Coulteria velutina
Coulteria velutina
Safety & Hazards
None known
Cultivation Details
A plant of drier to moist areas in the tropics, where it can be found at elevtions up to 950 metres. It grows best in areas where the mean annual temperatures are around 21°c, though it is said to be able to tolerate occasional frosts[1, 2]. The mean annual rainfall in the range 450 - 2,500mm. It can tolerate up to 8 months dry season a year[1]. Requires an open, well-drained soil[1]. Plants are adaptable to dry, alkaline soils[2]. Prefers a pH around 5.5[1]. This species is believed to be dioecious, in which case both male and female forms need to be grown if fruit and seed are required[1].
Propagation
Seed - sown fresh and still moist, it needs no pre-treatment, but stored seed 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. The seed can be direct-sown with agricultural crops in agroforestry systems to benefit from crop weeding as this is necessary in the early stages[1]. Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2026-02-20. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Coulteria+velutina>
Pollinators
Data unavailable
References
- [1]World Agroforesty Centre — http://www.worldagroforestry.org/ ↩︎An excellent online database of a huge range of trees giving very good information on each plant - its uses, ecology, identity, propagation, pests etc.
- [2]Establishment, growth and biomass production of 10 tree woody species introduced for reforestation and ecological re — Foroughbakhch R. et al · 2006 · http://10.1016/j.foreco.2006.08.012 ↩︎
- [3]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.
- [4]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/