Common Name:

General Information

Miconia impetiolaris is a shrub or a small tree, usually with rather few, stout branches; it can grow 2 - 8 metres tall. If the main stem is damaged, the plant usually forms multiple stems. The tree has a deep taproot and strong lateral roots[, ].
The tree is sometimes harvested from the wild for local use as a medicine, food and source of wood. The species is pretty enough to be used as an ornamental, but perhaps because of the difficulty of propagation, it has not been used so far[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

,

Range

S. America - Brazil, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana; C. America - Panama to Mexico; Caribbean - Dominica to Cuba.

Habitat

The more open areas of early and middle secondary forests, plantations, fencerows, pastures, and roadsides[]. Moist or wet, mixed forest or thickets, often in second growth; at elevations up to 1,300 metres in Guatemala[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Tree
Height	6.00 m
Growth Rate	Slow
Pollinators	Insects
Cultivation Status	Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

A plant of the moist tropics, where it can be found at elevations up to 600 metres. It grows in areas where the mean annual rainfall is within the range 1,500 - 3,000mm[].
Grows best in a sunny position, requiring at least partial sunlight in order to flower and fruit and tolerating forest shade, but not fruiting, if the forest is fairly open[]. Although a wide variety of soils are tolerated, the species is most frequent on well drained to somewhat poorly drained, neutral to strongly acid clays and clay loams, often with the A horizons absent or partially gone because of erosion[]. Excessively drained soils are not colonized[].
A relatively slow-growing tree, with annual increase of height when young around 25 - 50cm[]. Plants live at least 10 years, and probably much longer[].
The plant flowers and produces fruit all year round in some areas[].
The species requires disturbance to become established[].

Edible Uses

We have no specific information for this species, but the small, blue, purple or black fruits of many, if not all, species in this genus is edible[]. The purple or blue-black, globose berries are 4 - 7mm in diameter[].

Medicinal

An infusion of the leaves is used in aromatic baths; to arrest bleeding; promote healing; and to treat mouth sores[].

Other Uses

The light-coloured wood is hard. It is used to a limited extent for making stakes[].
The wood is used for fuel[].

Propagation

Seed - it is very small. When surface sown on we peat, 56% of the seed germinated within 13 - 23 days[]. The seedlings are tiny and difficult to handle[].

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