Common Name:

General Information

Myrocarpus fastigiatus is a deciduous tree with a dense, roundish crown; it can grow 6 - 12 metres tall. The upright, cylindrical bole can be 25 - 50cm in diameter[].
The tree is harvested from the wild for mainly local use as a medicine and source of wood. An ornamental tree, it could be used in landscaping[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

S. America - eastern Brazil.

Habitat

Atlantic rainforest and the transition between savannah and dryland forest, growing in the more open and secondary growth areas of the forest, favouring well-drained, fertile clayey to sandy soils on slopes and hills[].

Properties

Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Deciduous Tree
Height	9.00 m
Growth Rate	Fast
Pollinators	Insects
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

A plant of the tropics, growing in moist to semi-arid areas with a distinct dry season.
Requires a sunny position[]. Grows best in a well-drained soil of at least moderate fertility, succeeding in both sandy and clayey soils[]. Established plants are drought tolerant[].
Young plants establish well and grow away quickly[].
Although many species within the family Fabaceae have a symbiotic relationship with soil bacteria, this species is said to be devoid of such a relationship and therefore does not fix atmospheric nitrogen[].

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

The sap is expectorant[].

The bark, the wood, and a resin obtained from them, are used in a tincture that is recommended for treating respiratory ailments, cystitis and urethritis[].
The tincture is applied externally for healing injuries[].

The seedpods are antidyspeptic and excitant[].

An essential oil in the resin has nerolidol as its major constituent[].

Other Uses

An aromatic gum/resin is obtained from incisions in the trunk. It is widely used medicinally[].

The wood is scented of coumarin. It is medium-textured, straight-grained, very heavy, hard, tough, very strong with excellent mechanical properties and durable. It is moderately difficult to season because of its tendency to warp and check during drying. The wood is rather hard to carve and work with tools, but finishes smoothly with sharp cutting edges; it turns well; polishes nicely; and has good weathering properties. It is used for scantlings and beams in construction; for fine furniture; door and window frames; boards, floor blocks, lathe work, truck bodies etc[, ].

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a sunny position in a nursery seedbed. A germination rate in excess of 50% can be expected, with the seed sprouting within 21 - 35 days[[]. When the seedlings are 4 - 5cm tall, pot them up into individual containers and they should be ready to plant out 5 - 6 months later[].
Like many species within the family Fabaceae, once they have been dried for storage the seeds of this species may benefit from scarification before sowing in order to speed up germination. This can usually be done by pouring a small amount of nearly boiling water on the seeds (being careful not to cook them!) and then soaking them for 12 - 24 hours in warm water. By this time they should have imbibed moisture and swollen - if they have not, then carefully make a nick in the seedcoat (being careful not to damage the embryo) and soak for a further 12 hours before sowing[].

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