Common Name:

General Information

Flueggea flexuosa is a deciduous, dioecious shrub or small or rarely medium-sized tree with a compact crown; it can grow up to 10 metres, exceptionally to 30 metres tall[, ]. The bole is often irregular, branchless for up to 6 metres, up to 30cm in diameter, sometimes with indistinct buttresses[].
Within its native range, the tree is extensively planted in gardens and homesteads to provide timber, shade, wind protection etc[].
Rates of habitat loss through logging and shifting cultivation have led to considerable population declines. The plant is classified as 'Vulnerable' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2013)[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

Southeast Asia - Philippines, New Guinea, through the Pacific to Fiji, Samoa, Tonga and Vanuatu.

Habitat

Primary forest at low altitudes and in dense shrub savannah. It is often a pioneer, growing in river floodplains, fallowed fields and abandoned coconut plantations[].

Properties

Weed Potential	Yes
Conservation Status	Vulnerable
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Deciduous Tree
Height	10.00 m
Pollinators	Bees
Self-fertile	No
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Wild

Cultivation Details

A plant of the lowland, humid tropics, where it is found at elevations from sea level up to 900 metres]303]. It grows in areas where the mean maximum temperature is 26 - 32°c and the minimum temperature tolerated is 12°c[]. The mean annual rainfall is in the range 1,500 - 5,000mm[], usually distributed throughout the year, but the plant also tolerates a dry season of up to 4 months[]..
Requires a sunny position[]. Succeeds in a wide range of soils including coralline, red clay, poorly drained, and coastal soils[]. Plants can tolerate a small amount of salt spray and are moderately wind resistant[]. Established plants are somewhat drought tolerant[].
The plant is potentially invasive outside of its natural range, though it appears to have very limited potential to become abundant or a problem in little-disturbed native forest communities or on farmlands[].
On good sites, the plant can grow more than 1.5 metres per year for the first 5 - 10 years, then less than 0.75 metres per year[].
Plants can commence flowering when 2 - 3 years old[]. In some areas, such as Samoa, the plant flowers all year round[].
From the age of about 3 - 4 years, the plant demonstrates good self-pruning characteristics[]. The
lower branches are progressively shaded out, dying, and eventually being shed[].
Trees can be a bit reluctant to resprout after coppicing. If the trunk is cut 1 metre above ground level, then plants up to the age of 10 years usually resprout successfully[].
Mature trees might survive low-intensity ground fires, but generally this species does not grow back after fire[].
A dioecious species, both male and female forms need to be grown if fruit and seed are required.

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

The rasped bark is applied medicinally in a fever-reducing drink[, ].

The shredded root is used medicinally[].

Agroforestry Uses:

A pioneer species, it plays an important environmental role in revegetation of various types of disturbed sites[, ]. It appears to be useful for stabilizing the soil[].
The trees provide a windbreak and shelter for adjacent crops. They also minimize the growth of weeds and need for cutting[]. It makes an excellent narrow, low windbreak, especially younger trees with more dense foliage, up to about 10 years of age[].
It has been used to provide early shade for both canarium nut and rattan, as well as quicker economic returns while the longer-maturing crops are developing[]. It has potential as a shade tree for cacao, particularly because it can assist in pest control[].

Other Uses

Leaves of the red-veined form are used to stain Pandanus leaves a charcoal colour[].
The purple juice from the fruit is used as a dye[].

The heartwood is pale yellowish brown or reddish brown, and sometimes hardly distinguishable from the pale sapwood, which is present as a 1 - 3 cm wide band. The grain is straight and the texture moderately fine[]. The wood is heavy, very hard and strong, resistant to drywood termites and fungi, and very well suited for service in ground contact[]. The timber is easily worked. The wood is locally highly valued for house and fence posts, and additionally used for joists, rafters and tool handles, bridges, and marine piles[, ].
The wood makes an excellent, hot-burning fuel[, ].

Propagation

Seed - ripe fruits should be soaked in water overnight and then depulped by rubbing and washing over a fine mesh sieve to remove the pulpy material[]. The seed does not require pre-treatment - it should be sown in a potting compost and covered by about 1 - 2 mm of the compost[]. The first seeds should germinate within 2 - 5 weeks[]. The tiny seedlings grow very rapidly and can be transplanted into final nursery pots at the two- or four-leaf stage (about 10 days after germination)[]. Seedlings prefer a position in full sun[].
Under normal growing conditions, the seedlings are ready to plant out in 16 - 20 weeks. The ideal seedling height for
outplanting is about 25 cm[].
Seeds are orthodox, i.e., they retain viability when dried and stored. They may be kept for many years in airtight
containers under refrigeration at 4°c[].

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