Castilla tunu
Hemsl.
Moraceae
Common Name:
General Information
Castilla tunu is a deciduous tree; it usually grows 15 - 20 metres tall, with some specimens up to 35 metres. The bole is sometimes more than 100cm in diameter, usually with buttresses[
369- Title
- Flora of Costa Rica
- Publication
-
- Author
- Standley P.C.
- Website
- http://www.archive.org/
- Publisher
- Field Museum of Natural History; Chicago
- Year
- 1938
- ISBN
-
- Description
- Rather dated, but an excellent treatment of the area. Available for download from the internet.
,
551- Title
- A Century of Trees of Panama.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Pittier H. Mell C.D.
- Website
- http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 0
- ISBN
-
- Description
- A work that was very difficult to get published according to the correspondence contained at the start!. A treatment of 100 different species with descriptions and details of uses. It can be downloaded from the Internet.
].
The plant is sometimes harvested from the wild as a source of materials, especially the fibre obtained from the bark.
Known Hazards
None known
Botanical References
369- Title
- Flora of Costa Rica
- Publication
-
- Author
- Standley P.C.
- Website
- http://www.archive.org/
- Publisher
- Field Museum of Natural History; Chicago
- Year
- 1938
- ISBN
-
- Description
- Rather dated, but an excellent treatment of the area. Available for download from the internet.
,
684- Title
- Contributions from the United States National Herbarium Vol. 13
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org
- Publisher
- Government Printing Office; Washington.
- Year
- 1909 - 1912
- ISBN
-
- Description
- A botanical journal, it ncludes a treatment of the genus Castilla. It can be downloaded from the Internet.
Range
S. America - Ecuador, Colombia; C. America - Panama to Belize.
Habitat
Lowland, wet, evergreen forest formations at elevations from near sea level to 200 metres[
369- Title
- Flora of Costa Rica
- Publication
-
- Author
- Standley P.C.
- Website
- http://www.archive.org/
- Publisher
- Field Museum of Natural History; Chicago
- Year
- 1938
- ISBN
-
- Description
- Rather dated, but an excellent treatment of the area. Available for download from the internet.
].
Properties
| Other Uses Rating |  |
| Habit | Deciduous Tree |
| Height | 20.00 m |
| Pollinators | Wind, ?Insects |
| Self-fertile | No |
| Cultivation Status | Wild |
Cultivation Details
Individual plants can either produce only male flowers (dioecious) or they can produce both male and female flowers (monoecious)[
315- Title
- Flora of Barro Colorado Island
- Publication
-
- Author
- Croat. Thomas B.
- Website
- http://biogeodb.stri.si.edu/bioinformatics/croat/home
- Publisher
- Stanford University Press
- Year
- 1978
- ISBN
- 0-8047-0950-5
- Description
- A very good flora of an area in Panama. Written some years ago, so some of the names have been changed. The book is out of print, but the whole flora is now available on the web.
,
684- Title
- Contributions from the United States National Herbarium Vol. 13
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org
- Publisher
- Government Printing Office; Washington.
- Year
- 1909 - 1912
- ISBN
-
- Description
- A botanical journal, it ncludes a treatment of the genus Castilla. It can be downloaded from the Internet.
].
Edible Uses
None known
Medicinal
None known
Agroforestry Uses:
Members of this genus have a root system that consists of a rather short tap root and of several lateral roots spreading horizontally and so near the surface of the soil that they can often be followed for 20 to 30 metres[
684- Title
- Contributions from the United States National Herbarium Vol. 13
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org
- Publisher
- Government Printing Office; Washington.
- Year
- 1909 - 1912
- ISBN
-
- Description
- A botanical journal, it ncludes a treatment of the genus Castilla. It can be downloaded from the Internet.
]. This root system makes it difficult to grow other crops under the tree[
K- Title
- Plants for a Future
- Author
- Ken Fern
- Description
- Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.
].
Other Uses
A latex is obtained from the plant. Unlike most other members of this genus, the latex obtained from this plant is not suitable for making rubber; it coagulates into a hard, sticky, unelastic mass that is erroneously called 'gutta-percha' locally and is considered to be of little value[
684- Title
- Contributions from the United States National Herbarium Vol. 13
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org
- Publisher
- Government Printing Office; Washington.
- Year
- 1909 - 1912
- ISBN
-
- Description
- A botanical journal, it ncludes a treatment of the genus Castilla. It can be downloaded from the Internet.
].
The fibre-rich bark of this tree yields a soft vegetable cloth, which is used to make into clouts, skirts or sleeping mats[
551- Title
- A Century of Trees of Panama.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Pittier H. Mell C.D.
- Website
- http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 0
- ISBN
-
- Description
- A work that was very difficult to get published according to the correspondence contained at the start!. A treatment of 100 different species with descriptions and details of uses. It can be downloaded from the Internet.
].
The heartwood is yellowish; the thin band of sapwood is a very light yellow or nearly white. The wood is straight and fairly fine-grained; moderately light in weight; soft; not strong; not very durable in contact with the soil. It is easily worked and takes a good polish. It is not much used on account of the abundant flow of cortical latex, which makes it difficult to handle[
551- Title
- A Century of Trees of Panama.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Pittier H. Mell C.D.
- Website
- http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 0
- ISBN
-
- Description
- A work that was very difficult to get published according to the correspondence contained at the start!. A treatment of 100 different species with descriptions and details of uses. It can be downloaded from the Internet.
].
Propagation
Seed -
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Useful Tropical Plants Database 2014 by
Ken Fern,
web interface by
Ajna Fern
with help from
Richard Morris.
