Cardiopetalum calophyllum
Cardiopetalum calophyllum
Safety & Hazards
None known
Cultivation Details
Grows best in a sunny position[1]. Found in the wild mainly in poor, sandy soils on gentle slopes[1]. Established plants are very drought tolerant[1]. The plant recovers well and easily from felling and fire. It is considered to be a weed in pasture land by cattle farmers[1]. The plant grows quickly when young, easily reaching a height of 3 metres within 2 years from seed[1].
Propagation
Seed - it has a hard seedcoat and may benefit from scarification before sowing to speed up germination. 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. The seed is best sown as soon as it is ripe in a sunny position in a nursery seedbed. A germination rate of around 30% can be expected from fresh seed that has been scarified, with the seed sprouting within 60 - 90 days[1]. When the seedlings are 4 - 5cm tall, pot them up into individual containers and they should be ready to plant out 4 - 5 months later[1]. Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2026-02-20. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Cardiopetalum+calophyllum>
Pollinators
Data unavailable
References
- [1]Brazilian Trees. Volume 2. 4th Edition. — Lorenzi. H. · Instituto Plantarum De Estudos Da Flora; Brazil. · 2002 · ISBN 85-86714-15-1 ↩︎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.