Harpullia arborea
Harpullia arborea
Safety & Hazards
The bark contains saponins and is used as a fish poison[1].
Cultivation Details
A plant of tropical regions. In a sheltered position, the tree can tolerate a small amount of frost[2]. Prefers a position in full sun[2]. Found in the wild on fertile soils of clay, loam, or sand, in limestone areas or on volcanic soils[3]. Succeeds in any well-drained but moisture-retentive soil[2]. Add additional organic matter to light soils[2]. Grows best in a position sheltered from strong winds[2]. A fast-growing tree[2]. Plants can flower and produce fruit throughout the year[3]. A dioecious species - both male and female forms need to be grown if seed is required[2].
Propagation
Seed - pre-soak for 24 hours in warm water[2]. Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2026-02-20. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Harpullia+arborea>
Pollinators
Data unavailable
References
- [1]Biotik, Laos — http://biotik.org/species_list_laos.html ↩︎Information on more than 100 species of Laotian trees.
- [2]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.
- [3]Flora Malesiana Series 1 — Various · Nationaal Herbarium Nederiand, Universiteit Leiden branch · http://www.archive.org ↩︎A massive treatment of the plants of the Malaysian Archipelago. Much of it has been made available to download from the Internet
- [4]Guide to the Trees of Papua New Guinea — Conn. B.J. & Damas. K.Q. · http://www.pngplants.org/PNGtrees/ ↩︎An Internet site giving good descriptions of the trees of Papua New Guinea.
- [5]Tropical and Subtropical Trees - A Worldwide Encyclopaedic Guide. — Barwick. M. · Thames & Hudson, London · 2004 · ISBN 0-500-51181-0 ↩︎A superb book, very concise and well written, giving a wealth of information on 400 or more species including descriptions, habitat, cultivation details and plant uses. A wealth of colour photographs bring each plant vividly to life.
- [6]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.