Trema orientalis
Trema orientalis
Safety & Hazards
None known
Cultivation Details
Charcoal tree is a plant of the lowland humid tropics, where it can be found at elevations from sea level up to 2,500 metres[1]. It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 15 - 27°c, but can tolerate 8 - 34°c[2]. When dormant, the plant can survive temperatures down to about -2°c, but young growth can be severely damaged at -1°c[2]. It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 1,500 - 3,000mm, but tolerates 1,000 - 4,000mm[2]. Grows best in a sunny position[2]. Requires a well-drained, sandy soil[3, 1]. Succeeds on a wide range of soils from heavy clay to light sand; tolerating moderate alkalinity and salinity[1]. The plant has an extensive root system, which enables it to withstand dry periods[1]. Prefers a pH in the range 5.5 - 6.5, tolerating 4.5 - 7.5[2]. A very fast growing tree, attaining a harvestable size for pulpwood in 3 - 4 years[1]. It coppices well[1]. The tree has an extensive root system that enables it to survive long periods of drought[1]. The species is intolerant of fire[1].
Propagation
Seed - to break dormancy, the seed needs to be stored at 2°c for 3 - 4 months[1]. Seeds require a high light intensity for germination. Germination rate is around 30%[1]. Seed storage behaviour is uncertain; viability can be maintained for 6 months in hermetic storage at room temperature, after which viability reduces rapidly[1]. Cuttings. Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2026-02-20. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Trema+orientalis>
Pollinators
Data unavailable
References
- [1]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.
- [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]Flora of China — Missouri Botanical Garden Press; St. Louis. · 1994 · http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/china/ ↩︎An excellent, comprehensive resource in 25 volumes. In addition to the botanical information the flora also gives basic information on habitat and some uses. An on-line version is also available.
- [4]Plants and People of Nepal — Manandhar. N. P. · Timber Press. Oregon. · 2002 · ISBN 0-88192-527-6 ↩︎Excellent book, covering over 1,500 species of useful plants from Nepal together with information on the geography and peoples of Nepal. Good descriptions of the plants with terse notes on their uses.
- [5]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.