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Useful Tropical Plants

Brosimum rubescens

Taub.

Moraceae

+ Synonyms

Brosimum paraense Huber

Common Name: Bloodwood Cacique

Brosimum rubescens
Fruits and seed
Photograph by: C. E. Timothy Paine
Creative Commons License

General Information

Bloodwood Cacique is an evergreen tree with a small crown; it can grow up to 40 metres tall but us ally smaller[
369
Title
Flora of Costa Rica
Publication
 
Author
Standley P.C.
Website
http://www.archive.org/
Publisher
Field Museum of Natural History; Chicago
Year
1938
ISBN
 
Description
Rather dated, but an excellent treatment of the area. Available for download from the internet.
,
625
Title
Brazilian Trees. Volume 3.
Publication
 
Author
Lorenzi. H.
Publisher
Instituto Plantarum De Estudos Da Flora; Brazil.
Year
2009
ISBN
85-86714-34-4
Description
Information on 350 species of Brazilian trees. Stunning photographs of each species, brief details on the plant, its uses and how to grow it from seed. A superb work, with the minor irritation that the translation from Portuguese is not of the best.
]. The straight bole has high prop roots and can be 50 - 70cm in diameter[
626
Title
Influence of extracts of Stryphnodendron polyphyllum and S.obovatum on the cicatrisation of cutaneous wounds in rats
Publication
 
Author
Lopes G.C. et al
Publisher
Journal of Ethnopharmacology
Year
2005 (June)
ISBN
 
Description
A research paper into the effectiveness of two species of plants at healing wounds.
]. The tree is apparently without buttresses[
369
Title
Flora of Costa Rica
Publication
 
Author
Standley P.C.
Website
http://www.archive.org/
Publisher
Field Museum of Natural History; Chicago
Year
1938
ISBN
 
Description
Rather dated, but an excellent treatment of the area. Available for download from the internet.
].
The tree is commonly exploited in the wild for its high quality wood, which is exported to many countries[
46
Title
Dictionary of Economic Plants.
Publication
 
Author
Uphof. J. C. Th.
Publisher
Weinheim
Year
1959
ISBN
-
Description
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.
].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

369
Title
Flora of Costa Rica
Publication
 
Author
Standley P.C.
Website
http://www.archive.org/
Publisher
Field Museum of Natural History; Chicago
Year
1938
ISBN
 
Description
Rather dated, but an excellent treatment of the area. Available for download from the internet.

Range

S. America - Brazil, Bolivia and Peru, north through Central America to Panama and Costa Rica.

Habitat

Wet evergreen forests at low elevations[
369
Title
Flora of Costa Rica
Publication
 
Author
Standley P.C.
Website
http://www.archive.org/
Publisher
Field Museum of Natural History; Chicago
Year
1938
ISBN
 
Description
Rather dated, but an excellent treatment of the area. Available for download from the internet.
].

Properties

Medicinal Rating *  *
Other Uses Rating *  *  *  *
HabitEvergreen Tree
Height30.00 m
Growth RateMedium
Cultivation StatusWild

Cultivation Details


Prefers a position with some shade[
625
Title
Brazilian Trees. Volume 3.
Publication
 
Author
Lorenzi. H.
Publisher
Instituto Plantarum De Estudos Da Flora; Brazil.
Year
2009
ISBN
85-86714-34-4
Description
Information on 350 species of Brazilian trees. Stunning photographs of each species, brief details on the plant, its uses and how to grow it from seed. A superb work, with the minor irritation that the translation from Portuguese is not of the best.
].
Newly planted young trees have a moderate rate of growth[
625
Title
Brazilian Trees. Volume 3.
Publication
 
Author
Lorenzi. H.
Publisher
Instituto Plantarum De Estudos Da Flora; Brazil.
Year
2009
ISBN
85-86714-34-4
Description
Information on 350 species of Brazilian trees. Stunning photographs of each species, brief details on the plant, its uses and how to grow it from seed. A superb work, with the minor irritation that the translation from Portuguese is not of the best.
].

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

The latex is drunk as a medication for colds or for coughing[
348
Title
Medicinal Plants of the Guianas
Publication
 
Author
DeFilipps, R. A.; Maina, S. L.; & Crepin, J.
Website
http://botany.si.edu/bdg/medicinal/index.html
Publisher
Smithsonian Museum
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
A down-loadable PDF document of a book in pre-publication awaiting illustration. An excellent, if rather terse, guide to the traditional medicinal uses of the plants of the region
].

Other Uses

The heartwood is dark red, often with darker veins; it is clearly demarcated from the 4 - 20cm wide band of sapwood. The texture is fine; the grain straight or interlocked. The wood is very hard, dense, very heavy; durable, with a high resistance to wood-eating organisms. It is slow to season, with only a slight risk of checking or distortion; once dry it is stable in service. The wood has a fairly high blunting effect, stellite-tipped and tungsten carbide tools are recommended; it finishes well with a beautiful polish; nailing and screwing are good, but pre-boring is required; gluing is correct for internal purposes, but requires care because of the denseness of the wood. A very good quality wood, it is used for making high value items such as furniture, musical instruments, parquet flooring, wood ware, turned goods and fancy carpentry[
46
Title
Dictionary of Economic Plants.
Publication
 
Author
Uphof. J. C. Th.
Publisher
Weinheim
Year
1959
ISBN
-
Description
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.
,
625
Title
Brazilian Trees. Volume 3.
Publication
 
Author
Lorenzi. H.
Publisher
Instituto Plantarum De Estudos Da Flora; Brazil.
Year
2009
ISBN
85-86714-34-4
Description
Information on 350 species of Brazilian trees. Stunning photographs of each species, brief details on the plant, its uses and how to grow it from seed. A superb work, with the minor irritation that the translation from Portuguese is not of the best.
,
848
Title
Tropix 7
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://tropix.cirad.fr/en
Publisher
CIRAD
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An on-line guide to the timbers of 245 species of trees.
].

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe. Sow in individual containers, placed in partial shade. Germination rates are usually low, with the seed sprouting within 40 - 60 days[
625
Title
Brazilian Trees. Volume 3.
Publication
 
Author
Lorenzi. H.
Publisher
Instituto Plantarum De Estudos Da Flora; Brazil.
Year
2009
ISBN
85-86714-34-4
Description
Information on 350 species of Brazilian trees. Stunning photographs of each species, brief details on the plant, its uses and how to grow it from seed. A superb work, with the minor irritation that the translation from Portuguese is not of the best.
].
Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2024-03-28. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Brosimum+rubescens>

Comments

A. C. 28th April 2015 15:14
Do you know where I can find seeds of Brosimum Paraense, a closely-related species? I've been searching with vary little luck. Thanks.
AC

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