Common Name:

General Information

Luehea seemannii is an evergreen tree that can grow 10 - 40 metres tall, attaining its greatest height on the Atlantic coast of Costa Rica. The bole can range from 60 - 180cm in diameter, and is often strongly buttressed with buttresses up to 2 metres high[, , , ].
The tree is harvested from the wild for local use as a medicine and source of wood. It is sometimes planted as an amenity shade tree[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

S. America - Colombia, Venezuela; C. America - Panama to Guatemala.

Habitat

The largest trees are found in wet lowland forests, often near streams, but the species also grows in hilly areas up to 600 metres[].

Properties

Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Evergreen Tree
Height	30.00 m
Growth Rate	Fast
Cultivation Status	Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

A plant of tropical lowland regions, where it can be found at elevations up to 600 metres. It grows wild in climates with a mean annual rainfall from 2,000 - 4,000mm and a mean annual temperature of 23 - 25 °c[].
Grows wild in a wide range of soils[].
A fast-growing tree, often flowering when still only a shrub[].
Young plants growing in pastures and on cut-over land are often little more than shrubs and have much larger juvenile leaves, which may be nearly 30cm in length[].

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

A decoction of the bark is taken as an astringent[].

Other Uses

The macerated young shoots secrete a dense, brown-reddish mucilageous substance in water. This substance is used in small sugarcane mills to agglomerate dirt and debris from boiling juice. The dirt and debris are gathered from the surface of the liquid and used as fertilizer[].

We do not have any more information on the wood of this species, but a general description of the wood of members of this genus is as follows:-
The heartwood is brown or brownish, sometimes with a pinkish tinge, and more or less streaked; it is not clearly demarcated from the sapwood. The texture is fine to medium; the grain straight to finely roey; lustre varies from low to fairly high; there is no distinctive odour or taste. The wood is soft and light in weight; it is not very durable, being vulnerable to attack by decay fungi and insects. It air dries rapidly with little or no degrade. The wood is reported to be easy to work, though one member of the genus is said to be difficult to plane, and another is difficult to turn. It is used for low value items such as millwork, furniture components, flooring, general construction, boxes and crates, veneer and plywood, particleboard, and shoe heels[].
The wood is used primarily for fuel[]

Propagation

Seed -

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.

Name:

Email(Private):

Message:

Captcha: How many suns are in our solar system