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Ptaeroxylon obliquum
Rutaceae FAMILY

Ptaeroxylon obliquum

Ptaeroxylon obliquum

Edibility
0/5
Medicinal
2/5

Safety & Hazards

The wood dust is very irritating and may cause violent sneezing[1]. Highly irritant, aromatic peppery oils, containing nieshoutol, are produced by the wood, causing violent sneezing by woodworkers after sawing or sanding[2].

Cultivation Details

HabitDeciduous Tree
Growth—

A plant of tropical and subtropical areas, where it is found at elevations from sea level to about 2,000 metres[1]. Tolerates moderate levels of frost[1]. Thrives best in shale or lime soils, though it also succeeds in well-drained sandy or rocky soils[1]. Established plants are drought tolerant[1]. The tree grows moderately fast, achieving annual increments of 40 - 100cm in height under good conditions[1]. Trees can be managed by coppicing, showing regrowth in about 75% of cut stems[1]. Natural regeneration often occurs in forest margins, but saplings have also been recorded in Pinus plantations in South Africa. Regeneration may be abundant after severe opening of the forest canopy, and seedlings may cover the bare forest floor after disturbance[1]. Dioecious, both male and female forms need to be grown if seed is required.

Propagation

Seed - pre-treatment before sowing is not necessary. The seed can be sown in an equal mixture of river sand and compost, and should be covered by a thin layer of sand. The germination rate of fresh seed is generally high, but seeds lose their viability rapidly, within a few months. It is recommended to transplant seedlings when they have 3 leaves[1]. Root suckers can also be used for propagation[1]. Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2026-02-20. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Ptaeroxylon+obliquum>

Pollinators

Data unavailable

References

  1. [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. [2]PlantZAfrica.com — http://www.plantzafrica.com ↩︎An excellent site giving detailed descriptions and uses of many S. African plants.
  3. [3]Dictionary of Economic Plants. — Uphof. J. C. Th. · Weinheim · 1959 · ISBN - ↩︎An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.
  4. [4]Field Guide to the Moist Forest Trees of Tanzania. — Lovett J.C.; Ruffo C.K.; Gereau R.E.; Taplin J.R.D · Frontier · http://www.york.ac.uk/res/celp/webpages/projects/ecology/tree%20guide/introduction.htm · ISBN 1-873070-33-0 ↩︎A lovely little book giving a basic identification guide to more than 650 species of trees growing in Tanzania. It is also available to view on the internet.