Moronobea coccinea
Aubl.
Clusiaceae
This species has been confused with, and included in, Symphonia globulifera in the past[
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.
].
Symphonia coccinea (Aubl.) Oken
Common Name:
Illustration of the plant and flowers
Photograph by: Martius, C.P.F. von, Nova genera et species plantarum Brasiliensium, vol. 3: t. 287 (1832)
Public Domain
General Information
Moronobea coccinea is a tree with a sparse crown; it can grow up to 40 metres tall[
422- Title
- Fruits of the Guianan Flora
- Publication
-
- Author
- van Roosmalen. M.G.M.
- Publisher
- Institute of Systematic Boyany, Utrecht University; Netherlands.
- Year
- 1985
- ISBN
- 90-9000988-4
- Description
- Terse descriptions of over 1,700 species from the Guianas that bear fruits - not necessarily edible! Often mentions if the fruit is edible, plus gives brief description of habit and habitat.
]. The bole is unbranched for most of its height and can be 50 - 80cm in diameter[
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.
].
The tree is harvested from the wild for local use as a medicine and source of resin and wood. The wood is of high quality for heavy construction and is also harvested for trade.
Known Hazards
None known
Botanical References
Range
S. America - northern Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, French Guiana, Surinam.
Habitat
Rain and riverine forests, also on slopes[
422- Title
- Fruits of the Guianan Flora
- Publication
-
- Author
- van Roosmalen. M.G.M.
- Publisher
- Institute of Systematic Boyany, Utrecht University; Netherlands.
- Year
- 1985
- ISBN
- 90-9000988-4
- Description
- Terse descriptions of over 1,700 species from the Guianas that bear fruits - not necessarily edible! Often mentions if the fruit is edible, plus gives brief description of habit and habitat.
]. Non-flooded lowland forest at elevations below 500 metres[
412- Title
- Illustrated Guide to the Trees of Peru
- Publication
-
- Author
- Pennington, T.D.; Reynel, C. & Daza, A.
- Publisher
- David Hunt; Sherbourne, England.
- Year
- 2004
- ISBN
- 0 9538134 3 6
- Description
- A very terse guide to the trees of Peru, managing to give basic guides to a large number of genera, with more detail on a few species in each genus.
].
Properties
| Medicinal Rating |  |
| Other Uses Rating |  |
| Habit | Tree |
| Height | 30.00 m |
| Pollinators | Parakeets |
| Cultivation Status | Wild |
Cultivation Details
Not known
Edible Uses
None known
Medicinal
The inner bark is scraped, boiled, and the water used as a herbal bath or as an antiseptic for various skin conditions. The inner bark is scraped and rubbed on the skin as a treatment for chicken pox[
348- Title
- Medicinal Plants of the Guianas
- Publication
-
- Author
- DeFilipps, R. A.; Maina, S. L.; & Crepin, J.
- Website
- http://botany.si.edu/bdg/medicinal/index.html
- Publisher
- Smithsonian Museum
- Year
- 0
- ISBN
-
- Description
- A down-loadable PDF document of a book in pre-publication awaiting illustration. An excellent, if rather terse, guide to the traditional medicinal uses of the plants of the region
].
Other Uses
An abundant yellow resin is obtained from the bark[
64- Title
- Vegetable Gums and Resins.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Howes. F. N.
- Publisher
- Faber
- Year
-
- ISBN
- 81-88818-17-8
- Description
- A very good book dealing with the subject in a readable way.
,
422- Title
- Fruits of the Guianan Flora
- Publication
-
- Author
- van Roosmalen. M.G.M.
- Publisher
- Institute of Systematic Boyany, Utrecht University; Netherlands.
- Year
- 1985
- ISBN
- 90-9000988-4
- Description
- Terse descriptions of over 1,700 species from the Guianas that bear fruits - not necessarily edible! Often mentions if the fruit is edible, plus gives brief description of habit and habitat.
]. It is used for fastening points and feathers to arrows, for waxing threads, for calking canoes, and for attaching stone chips or thorns on cassava graters, blades to knives, and axes to their handles[
477- Title
- Current Science Vol. 87
- Publication
-
- Author
- Balaram P. (Editor)
- Website
- http://www.ias.ac.in/currsci/
- Publisher
- Indian Academy of Sciences
- Year
- 2004
- ISBN
-
- Description
- Contains a short artcle on some Piper species from the Andamans. Available online.
].
The resin is used for making huge torches for the lighting of large communal houses during tribal dances. Compact lumps of the dried, blackened material are heated and applied to the tops of small posts driven into the earthen
floor. When ignited, it gives off a surprisingly bright light[
64- Title
- Vegetable Gums and Resins.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Howes. F. N.
- Publisher
- Faber
- Year
-
- ISBN
- 81-88818-17-8
- Description
- A very good book dealing with the subject in a readable way.
,
869- Title
- Botanical Museum Leaflets Vol 17
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org
- Publisher
- Harvard University; Cambridge, Mass.
- Year
- 1957
- ISBN
-
- Description
- A series of articles, often covering the ethnobotanical uses of plants in the Americas. It can be downloaded from the Internet.
].
The heartwood is light yellow, slightly veined; it is clearly demarcated from the 3 - 5cm wide band of sapwood. The texture is medium; the grain straight, but sometimes wavy in the periphery of logs. The wood is moderately durable, being very resistant to fungi and dry wood borers, moderately resistant to termites. The wood seasons slowly with a high risk of checking and distortion; once dry it is moderately stable in service. The wood works well with ordinary tools; nailing and screwing are good, but require pre-boring; gluing is correct. The wood is used for purposes such as heavy carpentry, industrial flooring, exterior jionery and panelling, bridges, railway sleepers, furniture components and sliced veneer[
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 -
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Useful Tropical Plants Database 2014 by
Ken Fern,
web interface by
Ajna Fern
with help from
Richard Morris.
