Cultivation Details
A plant of the lowland, moist tropics, where it is found at elevations from near sea level to 600 metres[1]. It prefers areas in which the mean annual temperature is within the range 24 - 30°c[1, 2]. It grows in areas where the mean annual rainfall is in excess of 2,500mm[4, 1]. Succeeds in full sun or light shade[5]. Succeeds in light to heavy, acidic soils[4]. Plants are tolerant of waterlogged soils[5]. Young plants usually establish well and grow away quickly[5]. When grown in a sunny position they can start flowering when only two years old[1]. The flowers are a good source of nectar[5]. 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[6].
Propagation
Seed - of very short viability, even when handled carefully and kept moist most seeds will not germinate after one week[1]. They are best sown as soon as ripe in individual containers in a position in light shade[5]. It is preferable to sow the seeds with the pointed end down[1]. Cover seeds with 10mm of soil and do not allow to dry out. The germination rate is usually high, with up to 90% of seeds sprouting in 30 - 40 days[5]. Seedlings can be planted into their permanent positions after 4 - 5 months when 25 - 40cm tall[1, 5]. Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2026-02-20. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Pentaclethra+macroloba>
Pollinators
Bees, Insects
References
- [1]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.
- [2]Tropical Tree Seed Manual — Vosso. J. Editor. · USDA Forest Service. · 2002 · http://www.rngr.net/Publications/ttsm ↩︎An extremely good guide, it can also be downloaded in its entirety from the address shown above.
- [3]Medicinal Plants of the Guianas — DeFilipps, R. A.; Maina, S. L.; & Crepin, J. · Smithsonian Museum · http://botany.si.edu/bdg/medicinal/index.html ↩︎A down-loadable PDF document of a book in pre-publication awaiting illustration. An excellent, if rather terse, guide to the traditional medicinal uses of the plants of the region
- [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.
- [5]Brazilian Trees. Volume 2. 4th Edition. — Lorenzi. H. · Instituto Plantarum De Estudos Da Flora; Brazil. · 2002 · ISBN 85-86714-15-1 ↩︎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.
- [6]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.
- [7]Herbal Review. Vol.11. 3. — The Herb Society · The Herb Society · 1986 · ISBN 0264-9853 ↩︎A very interesting article on the stinging nettle, Urtica dioica, giving a lot of information on its uses. Also details on Tanacetum parthenifolium and Melaleuca alternifolium.
- [8]Timbers of British Guiana — Stone H.: Freeman W.G. · The Crown Agents for the Colonies: London. · 1914 · http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org ↩︎A guide to the woods of Guiana, though there is no description of the plants. It can be downloaded from the Internet.