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Useful Tropical Plants

Clusia minor

L.

Clusiaceae

+ Synonyms

Clusia galactodendron Desvaux

Clusia odorata Seem.

Clusia parvicapsula Vesque

Clusia parviflora Humb. & Bonpl. ex Willd.

Clusia pratensis Seem.

Clusia utilis S.F.Blake

Clusia venosa Jacq.

Clusia venosa L.

Common Name: Tar Gum Tree

Clusia minor
Close-up of the flower
Photograph by: O. M. Montiel
Creative Commons License
Clusia minor Clusia minor Clusia minor Clusia minor

General Information

Tar gum tree is a dioecious, hemi-epiphytic tree growing up to 10 metres tall[
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.
]. It is usually found growing in the trunks or large branches of other trees where it produces stiff and spreading, spiralled branches[
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.
]. These branches produce a dense mass of roots at the nodes, the roots often extending back to the host tree and enveloping it for support[
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.
].
A gum obtained from wild trees is used locally for medicinal purposes[
46
Title
Dictionary of Economic Plants.
Publication
 
Author
Uphof. J. C. Th.
Publisher
Weinheim
Year
1959
ISBN
-
Description
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.
].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

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.

Range

S. America - Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, the Guyanas; C. America - Panama to southern Mexico; Caribbean - Trinidad to Cuba.

Habitat

Frequent epiphyte in the forest or on exposed shore­lines; epiphytic on rocks or on trees near the edge of the water[
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.
].

Properties

Medicinal Rating *  *
HabitTree
Height10.00 m
Self-fertileNo
Cultivation StatusWild

Cultivation Details



An epiphytic plant, usually enveloping the stems of other trees with its roots, whilst producing branches that may grow into the top of the canopy[
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.
].
This species is unique in that it belongs to the only genus of plants capable of absorbing carbon dioxide during the night[
540
Title
Jardineiro.Net
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.jardineiro.net/br/index.php
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
A Brazilian gardening site, giving cultivation details for a large number of species.
].
A dioecious species, both male and female forms need to be grown if seed is required.

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

An elastic gum obtained from the tree is used for bandaging children's hernias[
46
Title
Dictionary of Economic Plants.
Publication
 
Author
Uphof. J. C. Th.
Publisher
Weinheim
Year
1959
ISBN
-
Description
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.
].

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed -
Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2024-12-10. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Clusia+minor>

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