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Useful Tropical Plants

Hymenolobium mesoamericanum

H.C.Lima

Fabaceae

+ Synonyms

Common Name:

Hymenolobium mesoamericanum
Leaves
Photograph by: R. Pérez; Center for Tropical Forest Science
© Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute

General Information

Hymenolobium mesoamericanum is a deciduous tree that can grow from 10 - 40 metres tall. The cylindrical bole can be up to 90cm in diameter[
333
Title
Tree Species of Panama
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://ctfs.arnarb.harvard.edu/webatlas/mainframe.php?order=s
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
Factsheets on all the tree and shrub species of Panama, giving identification guide, brief guide to the species and some uses. A vast, but rather incomplete work as of 15/07/09.
,
485
Title
Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden. Vol 75
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org
Publisher
Missouri Botanical Garden: Boston.
Year
1988
ISBN
 
Description
Contains, amongst other things, an article on the flora of Tanzania, a treatment of the genus Xyris and one for the Panamanian Boraginaceae. It can be downloaded from the internet.
].
The tree is harvested from the wild for its wood, which is a good quality construction timber that is used locally and also traded.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

485
Title
Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden. Vol 75
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org
Publisher
Missouri Botanical Garden: Boston.
Year
1988
ISBN
 
Description
Contains, amongst other things, an article on the flora of Tanzania, a treatment of the genus Xyris and one for the Panamanian Boraginaceae. It can be downloaded from the internet.

Range

C. America - Panama, Costa Rica, Panama.

Habitat

An emergent tree of lowland gallery forests, or left uncut in pastureland when the forest has been cleared; at elevations from 50 - 300 metres[
485
Title
Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden. Vol 75
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org
Publisher
Missouri Botanical Garden: Boston.
Year
1988
ISBN
 
Description
Contains, amongst other things, an article on the flora of Tanzania, a treatment of the genus Xyris and one for the Panamanian Boraginaceae. It can be downloaded from the internet.
]. Wet or very wet humid forests[
333
Title
Tree Species of Panama
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://ctfs.arnarb.harvard.edu/webatlas/mainframe.php?order=s
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
Factsheets on all the tree and shrub species of Panama, giving identification guide, brief guide to the species and some uses. A vast, but rather incomplete work as of 15/07/09.
].

Properties

Other Uses Rating *  *  *
HabitDeciduous Tree
Height33.00 m
Cultivation StatusWild

Cultivation Details

Not known

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

The wood is often used in construction[
485
Title
Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden. Vol 75
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org
Publisher
Missouri Botanical Garden: Boston.
Year
1988
ISBN
 
Description
Contains, amongst other things, an article on the flora of Tanzania, a treatment of the genus Xyris and one for the Panamanian Boraginaceae. It can be downloaded from the internet.
]. We do not have a specific description for the wood of this species, but a general description for the genus is as follows:-
The heartwood is a yellow-brown, becoming pinkish-brown upon exposure, fairly important waxen patches are more or less frequent; it is not clearly demarcated from the 3 - 5cm wide band of sapwood. The texture is coarse; the grain interlocked. The wood is moderately heavy to heavy; moderately hard to hard; elastic; somewhat durable, being moderately resistant to fungi but susceptible to dry wood borers and termites. It seasons fairly quickly with only a slight risk of checking and distortion; once dry it is poorly to moderately stable in service. The wood works well with ordinary tools, though there are possible difficulties if the waxen patches are numerous; the waxen patches remain visible after machining; a careful sanding must be done to obtain a good finish; nailing and screwing are good, but require pre-boring, there is a tendency to end checks when nailing; gluing is correct. The wood is used in construction, joinery, panelling, industrial flooring, stairs, heavy carpentry, furniture components etc[
848
Title
Tropix 7
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://tropix.cirad.fr/en
Publisher
CIRAD
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An on-line guide to the timbers of 245 species of trees.
].

Propagation

Seed -
Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2024-04-25. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Hymenolobium+mesoamericanum>

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