Common Name:

General Information

Hibiscus lasiococcus is a tree, it can grow up to 20 metres tall, exceptionally to 25 metres. The bole is up to 60cm in diameter, occasionally to 120cm[].
The tree is harvested from the wild for local use as a source of fibre and wood.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

Africa - eastern Madagascar.

Habitat

Scattered in forests at elevations up to 1,000 metres[].

Properties

Other Uses Rating
Habit	Tree
Height	15.00 m
Growth Rate	Fast
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Fast growth has been observed in plantations, with 2-year-old plants reaching a height of 4 - 5 metres; 10-year-old plants a height of 10 - 12 metres with a bole diameter of 12 - 15cm; and 14-year-old trees a height of 16 - 18 metres with a bole diameter of 18 - 25cm[].

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

A durable fibre is obtained from the inner bark. It is woven into 'lamba' cloth and made into cordage. It is suitable for fishing nets[].

The heartwood is beige to pale brown, sometimes yellow; it is sharply demarcated from the up to 5cm wide band of whitish sapwood. Texture is medium; the grain usually straight with the wood sometimes streaked or veined; it has a pepper-like odour when freshly cut. The wood is light in weight; flexible; tough; soft; of low durability; a single test indicated resistance to termites, but this needs confirmation; the resistance to attacks by other insects and by fungi is very poor. The wood is moderately stable in service. Working properties are good with all tools and the wood saws easily; it planes to a surface with a nice lustre; peels well, but slicing is advisable because of the brittle or hollow centre of the log; it glues, nails and screws well, with good holding power. The centre of large boles is often hollow or providing wood of low quality[]. The wood, known as 'alampona', is used locally for making furniture and logs are made into dug-out canoes. The wood is considered suitable for light construction, light carpentry, interior trim, ship and boat building, furniture, cabinet work, shuttering, boxes, crates, carvings, toys, novelties, model building, food containers, veneer, plywood, blockboard core and particle board[].

Propagation

Seed - sow in containers. Germination is usually fairly rapid and no special pretreatment is needed, although germination will be faster if the seed is abraded or soaked prior to sowing[]. Prick out container-grown seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and plant them out into their permanent positions when they are 10cm or more tall.
Cuttings of half-ripe wood in a frame. They generally strike readily, particularly if cuttings are taken on an angle through a node and rooting hormone is applied to their ends[].

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