Polygonaceae FAMILY
Triplaris melaenodendron
Triplaris melaenodendron
Edibility
0/5
Medicinal
0/5
Safety & Hazards
Hollow branches on the tree are almost invariably inhabited by savage ants that inflict painful bites when the tree is molested[1].
Cultivation Details
HabitEvergreen Tree
Growth—
A plant of mainly lowland areas in the moist Tropics, though it can be found at elevations up to 1,200 metres. It succeeds in areas with all-year-round rainfall as well as areas that have a distinct dry season[2]. The stumps send up sprouts after the tree has been felled[1]. A dioecious species, both male and female forms need to be grown if seed is required.
Propagation
Seed - Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2026-02-20. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Triplaris+melaenodendron>
Pollinators
Data unavailable
References
- [1]Flora of Guatemala — Standley P.C. & J. A. Steyermark · 1946 - 1976 · http://www.archive.org/ ↩︎A superb reference, though somewhat dated. Gives lots of plant uses as well as information on plant habit and habitat. The entire flora (13 volumes) can now be downloaded from http://www.archive.org/
- [2]Flora of Costa Rica — Standley P.C. · Field Museum of Natural History; Chicago · 1938 · http://www.archive.org/ ↩︎Rather dated, but an excellent treatment of the area. Available for download from the internet.
- [3]Tropical Timbers of the World. Ag. Handbook No. 607. — Chudnoff. Martin. · USDA Forest Service. Wisconsin. · 1984 ↩︎Terse details on the properties of the wood of almost 400 species of trees from the Tropics.