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Casearia sylvestris
Salicaceae FAMILY Least Concern

Casearia sylvestris

Casearia sylvestris

Edibility
2/5
Medicinal
3/5

Safety & Hazards

The fruit is a capsute containing several seeds. Although the capsule of some species (and possibly also the seeds contained therein) is somewhat toxic, the fleshy aril surrounding the seeds is a different matter and in some species (see information below on edibility to see if this is one of them) is often eaten and is considered to be perfectly wholesome[1, PFAF].

Cultivation Details

HabitEvergreen Tree
GrowthFast

Succeeds in full sun and in dappled shade[2]. Tolerant of salty soils[3]. A fast-growing plant, commencing flowering whan around 100cm tall[2, 4]. Plants can live around 20 years[4]. Plants usually respond well to coppicing[4]. The plant can flower and produce fruit all year round[5, 4]. The flowers smell like a mixture of honey and urine[4].

Propagation

The seed of species in this genus often has a short period of viability and so is best sown as soon as it is ripe. The seed is collected when the fruits start to open - leave them in the sun to open completely to release the seed, then rinse the seed in water to remove the arils[3]. Sow the seed in a partially shaded position in a nursery seedbed, only just covering the seed, and keep moist. Germination rates vary, but can usually be expected to be low, with the seed sprouting within 20 - 30 days[2]. When the seedlings are 3 - 5cm tall, pot them up into individual containers and they should be ready to plant out a few months later[2]. Cuttings. Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2026-02-20. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Casearia+sylvestris>

Pollinators

Bees

References

  1. [1]Food Plants in the Americas: A Survey of the Domesticated, Cultivated, and Wild Plants Used for Human Food in North, — Kermath B.M.; Bennett B.C.' Pulsipher L.M. · 2014 ↩︎A pre-publication draft of an amazing, on-going work first started in 1985. It contains information on more than 3,900 taxa from the Americas - from Arctic regions to the Tropics
  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]Iracambi Medicinal Plants — Gallia. E. · 2003 · http://www.iracambi.com/english/herbarium.shtml ↩︎Basic iInformation on 14 plants of the Atlantic Rainforest in Brazil.
  4. [4]Wildland Shrubs of the United States and its Territories: Thamnic Descriptions — Francis J.K. (Editor) · USDA; Forest Service International Institute of Tropical Forestr · 2000 · http://www.fs.fed.us/global/iitf/wildland_shrubs.htm ↩︎An excellent series of papers, in PDF format, from various authors giving quite detailed information on a range of shrubs growing in the United States and its Territories. It can be downloaded from the Internet.
  5. [5]Common Trees of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands — Little E.L.; Wadsworth F.H. · USDA, Forest Service; Washington. · 1964 ↩︎Contains detailed information, and usually an illustration, on 250 tree species, including both native and exotic species.
  6. [6]Flora of Guatemala — Standley P.C. & J. A. Steyermark · 1946 - 1976 · http://www.archive.org/ ↩︎A superb reference, though somewhat dated. Gives lots of plant uses as well as information on plant habit and habitat. The entire flora (13 volumes) can now be downloaded from http://www.archive.org/
  7. [7]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.
  8. [8]IUCN Red List of Threatened Species — http://www.iucnredlist.org/ ↩︎A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat.
  9. [9]Diccionario das Plantas Uteis do Brasil — Correa M.P. · Imprensa Nacional; Rio de Janeiro · 1926 ↩︎A massive work in 6 volumes giving details of the various uses of Brazilian plants.
  10. [10]Medicinal Plants of Brazil — Mors W.B.; Rizzini C.T.; Pereira N.A. · Reference Publications; Michigan. · 2000 · ISBN 0-917256-42-5 ↩︎An extremely concise book, listing approximately 1,500 species and varieties of plants with their botanical name, common name in Brazil, regions in Brazil where the plant is found, a brief list of uses and any medically active compounds in the plant.
  11. [11]Levantamento de plantas medicinais arbóreas e ocorrência em Floresta Ombrófila Mista — Pedroso K. et al · 2007 · ISBN 1808-0251 ↩︎
  12. [12]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.
  13. [13]Medicinal Plants of Asia and the Pacific — Wiart C. · CRC Press, Taylor & Francis Group; Florida. · 2006 · ISBN 0-8493-7245-3 ↩︎An excellent look at a range of plants, in particular focussing on the active principles that could be responsible for the medical activities.
  14. [14]CosIng — http://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/ ↩︎CosIng is the European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients.
  15. [PFAF]Plants for a Future — pfaf.org ↩︎