Endospermum medullosum

Cultivation Details

A plant of the lowland, humid tropics, where it can be found at elevations up to 350 metres. It grows best in areas where the mean annual temperature is between 22 - 28°c and the mean annual rainfall is 1,500 - 5,600mm, uniformly distributed^[1]. Requires a sunny position^[1]. Succeeds in a wide range of soils, especially alluvial soils^[1]. Tolerant of seasonal inundation with a few weeks of up to 1 metre depth of water^[1]. Trees of all ages have good cyclone resistance, mainly losing leaves and lateral branches during strong winds^[1]. Succeds in soils with a pH in the range 4 - 7.4^[1]. The tree is potentially invasive if cultivated outside its native range^[1]. A very fast growing plant, increasing in height by up to 2.5 - 3 metres a year for the first 10 years, after which growth slows^[1]. Flowering and fruiting generally first occur when the tree is about 3 - 4 years old, though large quantities of seed are not produced until the age of 4 - 6 years^[1]. The tree coppices well up to the age of 3 - 4 years, results thereafter are somewhat mixed^[1]. It pollards well, even in older specimens^[1]. On fertile sites, wood yields of 20 - 30 cubic metres per hectare per year can be obtained^[1]. A dioecious species, both male and female forms need to be grown if fruit and seed are required^[1].