If you would like to support this site, please consider Donating.
Useful Tropical Plants

Lacmellea peruviana

(Van Heurck & Müll.Arg.) Markgr.

Apocynaceae

+ Synonyms

Lacmellea arborescens peruviana (Van Heurck & Müll.Arg.) Monach.

Zschokkea peruviana Van Heurck & Müll.Arg.

Common Name:

Lacmellea peruviana
Fruiting branch
Photograph by: Rodolfo Vásquez
Creative Commons License
Lacmellea peruviana Lacmellea peruviana

General Information

Lacmellea peruviana is a shrub or a slender tree with a spreading crown; it can grow up to 12 metres tall. The straight, cylindrical bole can be unbranched for 1 - 2 metres[
453
Title
Woods of Northeastern Peru
Publication
 
Author
Williams L.
Website
http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/
Publisher
Field Museum Press; Chicago.
Year
1936
ISBN
 
Description
Gives information on the properties of the wood of well over 1,000 species of woody plants from northeastern Peru. Can be downloaded from the Internet.
].
The tree is harvested from the wild for the local use of its edible fruit, latex and timber.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

434
Title
Flora of Peru
Publication
 
Author
Macbride. J.F.
Publisher
Field Museum of Natural History
Year
1936
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent attempt at a Flora of Peru, though it is clear that many of the plants were imperfectly known at that time and so information on them was sketchy. Available for download from the Internet.

Range

S. America - Peru.

Habitat

Lowland Amazonian rainforest, where it is found in sandy or dry medium loam soils amongst shrubs and small trees of secondary growth at elevations from 150 - 450 metres[
412
Title
Illustrated Guide to the Trees of Peru
Publication
 
Author
Pennington, T.D.; Reynel, C. & Daza, A.
Publisher
David Hunt; Sherbourne, England.
Year
2004
ISBN
0 9538134 3 6
Description
A very terse guide to the trees of Peru, managing to give basic guides to a large number of genera, with more detail on a few species in each genus.
,
453
Title
Woods of Northeastern Peru
Publication
 
Author
Williams L.
Website
http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/
Publisher
Field Museum Press; Chicago.
Year
1936
ISBN
 
Description
Gives information on the properties of the wood of well over 1,000 species of woody plants from northeastern Peru. Can be downloaded from the Internet.
].

Properties

Edibility Rating *  *
Other Uses Rating *  *
HabitTree
Height9.00 m
Cultivation StatusWild

Cultivation Details

A plant of mainly low elevations in the moist tropics.
The plant grows in the wild in sandy or loamy soils[
412
Title
Illustrated Guide to the Trees of Peru
Publication
 
Author
Pennington, T.D.; Reynel, C. & Daza, A.
Publisher
David Hunt; Sherbourne, England.
Year
2004
ISBN
0 9538134 3 6
Description
A very terse guide to the trees of Peru, managing to give basic guides to a large number of genera, with more detail on a few species in each genus.
,
453
Title
Woods of Northeastern Peru
Publication
 
Author
Williams L.
Website
http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/
Publisher
Field Museum Press; Chicago.
Year
1936
ISBN
 
Description
Gives information on the properties of the wood of well over 1,000 species of woody plants from northeastern Peru. Can be downloaded from the Internet.
].

Edible Uses

Fruit - raw[
412
Title
Illustrated Guide to the Trees of Peru
Publication
 
Author
Pennington, T.D.; Reynel, C. & Daza, A.
Publisher
David Hunt; Sherbourne, England.
Year
2004
ISBN
0 9538134 3 6
Description
A very terse guide to the trees of Peru, managing to give basic guides to a large number of genera, with more detail on a few species in each genus.
]. The orange to reddish berry is around 10 - 30cm in diameter[
412
Title
Illustrated Guide to the Trees of Peru
Publication
 
Author
Pennington, T.D.; Reynel, C. & Daza, A.
Publisher
David Hunt; Sherbourne, England.
Year
2004
ISBN
0 9538134 3 6
Description
A very terse guide to the trees of Peru, managing to give basic guides to a large number of genera, with more detail on a few species in each genus.
].

The latex of some species is palatable[
412
Title
Illustrated Guide to the Trees of Peru
Publication
 
Author
Pennington, T.D.; Reynel, C. & Daza, A.
Publisher
David Hunt; Sherbourne, England.
Year
2004
ISBN
0 9538134 3 6
Description
A very terse guide to the trees of Peru, managing to give basic guides to a large number of genera, with more detail on a few species in each genus.
].

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

The latex obtained from the plant is of low quality, but is sometimes used to adulterate rubber from Hevea brasiliensis[
412
Title
Illustrated Guide to the Trees of Peru
Publication
 
Author
Pennington, T.D.; Reynel, C. & Daza, A.
Publisher
David Hunt; Sherbourne, England.
Year
2004
ISBN
0 9538134 3 6
Description
A very terse guide to the trees of Peru, managing to give basic guides to a large number of genera, with more detail on a few species in each genus.
].

The wood is pale pinkish brown, at times with a pale greyish cast. It is straight or moderately straight-grained; medium-textured; of medium weight to fairly heavy; easy to cut and takes a smooth finish; checks in drying and subject to attack by insects[
453
Title
Woods of Northeastern Peru
Publication
 
Author
Williams L.
Website
http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/
Publisher
Field Museum Press; Chicago.
Year
1936
ISBN
 
Description
Gives information on the properties of the wood of well over 1,000 species of woody plants from northeastern Peru. Can be downloaded from the Internet.
].

Propagation

Seed -
Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2024-03-28. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Lacmellea+peruviana>

Add a Comment:

If you have any useful information about this plant, please leave a comment. Comments have to be approved before they are shown here.