If you would like to support this site, please consider Donating.
Useful Tropical Plants

Parmentiera cereifera

Seem.

Bignoniaceae

+ Synonyms

Common Name: Palo de Velas

Parmentiera cereifera
Ripening fruits at Foster Botanic Garden, Honolulu, Hawaii
Photograph by: Cyndy Sims Parr
Creative Commons License
Parmentiera cereifera Parmentiera cereifera Parmentiera cereifera Parmentiera cereifera

General Information

Parmentiera cereifera is an evergreen tree with a spreading, open crown; branching from quite low on the trunk it grows around 7 metres tall with a bole up to 20cm in diameter. It produces bizarre-looking fruit - hanging from the branches these slim, waxy, yellow-ochre fruits look exactly like freshly-dipped candles hung out to dry[
307
Title
Tropical and Subtropical Trees - A Worldwide Encyclopaedic Guide.
Publication
 
Author
Barwick. M.
Publisher
Thames & Hudson, London
Year
2004
ISBN
0-500-51181-0
Description
A superb book, very concise and well written, giving a wealth of information on 400 or more species including descriptions, habitat, cultivation details and plant uses. A wealth of colour photographs bring each plant vividly to life.
,
2094
Title
Bignoniaceae Part 1 (Crescentieae and Tourrettieae)
Publication
Flora Neotropica Monograph Vol. 25, No. 1. pp 1-130
Author
Gentry A.H.
Publisher
The New York Botanical Garden, New York
Year
1980
ISBN
0-89327-222-1
Description
 
].
The tree is harvested from the wild for local use as a food and a medicine. It is widely cultivated in the Americas and also in other tropical regions as a curiosity and an ornamental plant and also sometimes for its edible fruit[
301
Title
Cornucopia II
Publication
 
Author
Facciola. S.
Publisher
Kampong Publications, California.
Year
1998
ISBN
0-9628087-2-5
Description
The second edition of an excellent guide to the edible uses of plants, though it does not give any details of cultivation etc.
,
302
Title
Tropical Ornamentals; A Guide
Publication
 
Author
Whistler. W. Arthur.
Publisher
Timber Press Inc. Oregon.
Year
2000
ISBN
0-88192-448-2
Description
An excellent little guide to some of the more commonly cultivated ornamental plants of the Tropics, often giving some information on the plants other uses.
].
Parmentiera cereifera is under serious threat from logging in some areas[
338
Title
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.iucnredlist.org/
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat.
]. The plant is classified as 'Endangered' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(1998)[
338
Title
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.iucnredlist.org/
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat.
].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

200
Title
The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
Publication
 
Author
Huxley. A.
Publisher
MacMillan Press
Year
1992
ISBN
0-333-47494-5
Description
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
,
2094
Title
Bignoniaceae Part 1 (Crescentieae and Tourrettieae)
Publication
Flora Neotropica Monograph Vol. 25, No. 1. pp 1-130
Author
Gentry A.H.
Publisher
The New York Botanical Garden, New York
Year
1980
ISBN
0-89327-222-1
Description
 

Range

Central America - Panama.

Habitat

Limestone formations[
200
Title
The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
Publication
 
Author
Huxley. A.
Publisher
MacMillan Press
Year
1992
ISBN
0-333-47494-5
Description
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
]. Humid limestone woodlands[
307
Title
Tropical and Subtropical Trees - A Worldwide Encyclopaedic Guide.
Publication
 
Author
Barwick. M.
Publisher
Thames & Hudson, London
Year
2004
ISBN
0-500-51181-0
Description
A superb book, very concise and well written, giving a wealth of information on 400 or more species including descriptions, habitat, cultivation details and plant uses. A wealth of colour photographs bring each plant vividly to life.
]. Lowland evergreen forest[
338
Title
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.iucnredlist.org/
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat.
].

Properties

Weed PotentialYes
Conservation StatusEndangered
Edibility Rating *  *  *
Medicinal Rating *
HabitEvergreen Tree
Height7.00 m
Growth RateSlow
PollinatorsMoths, Bats
Cultivation StatusCultivated, Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details


Prefers a well-drained but moist, fertile soil in a sunny position or light shade[
302
Title
Tropical Ornamentals; A Guide
Publication
 
Author
Whistler. W. Arthur.
Publisher
Timber Press Inc. Oregon.
Year
2000
ISBN
0-88192-448-2
Description
An excellent little guide to some of the more commonly cultivated ornamental plants of the Tropics, often giving some information on the plants other uses.
,
307
Title
Tropical and Subtropical Trees - A Worldwide Encyclopaedic Guide.
Publication
 
Author
Barwick. M.
Publisher
Thames & Hudson, London
Year
2004
ISBN
0-500-51181-0
Description
A superb book, very concise and well written, giving a wealth of information on 400 or more species including descriptions, habitat, cultivation details and plant uses. A wealth of colour photographs bring each plant vividly to life.
].
This species has become invasive in northern Australia[
307
Title
Tropical and Subtropical Trees - A Worldwide Encyclopaedic Guide.
Publication
 
Author
Barwick. M.
Publisher
Thames & Hudson, London
Year
2004
ISBN
0-500-51181-0
Description
A superb book, very concise and well written, giving a wealth of information on 400 or more species including descriptions, habitat, cultivation details and plant uses. A wealth of colour photographs bring each plant vividly to life.
].
Plants do not flower until they are quite large[
200
Title
The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
Publication
 
Author
Huxley. A.
Publisher
MacMillan Press
Year
1992
ISBN
0-333-47494-5
Description
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
].
The flowers open in the late afternoon and are pollinated mainly by bats[
2094
Title
Bignoniaceae Part 1 (Crescentieae and Tourrettieae)
Publication
Flora Neotropica Monograph Vol. 25, No. 1. pp 1-130
Author
Gentry A.H.
Publisher
The New York Botanical Garden, New York
Year
1980
ISBN
0-89327-222-1
Description
 
].

Edible Uses

Fruit - raw or cooked[
301
Title
Cornucopia II
Publication
 
Author
Facciola. S.
Publisher
Kampong Publications, California.
Year
1998
ISBN
0-9628087-2-5
Description
The second edition of an excellent guide to the edible uses of plants, though it does not give any details of cultivation etc.
]. The waxy, white to yellow, candle-shaped fruit can be 39 - 54cm long and 10 - 24mm wide[
302
Title
Tropical Ornamentals; A Guide
Publication
 
Author
Whistler. W. Arthur.
Publisher
Timber Press Inc. Oregon.
Year
2000
ISBN
0-88192-448-2
Description
An excellent little guide to some of the more commonly cultivated ornamental plants of the Tropics, often giving some information on the plants other uses.
,
2094
Title
Bignoniaceae Part 1 (Crescentieae and Tourrettieae)
Publication
Flora Neotropica Monograph Vol. 25, No. 1. pp 1-130
Author
Gentry A.H.
Publisher
The New York Botanical Garden, New York
Year
1980
ISBN
0-89327-222-1
Description
 
].

Medicinal

Both the bark and the roots have medicinal properties[
307
Title
Tropical and Subtropical Trees - A Worldwide Encyclopaedic Guide.
Publication
 
Author
Barwick. M.
Publisher
Thames & Hudson, London
Year
2004
ISBN
0-500-51181-0
Description
A superb book, very concise and well written, giving a wealth of information on 400 or more species including descriptions, habitat, cultivation details and plant uses. A wealth of colour photographs bring each plant vividly to life.
].

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed -
Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2024-12-01. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Parmentiera+cereifera>

Comments

Noel Hall 03rd October 2015 3:52
Hi, your advice that this tree is a feral in North Queensland is incorrect, the tree that is a pest is the cucumber tree parmentiera aculeata which is also edible.
We have a 6 metre tree growing in our Brisbane City Botanical Garden the parmentiera cereifera and for some reason does not bear fruit but flowers in early October with great clusters of creamery green flowers all over the trunk and branches.

Add a Comment:

If you have any useful information about this plant, please leave a comment. Comments have to be approved before they are shown here.