Sterculia xolocotzii
Sterculia xolocotzii
Safety & Hazards
None known
Cultivation Details
Plants take several years from seed before maturing, and are usually at least 15 metres tall beofre producing seed[1]. S. xolocotzii is considered deciduous in that all the leaves of one flush typically fall at roughly the same time before the next flush. Nevertheless, the tree does not remain leafless for an extended period, and at times a fair number of mature leaves remain on the tree as a new flush begins[2]. Flowering, leaf flush, and the fall of mature leaves of the previous flush are all closely associated annual events that occur in the dry season[2]. Fruits take a year or nearly so to mature[2]
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[3]. The aril surrounding the seed should also be removed - this is easiest when it has been softened through soaking in water[3]. 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[3]. Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2026-02-20. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Sterculia+xolocotzii>
Pollinators
Data unavailable
References
- [1]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.
- [2]Stercularia xolocotzii (Sterculaceae), a new species of rain forest canopy tree from the Isthmus Tehuantepac, Mexico — Wendt T. & Taylor E.L. · 1999 ↩︎
- [3]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.