Heliocarpus popayanensis
Heliocarpus popayanensis
Safety & Hazards
None known
Cultivation Details
Grows best in a sunny position[1]. Prefers a clayey, very fertile soil in the wild[1]. The plant produces large quantities of wind-dispersed seeds each year. This has helped it to escape from cultivation in Hawaii, where it has become somewhat invasive[2]. A very fast-growing plant, easily able to reach a height of 5 metres within 2 years from seed[1].
Propagation
Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a partially shaded position in a nursery seedbed. A high germination rate can usually be expected, with the seed sprouting within 10 - 12 days[1]. When the seedlings are 3 - 5cm tall, pot them up into individual containers and they should be ready to plant out less than 4 months later[1]. The seed has a viability in excess of 3 months in storage[1]. Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2026-02-20. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Heliocarpus+popayanensis>
Pollinators
Data unavailable
References
- [1]Brazilian Trees. Volume 1. 4th Edition. — Lorenzi. H. · Instituto Plantarum De Estudos Da Flora; Brazil. · 2002 · ISBN 85-86714-17-8 ↩︎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]Pacific Island Ecosystems at Risk — http://www.hear.org/pier/scientificnames/index.html ↩︎A very good website detailing weed species that have been introduced into the Pacific Islands.
- [3]Woods of Northeastern Peru — Williams L. · Field Museum Press; Chicago. · 1936 · http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/ ↩︎Gives information on the properties of the wood of well over 1,000 species of woody plants from northeastern Peru. Can be downloaded from the Internet.
- [4]Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden Vol. 36 — Missouri Botanical Gardens; Mass. · 1949 · http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org ↩︎A botanical journal, it contains a monograph of the genus Heliocarpus. It can be downloaded from the Internet.
- [5]Flora of Peru — Macbride. J.F. · Field Museum of Natural History · 1936 ↩︎An excellent attempt at a Flora of Peru, though it is clear that many of the plants were imperfectly known at that time and so information on them was sketchy. Available for download from the Internet.