Pericopsis elata
Pericopsis elata
Safety & Hazards
Wood dust may cause irritation to the nose, throat and eyes[1].
Cultivation Details
A plant of the tropics, where it is found at elevations up to 1,000 metres. It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 26 - 35°c, but can tolerate 20 - 40°c[2]. It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 1,000 - 1,300mm, but tolerates 750 - 1,500mm[2]. Grows best in a sunny position[2]. Succeeds in most well-drained soils, preferring one of low fertility[2]. Prefers a pH in the range 6.5 - 7, tolerating 6 - 8[2]. Initial growth may be rapid in suitable conditions, with 7 year old trees 8 metres tall with a bole diameter of 9cm and 16 year old trees 26 metres tall[1]. Plantation trials in Cote d'Ivoire showed growth rates up to 20cm in bole diameter in 20 years[1]. Seedlings are usually found close to mother trees, up to a distance of 35 metres, indicating that the non-dehiscing pods are spread over only short distances, although they may occasionally be spread over longer distances by strong winds[1]. 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
Seed - germination of fresh seed is very rapid, usually within 8 days, both in deep forest shade and in the dappled shade of small gaps in the forest, but the seedlings only develop in the gaps and die in the deep shade[1]. In full sunlight the germination rate is very low, only about 5%[1]. Localities where seedlings receive full sunlight in the morning but which are shaded from direct midday sun have been recorded as ideal for seedling growth[1]. The seedlings are remarkably drought tolerant and can be found on wet as well as dry forest soils[1]. Sowing tests showed that seedlings grow best when the seeds have been covered with 15mm of soil[1]. In experiments, propagation by stem cuttings showed good results[1]. Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2026-02-20. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Pericopsis+elata>
Pollinators
Insects
References
- [1]Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa. — http://www.prota.org ↩︎An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa.
- [2]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.
- [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]IUCN Red List of Threatened Species — http://www.iucnredlist.org/ ↩︎A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat.
- [5]Tropix 7 — CIRAD · http://tropix.cirad.fr/en ↩︎An on-line guide to the timbers of 245 species of trees.