Common Name:

General Information

Poitea gracilis is a deciduous, woody plant that has two main forms; it can be a small, intricately-branched shrub, or it can ber a small tree with a single, erect, spindly stem; it can grow from 40 - 230cm tall[]. Shrubby forms often have thorny lateral branches, the plant branches so freely that it bcomes a tightly woven, impenetrable mass. Tree forms are usually few-branched[].
When large enough, the plant is harvested from the wild for local use of its wood. It has potential for use in reforestation and soil stabilization projects and also has a very attractive floral display with dense clusters of flower, making it worthy of being grown as an ornamental[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

Caribbean - Cuba

Habitat

Savannah, often as scttered individuals, growing on rocky, limestone or serpentine soils; at elevations up to 700 metres[, ].

Properties

Other Uses Rating
Habit	Deciduous Shrub
Height	2.00 m
Pollinators	Bees
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Poitea gracilis is a plant of the seasonally dry tropics.

The plant can be coppiced - it spreads at the roots and regenerates by suckers[]..

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

None known

Agroforestry Uses:

The plant sends up suckers and can easily inhabit unstable soils on steep slopes. This mkes it of potential value in revegetation and reforestation projects[].

Other Uses

The heartwood is a rich olive brown with streaks. It is hard, heavy and easy to work. It is suitable for small turnery items

Propagation

Like many species within the family Fabaceae, once they have ripened and dried the seeds of this species may benefit from scarification before sowing in order to speed up and improve germination. This can usually be done by pouring a small amount of nearly boiling water on the seeds (being careful not to cook them!) and then soaking them for 12 - 24 hours in warm water. By this time they should have imbibed moisture and swollen - if they have not, then carefully make a nick in the seedcoat (being careful not to damage the embryo) and soak for a further 12 hours before sowing[].

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