Common Name:

General Information

Cardiopetalum calophyllum is a semideciduous shrub or tree with a dense, pyramidal crown; it can grow 1.5 - 12 metres tall. The straight, cylindrical bole can be 20 - 30cm in diameter[].
The tree is harvested from the wild for local use of its wood. It can be used as a pioneer when restoring native woodland or establishing a woodland garden. An ornamental tree, it can be used in landscaping[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

S. America - Brazil, Bolivia, Peru.

Habitat

Savannah and its transition to gallery forest, found mainly in open, secondary formations, favouring poor, sandy soils on gentle slopes[].

Properties

Weed Potential	Yes
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Semi-deciduous Tree
Height	5.00 m
Growth Rate	Fast
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Grows best in a sunny position[]. Found in the wild mainly in poor, sandy soils on gentle slopes[]. Established plants are very drought tolerant[].
The plant recovers well and easily from felling and fire. It is considered to be a weed in pasture land by cattle farmers[].
The plant grows quickly when young, easily reaching a height of 3 metres within 2 years from seed[].

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

None known

Agroforestry Uses:

A fast-growing tree, succeeding in poor and dry soils and providing food for the native fauna, it can be used as a pioneer species when restoring native woodland or establishing woodland gardens, but it should only be used within its native range because of the risk it could become a weed[, ].

Other Uses

The wood is medium-textured, straight-grained, moderately heavy, with poor mechanical properties and poor durability. Because of its small dimensions it is only used for making tool handles, boxes and in rustic constructions[].
The wood is used for fuel and to make charcoal[].

Propagation

Seed - it has a hard seedcoat and may benefit from scarification before sowing 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. The seed is best sown as soon as it is ripe in a sunny position in a nursery seedbed. A germination rate of around 30% can be expected from fresh seed that has been scarified, with the seed sprouting within 60 - 90 days[]. When the seedlings are 4 - 5cm tall, pot them up into individual containers and they should be ready to plant out 4 - 5 months later[].

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