Common Name: Portia Tree

General Information

Thespesia populnea is a fast-growing evergreen shrub or small tree with a dense, braod crown; it can grow up to 20 metres tall[]. It has a short, often crooked bole that can be free of branches for up to 3 metres and 60cm or more in diameter. The bole can become hollow with age[, ].
A multipurpose tree, providing food, medicines and many other commodities for local use. The plant is especially valued for its beautiful richly-coloured dark wood. The plant is ideal for seaside planting, providing screening, shelter and shade[]. It is a sacred tree in many parts of the Pacific, where it is often planted near temples and is also often planted to provide shade near dwellings[, ].
Thespesia populnea is a small tree or large shrub with a widespread distribution across most of the tropics. It grows in coastal areas, and has naturalised many areas where it has been planted. Due to the extensive geographical range, the population size is large and stable. There are no major threats to this species. The plant is classified as 'Least Concern' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2013)[].

Known Hazards

The root is toxic[].
The heartwood contains several sesquiterpenoid quinones, including mansonone D and H, thespone and thespesone, which are known to induce contact dermatitis[].

Botanical References

Range

Probably originating in the tropics of Asia, the plant is now pantropical in range.

Habitat

Sea coasts, often where sandy beaches covered by Casuarina equestifolia give way to coral outcrops[]. Also on rocky coasts and occasionally on the inland edge of mangrove swamp[].

Properties

Weed Potential	Yes
Conservation Status	Least Concern
Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Evergreen Tree
Height	10.00 m
Growth Rate	Fast
Pollinators	Birds
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

Thespesia populnea is a plant of the moist to wet, lowland tropics and warm subtropics, where it is found at elevations up to 150 metres. It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 20 - 30°c, but can tolerate 10 - 35°c[]. The plant can survive temperatures down to about 4°c[] and the occasional very light frost[]. It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 1,000 - 3,000mm, but tolerates 800 - 5,000mm[].
Prefers a moisture-retentive but well-drained soil and a position in full sun[]. It also succeeds in dry locations and is highly tolerant of saline conditions[]. Prefers a pH in the range 6.5 - 8, tolerating 6 - 8.5[]. Established plants are very drought resistant and can tolerate a dry season of up to 8 months[, ]. Tolerant of occasional, short-lived inundation[]. Plants are very wind-tolerant, withstanding even salt-laden winds[].
The plant produces its seeds in a waterproof capsule that can float for a considerable time in salt water without losing viability. Thus it has managed to spread to the coasts of most areas of the tropics[]. It has the potential to become a weed in new areas, so should not be introduced to areas outside its current range[].
This species is often eradicated when found growing in cotton-producing areas, since it harbours the cotton-stainer beetle (Dysdercus spp.) which is a pest of the cotton plant[].
Growth in height is rapid in the first few years, averaging 50 - 150cm per year, but it slows down when the tree is 7 - 10 years old. Stem diameter growth is 1 - 3cm per year[].
Flowering can begin when the tree is only 1 - 2 years old[]. In equatorial climates the plant will often flower all year round[].

Edible Uses

Young leaves - raw or cooked[, , , ]. Eaten as a vegetable, they can also be boiled or added to soups[, ].

Flowers and flower buds - raw or cooked[, , ].

Fruits - preserved and eaten[]. The unripe fruits are eaten raw, boiled or fried as a vegetable[].

Medicinal

Portia tree is often used in traditional medicine, where the bark, root, leaves, flowers and fruits are all used to treat
a range of ailments. There has been some research into its properties, which tends to support these traditional uses.
The heartwood contains several sesquiterpenoid quinones, including mansonone D and H, thespone and thespesone, which are known to induce contact dermatitis, to inhibit tumour formation and to have antifungal properties[].
The heartwood and other plant parts contain gossypol[].
The fruits and leaves contain compounds with antibacterial activity, whereas methanolic extracts of the flower
buds have shown antifungal activity[].
Ethanol extracts of the flower have shown antihepatotoxic activity[].
Aqueous extracts of the fruit have shown wound-healing activity in rats after topical or oral administration[].
The seed oil has anti-amoebic activity[].

The heartwood is carminative. It is useful in treating pleurisy, cholera, colic and high fevers[, , ].

The fruit juice is used to treat herpes[]. The crushed fruit is used in a treatment for urinary tract problems and abdominal swellings[].
The cooked fruit, crushed in coconut oil, provides a salve, which, if applied to the hair, will kill lice[]. An extract of the fruit is applied to swollen testicles[].

A leaf tea is taken as a treatment for rheumatism and urinary retention[]. A decoction of the leaves is used in treating coughs, influenza, headache and relapses in illnesses[].
The leaf sap, and decoctions of most parts of the plant, are used externally to treat various skin diseases[].

Juices from the pounded fruits, mixed with pounded leaves are used in a poultice to treat headaches and itches[].
A decoction of the bark and fruit is mixed with oil and used topically to treat scabies and other cutaneous diseases[].

A decoction of the astringent bark is used to treat dysentery and haemorrhoids, and a maceration of it is drunk for colds[]. A cold infusion of the bark is used in treating dysentery, diabetes, gonorrhoea, yellow urine, and thrush[]. Indigestion, pelvic infection, dysmenorrhoea, infertility, secondary amenorrhoea, appetite loss, ulcers and worms are also treated with the bark[].
The inner bark is used to treat constipation and typhoid[].

The stem is employed in treating breast cancer[].

Other extracts of the plant have significant antimalarial activity[]. Leaf and bark decoctions are taken as a remedy for high blood pressure[].

Seeds are purgative[].

Agroforestry Uses:

The tree is valuable as a coastal windbreak because it is highly resistant to wind and salt spray and grows well in sandy, saline soils[]. Because of this tolerance of saline conditions, the plant is suitable for coastal erosion control, and is planted for this purpose, often as a living fence, in Karnataka, India and the Pacifci Islands[, , ].
It has been planted to provide support for vanilla plants[].
Chippings of the plant have been tried as a green manure[].

Other Uses

The tough, fibrous bark yields a strong fibre used for cordage, fishing lines, coffee bags and for caulking boats[, , , , ]

An oil is obtained from the seed[]. It can be used in lamps[].

The wood, soaked in water, yields a solution that is used in Asia to dye wool deep brown[, , ].
The unripe fruit and flower buds yield a viscid yellow juice that is a useful water-soluble yellowish dye[, , , ].
A black dye can be obtained from the leaves[].

The bark is a source of tannins[, ].

A gum is obtained from the fruit and flowers[, ].
A thick gum, which is not soluble in water, is obtained from the bark[].

The leaves are used for wrapping food[].

The heartwood is reddish brown to dark brown or black, often with purple veining; it is sharply demarcated from the 1 - 2cm wide band of white to pale yellow or pale pink sapwood that darkens upon exposure. The wood is fine-grained; medium to fine-textured; it shows slight ribbon figure on quartersawn faces. Freshly cut wood has a rose-like smell. The wood is strong, hard, light to medium in weight; very durable, even when in contact with water or the ground, and resistant to insect attack. It seasons well, and does not warp or check; shrinkage upon seasoning is very low to low. The wood is easy to saw and work, despite its wavy grain; it turns well in both green and dry conditions; can be finished to an attractive polish; paints well; gluing properties are poor to medium. The wood contains an oil which slows down drying of varnishes. A very handsome and valuable wood, looking somewhat like chocolate and vanilla swirled togethe, it is used for a wide range of purposes where quality is more important than size, including traditional bowls, artefacts, gunstocks, jewellery, furniture, plates and utensils, horse-drawn carts and wheelbarrows, to carve canoe paddles. It is also used for light construction, flooring moulds, musical instruments, utensils and vehicle bodies[, , ]. Since it is very durable under water, it is popular for boat building[, ].
The wood is used for fuel[].

Propagation

Seed - generally easy, although direct sowings are generally a failure[]. Germination can be difficult due to the hard seed coat, and is improved by scarification with a knife or sandpaper[]. Germination takes 8 - 70 days[]. Pot the seedlings up as soon as they are large enough to handle, planting them in pots deep enough to accomodate the taproot. Plants should be ready to plant out in 12 - 16 weeks[]. Raising from seed is preferred as then the timber is knot free, straight, even grained and tough[].
Cuttings of all sizes strike well, but it is preferable to plant small cuttings as trees raised from large cuttings are said to be short lived and liable to decay[].

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