Schistostemon retusum
(Ducke) Cuatrec
Field Museum of Natural History - Botany Department | GDI 2013-2015
What to Eat
Edible parts: Fruit
The fruit is eaten.
Where to Find It
It is a tropical plant.
Amazon, Brazil, Colombia, South America, Venezuela,
How to Identify
A tree. It grows 10-20 m tall. The leaves are almost round and 14 cm long by 8 cm wide.
How to Grow
Succeeds in full sun to moderate shade. More or less indifferent to the moisture levels in the soil. Found in the wild mainly in fertile, clayey soils. A slow-growing tree, even when young.
Propagation: Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a partially shaded position in individual containers. A low germination rate can be expected, with the seed sprouting within 90 - 150 days.
Other Uses
The wood is fine to medium-textured, straight-grained, very heavy, hard, with good mechanical properties and very durable. It is used in general construction for purposes such as beams, scantlings, laths, floor boards and door jambs; for making furniture, door and window frames, lathe work, cart bodies etc.
Names & Synonyms
References (3)
- Duke, J. A. et al, Amazonian Ethnobotanical Dictionary p 153
- Kew Plants of the World On line
- Reis, S. V. and Lipp, F. L., 1982, New Plant Sources for Drugs and Foods from the New York Botanical Garden herbarium. Harvard. p 143
