Shirakiopsis elliptica
Shirakiopsis elliptica
Safety & Hazards
The plant is considered to be very poisonous and a very drastic purgative[1]. A white slightly gummy latex in the fruits, younger twigs and leaves is very caustic to the skin. It is an ingredient of an arrow-poison and has been suspected of criminal use[2]. The bark latex is added to an arrow poison based on Acokanthera schimperi[1].
Cultivation Details
A plant of the moist tropics, where it is found at elevations from 500 - 2,450 metres. It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 20 - 27°c, but can tolerate 16 - 33°c[3]. It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 1,200 - 2,000mm, but tolerates 1,000 - 2,500mm[3]. Requires a sunny position[3]. Prefers a medium to heavy soil of moderate fertility[3]. Prefers a pH in the range 5 - 6.5, tolerating 4.5 - 7[3]. Tolerant of periodic inundation of the soil[3]. Plants respond well to coppicing and pollarding[1].
Propagation
Seed - should be sown in situ because the plant is difficult to transplant[1]. The seeds can be stored for a long period in a container in a cool and dry room without loss of viability[1]. Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2026-02-20. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Shirakiopsis+elliptica>
Pollinators
Data unavailable
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]The Useful Plants of West Tropical Africa. — Burkil. H. M. · Royal Botanic Gardens; Kew. · 1985 - 2004 ↩︎Brief descriptions and details of the uses of over 4,000 plants. A superb, if terse, resource, it is also available electronically on the Web - see http://www.aluka.org/
- [3]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.
- [4]Flora Zambesiaca — http://apps.kew.org/efloras/fz/intro.html ↩︎An excellent online flora of plants from the Zambezi River basin. It lists a number of the plant uses as well as the habitats and botanical descriptions of the plants.