usually be done by pouring a small amount of nearly boiling water on the seeds (being careful not to cook them!) and then soaking them for 12 - 24 hours in warm water. By this time they should have imbibed moisture and swollen - if they have not, then carefully make a nick in the seedcoat (being careful not to damage the embryo) and soak for a further 12 hours before sowing[PFAF] Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2026-02-19. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Brownea+macrophylla>

Pollinators

Hummingbirds, Bees, Butterflies, Insects

References

  1. [1]Tropical Ornamentals; A Guide — Whistler. W. Arthur. · Timber Press Inc. Oregon. · 2000 · ISBN 0-88192-448-2 ↩︎An excellent little guide to some of the more commonly cultivated ornamental plants of the Tropics, often giving some information on the plants other uses.
  2. [2]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.
  3. [3]Tree Species of Panama — http://ctfs.arnarb.harvard.edu/webatlas/mainframe.php?order=s ↩︎Factsheets on all the tree and shrub species of Panama, giving identification guide, brief guide to the species and some uses. A vast, but rather incomplete work as of 15/07/09.
  4. [4]A Century of Trees of Panama. — Pittier H. Mell C.D. · http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org ↩︎A work that was very difficult to get published according to the correspondence contained at the start!. A treatment of 100 different species with descriptions and details of uses. It can be downloaded from the Internet.
  5. [5]Fiji Plants: Their Names and Uses — H. B. Richenda Parham · Journal of the Polynesian Society · 1939 ↩︎Published as a supplement in the Journal of the Polynesian Society. Very brief listing of the uses of plants growing in Fiji, listed in order of their native name with no index for the Botanical name.
  6. [PFAF]Plants for a Future — pfaf.org ↩︎