Melia volkensii
Melia volkensii
Safety & Hazards
None known
Cultivation Details
A plant of the drier tropics, where it is found at elevations from 350 - 1,680 metres. It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 20 - 28°c, but can tolerate 16 - 32°c[1]. It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 500 - 800mm, but tolerates 300 - 1,000mm[1]. Grows best in a sunny position[1]. Succeeds in most soils; including sandy, clay and shallow stony soils, but preferably with good drainage[2]. Prefers a pH in the range 6 - 7, tolerating 5.5 - 7.5[1]. Established plants are very drought tolerant[2]. The tree coppices well and is fast growing, with a rotation of 10 - 15 years[2]. The trees have been reported to start flowering as early as 2 - 3 years old from seed[2].
Propagation
Seed - there are conflicting reports on whether the seed can be stored, so it is probably wise to try and sow the seed as soon as it is ripe[2]. One of the factors that limits the use of this species is seed dormancy. The type of dormancy is not yet completely known but it seems to be caused by the extremely hard endocarp and/or the seed coat. There are effective ways of pre-treatment but they are all very labour intensive. To get optimal germination the seeds must first be extracted using a knife to remove the endocarp. After extraction the caruncle is removed and the seedcoat is nicked or cut with a knife. Extracted seeds are very susceptible to fungal infections so extraction should wait until just before sowing[2]. The traditional method of pre-treatment, using stones that have been eaten and excreted by animals, only improves germination slightly[2]. Extracted and scarified seeds will normally germinate very quickly. Before sowing it is recommended to soak the seeds in water for 18 hours[2]. Optimal temperature for germination is 25 - 37°c - studies have shown that germinating seeds are damaged by higher or lower temperatures[2]. As a result of this, it is strongly recommended to shade seedbeds and only water early in the morning and late in the evening when soil temperatures are low[2]. The seedlings are highly susceptible to damping-off[2]. Vegetative propagation by root cuttings is possible while there has been little success using stem cuttings as rooting is difficult[2]. Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2026-02-20. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Melia+volkensii>
Pollinators
Bees
References
- [1]Ecocrop — http://ecocrop.fao.org/ecocrop/srv/en/home ↩︎Basic information on a wide range of useful plants, plus details of environmental needs where available.
- [2]Seed Leaflets — Various · Forest & Landscape. Denmark · http://en.sl.life.ku.dk/Publikationer/Udgivelser/PopulaerPublikationer.aspx?katid={D28373CC-6EF3-4EF8-B097-6D83FABF209E}&serieid={9F1C3DB1-6E7B-4CF1-AF53-F480B0CB40EF}&sort=title ↩︎A series of leaflets, jointly produced by the University of Copenhagen and the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, focussing on seed information for a number species, but also giving a lot of other information about each plant.
- [3]Flora of Somalia — Thulin M. (Editor) · Kew Publishing, London. · 1993 ↩︎Detailed information on the plants of the region, often adding notes on the plants uses.
- [4]World Agroforesty Centre — http://www.worldagroforestry.org/ ↩︎An excellent online database of a huge range of trees giving very good information on each plant - its uses, ecology, identity, propagation, pests etc.