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Malvaceae FAMILY Endangered

Dombeya biumbellata

Dombeya biumbellata

Edibility
0/5
Medicinal
2/5

Safety & Hazards

None known

Cultivation Details

HabitTree
Growth—

In cultivation, species in this genus generally grow best in a moist but well-drained, fertile soil and a position in full sun or partial shade[1]. Dombeya biumbellata is frequently planted near villages. The fibre is easy to extract and process. Formerly the bark was beaten with a mallet to obtain barkcloth, later the fibre was extracted by crushing the bark, after which the fibre was combed or scutched, making it suitable for spinning and weaving. Nowadays, the bark is retted to obtain the fibre. The fibre is stored to have it at hand when needed[2].

Propagation

Seed is very small but can be extracted from fully ripened, dry flower heads. Its viability declines within 3 months, so fresh seed has to be used for sowing. Seed is to be sown in properly drained seedbeds. Seedlings emerge in about 3 weeks[2]. Cuttings of semi-ripe wood, preferably with some bottom heat to encourage rooting[3]. Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2026-02-20. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Dombeya+biumbellata>

Pollinators

Data unavailable

References

  1. [1]Encyclopedia of Tropical Plants - Identification and Cultivation of over 3,000 Tropical Plants — Ahmed Fayaz · Firefly Books Ltd.; New Zealand · 2011 · ISBN 978-1-55407-489 ↩︎A good photograph and terse but detailed information for over 3,000 species of tropical plants. An excellent reference.
  2. [2]Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa. — http://www.prota.org ↩︎An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa.
  3. [3]The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. — Huxley. A. · MacMillan Press · 1992 · ISBN 0-333-47494-5 ↩︎Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
  4. [4]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.