Lovoa trichilioides

Cultivation Details

A plant of the moist tropics, where it is found at elevations up to 1,200 metres. It grows in areas where the mean annual rainfall is in the range 1,000 - 2,800mm and the mean annual temperature ranges from 20 - 29°c^{[1, 2]}. Prefers a moist but free draining locality on alluvial soils^[1]. Often found on acid soils in the wild^[1]. Young trees grow best if they are given some shade, though older trees prefer sunnier conditions^[1]. Early growth is generally slow, with planted seedlings reaching 100 cm height in 2 years and 150 cm in 3 years^[1]. In exceptional cases trees can reach a height of 2.5 metres after 1 year^[1]. After the first few years, growth becomes faster, and there are records of young trees attaining 9 metres in height after 7 years^[1]. In plantations in Uganda an average bole diameter of 25cm was reached after 25 years, whereas in Nigeria and Cameroon a mean annual diameter increment of 10 - 18mm was recorded^[1]. In experiments in Gabon, 11-year-old trees planted in light shadow were 20 metres tall and 16.5 cm in diameter, whereas growth of trees planted in full sun was slower^[1]. In natural forest the mean annual diameter increment is about 5 mm^[1]. Natural regeneration is often abundant, although the seed suffers heavy predation. Seedlings of about 20 cm tall may be abundant even in full shade, where they may survive for several years, but saplings only grow where gaps develop in the forest canopy^[1].