
Ormosia ormondii
Ormosia ormondii
Safety & Hazards
The plants, but especially the seed and perhaps also the bark, of many if not all species in this genus contain alkaloids and are toxic[1].
Cultivation Details
Grows best in a sunny position[2]. Prefers a fertile, well-drained soil[2]. Established plants can tolerate short droughts[2]. The plant is slow-growing when very young, but then speeds up and becomes moderately fast[2]. This species has a symbiotic relationship with certain soil bacteria; these bacteria form nodules on the roots and fix atmospheric nitrogen. Some of this nitrogen is utilized by the growing plant but some can also be used by other plants growing nearby[3].
Propagation
Like many species within the family Fabaceae, once they have been dried for storage the seeds of this species may benefit from scarification before sowing in order to speed up and improve germination. This can usually be done by pouring a small amount of nearly boiling water on the seeds (being careful not to cook them!) and then soaking them for 12 - 24 hours in warm water. By this time they should have imbibed moisture and swollen - if they have not, then carefully make a nick in the seedcoat (being careful not to damage the embryo) and soak for a further 12 hours before sowing[PFAF]. Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2026-02-20. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Ormosia+ormondii>
Pollinators
Insects, Birds
References
- [1]Botanical Museum Leaflets Vol 21 — Botanical Museum; Cambridge, Massachusetts · 1963 - 1967 · http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org ↩︎A series of botanical articles. It can be downloaded from the Internet.
- [2]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.
- [3]Nodulation Plants in GRIN Taxonomy — United States Department of Agriculture · http://www.ars-grin.gov/~sbmljw/cgi-bin/taxnodul.pl?language=en ↩︎An online database listing plants that have either positive or negative reports on root and stem nodulation with nitrogen-fixing bacteria.
- [4]Australian Tropical Rainforest Plants — http://www.anbg.gov.au/cpbr/cd-keys/rfk/index.html ↩︎An online resource giving botanical information, and a little bit about plant usage, for over 2,700 species of plants found in the Australian rainforest.
- [PFAF]Plants for a Future — pfaf.org ↩︎