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Tetrapleura tetraptera
Fabaceae FAMILY

Tetrapleura tetraptera

Tetrapleura tetraptera

Edibility
3/5
Medicinal
3/5

Safety & Hazards

The seedpod has been used as a fish poison[1].

Cultivation Details

HabitDeciduous Tree
Growth—

A plant of the moist tropical lowlands, where it is found at elevations up to 600 metres[2]. It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures fall within the range 25 - 30°c, but can tolerate 20 - 35°c[2]. It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 1,700 - 3,000mm, tolerating 1,200 - 5,000mm[2]. Requires a sunny position[2]. Grows best in a light to medium, well-drained soil[2]. Prefers a pH in the range 4.5 - 6.5, tolerating 4 - 7[2].

Propagation

Seed - sown in a nursery seedbed or individual containers, they usually take about 6 days to germinate[3]. Pot them up into individual containers when they are about five weeks old. They can then be planted out about 3 weeks later[4].. Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2026-02-20. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Tetrapleura+tetraptera>

Pollinators

Data unavailable

References

  1. [1]Tetrapleura tetraptera in Ghana, Nigeria and Uganda: households uses and local market — Kemigisha E. et al · 2018 · https://doi.org/10.1080/14728028.2018.1498027 · ISBN 2164-3075 ↩︎
  2. [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. [3]World Agroforesty Centre — http://www.worldagroforestry.org/ ↩︎An excellent online database of a huge range of trees giving very good information on each plant - its uses, ecology, identity, propagation, pests etc.
  4. [4]Manual for the Propagation and Cultivation of Medicinal Plants of Ghana. — Amponsah K., Crensil O’R., Odamtten G.T., Ofusohene-Djan W. · Aburi Botanic Garden; Ghana. · 2002 ↩︎A nice, concise guide, it details some of the medicinal uses of plants from Ghana. Available as a PDF file on the Internet.
  5. [5]Cornucopia II — Facciola. S. · Kampong Publications, California. · 1998 · ISBN 0-9628087-2-5 ↩︎The second edition of an excellent guide to the edible uses of plants, though it does not give any details of cultivation etc.
  6. [6]The Leguminosae; A Source Book of Characteristics, Uses and Nodulation — Allen O.N.; Allen E.K. · University of Wisconsin · 1981 · ISBN 0-333-32221-5 ↩︎An amazing and comprehensive work, giving a brief guide to the many genera of the family Fabaceae and also the principle uses of the genus.
  7. [7]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.