Common Name:

General Information

Coulteria velutina is an unarmed, deciduous tree with a broad crown; it can grow 5 - 12 metres tall. The bole can be 30cm in diameter[].
The tree is valued particularly by local people as a good quality fuel, and is also harvested from the wild for its wood. It is planted as an ornamental, valued especially for its bright yellow flowers[].
Coulteria velutina has a very wide distribution, large population, is not currently experiencing any major
threats and no significant future threats have been identified. The plant is classified as 'Least Concern' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2019)[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

C. America - Nicaragua, Guatemala to southern Mexico.

Habitat

Dry, rocky, brushy or thinly forested hillsides at elevations from 250 - 1,000 metres in Guatemala[].

Properties

Conservation Status	Least Concern
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Deciduous Tree
Height	8.00 m
Growth Rate	Medium
Self-fertile	No
Cultivation Status	Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

A plant of drier to moist areas in the tropics, where it can be found at elevtions up to 950 metres. It grows best in areas where the mean annual temperatures are around 21°c, though it is said to be able to tolerate occasional frosts[, ]. The mean annual rainfall in the range 450 - 2,500mm. It can tolerate up to 8 months dry season a year[].
Requires an open, well-drained soil[]. Plants are adaptable to dry, alkaline soils[]. Prefers a pH around 5.5[].
This species is believed to be dioecious, in which case both male and female forms need to be grown if fruit and seed are required[].

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

None known

Agroforestry Uses:

The tree is used in reforestation projects. It is also suitable for enrichment planting, particularly in the matorral forests of Mexico, and is planted for the protection of watersheds[].
It is often intercropped with agricultural crops where soil protection is desired, providing a good deal of mulch through its complete leaf loss during the dry season[].

Other Uses

The heartwood is light brown; the sapwood is yellowed or pinkish-white[]. The wood is dense, hard and durable. It is used in house construction, tools, agricultural implements, rough furniture and fence posts[, ].
The tree produces a high quality firewood and charcoal. It splits easily and burns slowly with little smoke, dries
quickly and stores well[]. It can also be burnt green in mixture with dry wood[].

Propagation

Seed - sown fresh and still moist, it needs no pre-treatment, but stored seed benefits from scarification before sowing in order to speed up and improve 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 can be direct-sown with agricultural crops in agroforestry systems to benefit from crop weeding as this is
necessary in the early stages[].

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