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Sterculia pruriens
Malvaceae FAMILY Least Concern

Sterculia pruriens

Sterculia pruriens

Edibility
0/5
Medicinal
2/5

Safety & Hazards

None known

Cultivation Details

HabitTree
Growth—

The plant is not fussy as to soil conditions, succeeding in most sites, including where the drainage is poor, and thriving in poor sandy soils[1].

Propagation

A physical dormancy caused by the hard seed coat of the mature seeds of many species in this genus can be overcome by scarifying the seed. This is carried out by cutting away or abrading some of the seed coat to allow the ingress of water, though great care must be taken not to damage the embryo[2]. The aril surrounding the seed should also be removed - this is easiest when it has been softened through soaking in water[2]. The seeds germinate optimally at temperatures between 20 - 30°c. They can be sown in a nursery seedbed or in containers. A germination rate of about 95%, occurring within about 2 weeks can be expected if the seed has been properly treated[2]. Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2026-02-20. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Sterculia+pruriens>

Pollinators

Data unavailable

References

  1. [1]Present and Potential Commercial Timbers of the Caribbean — Longwood.F.R. · USDA Forest Service; Washington, DC. · 1962 ↩︎Quite detailed information on more than 60 species of Caribbean timber trees, giving species descriptions, habitat, detailed info on the wood and some info on other uses. Available for download on the internet.
  2. [2]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.
  3. [3]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.
  4. [4]Fruits of the Guianan Flora — van Roosmalen. M.G.M. · Institute of Systematic Boyany, Utrecht University; Netherlands. · 1985 · ISBN 90-9000988-4 ↩︎Terse descriptions of over 1,700 species from the Guianas that bear fruits - not necessarily edible! Often mentions if the fruit is edible, plus gives brief description of habit and habitat.
  5. [5]Botanical Museum Leaflets Vol 29 — Harvard University; Cambridge, Massachusetts. · 1983 · http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org ↩︎Some interesting notes on plant uses in tropical America. It can be downloaded from the Internet.
  6. [6]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
  7. [7]Contributions to The Flora of Venezuela. — Steyermark J.A. Et al · Chicago Natural History Museum; Chicago. · 1951 - 1957 · http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org ↩︎An excellent flora, though made at a time when botanical knowledge of the areas was still very lacking.
  8. [8]Tropix 7 — CIRAD · http://tropix.cirad.fr/en ↩︎An on-line guide to the timbers of 245 species of trees.
  9. [PFAF]Plants for a Future — pfaf.org ↩︎