Fagaceae FAMILY

Lithocarpus hystrix

Edibility

1/5

Medicinal

0/5

Safety & Hazards

None known

Cultivation Details

HabitEvergreen Tree

Growth—

Lithocarpus hystrix is a plant of the moist tropics, where it is usually found at elevations up to 1,300 metres^[1]. The varous species in this genus usually grow in regions where there can be year-round rainfall, generally disliking dry seasons. In the wild, Lithocarpus species are mainly found in well-drained soils, often growing on slopes. In cultivation most species are tolerant of a range of soil textures and prefer an acid to neutral pH. Young plants usually grow sucessfully in the shade of woodland, but older trees like a more sunny position. This species is often found in the wild in yellow, sandy-clay soils.

Propagation

Seed - it quickly loses viability if it is allowed to dry out. It can be stored moist and cool, but is best sown as soon as it is ripe in an outdoor seed bed, though it must be protected from mice, squirrels etc. Small quantities of seed can be sown in deep pots in a cold frame. Plants produce a deep taproot and need to be planted out into their permanent positions as soon as possible, in fact seed sown in situ will produce the best trees^[2]. Trees should not be left in a nursery bed for more than 2 growing seasons without being moved or they will transplant very badly. Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2026-02-20. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Lithocarpus+hystrix>

Pollinators

Insects, Wind

References

[1]Tree Flora of Sabah and Sarawak Vols 1 - 6 — Soepadmo E.; Saw L.G.; Chung R.C.K. (Editors) · Forest Research Institute Malaysia; Kuala Lumpur. · 2002 · ISBN 983-2181-27-5 ↩︎A flora of the woody plants of Sabah and Sarawak on the island of Borneo, often giving details of plant uses.
[2]Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. — Bean. W. · Murray · 1981 · ISBN - ↩︎A classic with a wealth of information on the plants, but poor on pictures.
[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
[PFAF]Plants for a Future — pfaf.org ↩︎