Clusiaceae FAMILY

Clusia hilariana

Edibility

2/5

Medicinal

2/5

Safety & Hazards

None known

Cultivation Details

HabitEvergreen Tree

GrowthFast

Grows best in a sunny position^[1]. Plants are always found in very sandy soils in the wild^[1]. Young plants have a fast rate of growth^[1]. This species is unique in that it belongs to the only genus of plants capable of absorbing carbon dioxide during the night^[2]. A dioecious species, both male and female forms need to be grown if fruit and seed are required^[1].

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a partially shaded position in a nursery seedbed. A germination rate of virtually 100% can be expected, with the seed sprouting within 15 - 20 days^[1]. Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2026-02-20. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Clusia+hilariana>

Pollinators

Data unavailable

References

[1]Brazilian Trees. Volume 3. — Lorenzi. H. · Instituto Plantarum De Estudos Da Flora; Brazil. · 2009 · ISBN 85-86714-34-4 ↩︎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.
[2]Jardineiro.Net — http://www.jardineiro.net/br/index.php ↩︎A Brazilian gardening site, giving cultivation details for a large number of species.
[3]An Illustrated Dictionary of Medicine, Biology and Allied Sciences. — Gould G.M. · P. Blakiston's Son & Co.; Philadelphia. · 1907 · http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org ↩︎A major work at the time, though very dated now. Contains quite a lot of information about medicinal plant uses.