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Useful Tropical Plants

Quararibea asterolepis

Pittier

Malvaceae

+ Synonyms

Common Name:

Quararibea asterolepis
Trunk
Photograph by: R. Pérez; Center for Tropical Forest Science
© Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute
Quararibea asterolepis Quararibea asterolepis Quararibea asterolepis Quararibea asterolepis Quararibea asterolepis Quararibea asterolepis Quararibea asterolepis

General Information

Quararibea asterolepis is an evergreen tree with a moderately thick and narrow crown; it can grow 25 - 35 metres tall. The irregular bole can be 80cm in diameter, it is generally angular and bending as it rises up through the understorey, and it is creased by deep folds and ridges along much of its length. Projecting outward from the base are exceptionally thin, flat, and straight buttresses that meld with the trunk at a height of about one and a half metres[
510
Title
Trees of Costa Rica's Pacific Slope
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.cds.ed.cr/teachers/harmon/page1.html
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
Information on over 80 species of tree from the Pacific coast of Costa Rica.
].
The tree is harvested from the wild as a local source of materials.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References


Range

S. America - Ecuador, Colombia; C. America - Panama, Costa Rica.

Habitat

A canopy tree, found in low-lying primary forests, sometimes forming relatively pure, single-species stands[
510
Title
Trees of Costa Rica's Pacific Slope
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.cds.ed.cr/teachers/harmon/page1.html
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
Information on over 80 species of tree from the Pacific coast of Costa Rica.
]. Widely distributed in primary forests, particularly along creeksides or in depressions where the soil is poorly drained[
510
Title
Trees of Costa Rica's Pacific Slope
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.cds.ed.cr/teachers/harmon/page1.html
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
Information on over 80 species of tree from the Pacific coast of Costa Rica.
].

Properties

Other Uses Rating *  *
HabitEvergreen Tree
Height30.00 m
PollinatorsBees, Bats, Insects, Hummingbirds
Cultivation StatusWild

Cultivation Details



An ecologically important species, the tree produces copious quantities of fruits on a bi-annual basis - these fruits are highly sought-after by bats and many other creatures in the forest[
510
Title
Trees of Costa Rica's Pacific Slope
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.cds.ed.cr/teachers/harmon/page1.html
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
Information on over 80 species of tree from the Pacific coast of Costa Rica.
].
The blossoms smell strongly and sweetly of honeysuckle and, during intense flowering periods, they fill the forest air with their agreeable odour[
510
Title
Trees of Costa Rica's Pacific Slope
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.cds.ed.cr/teachers/harmon/page1.html
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
Information on over 80 species of tree from the Pacific coast of Costa Rica.
].
The leaves smell strongly and pleasantly of maple syrup after they are pressed and dried[
510
Title
Trees of Costa Rica's Pacific Slope
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.cds.ed.cr/teachers/harmon/page1.html
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
Information on over 80 species of tree from the Pacific coast of Costa Rica.
].

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

In very small saplings up to 3 metres tall, the branches leave the trunk at right angles and at regular, periodic intervals: with 5 or 6 of them appearing at discreet junctions spaced out along the bole. Cut correctly, the small stem of such a sapling can be spun between the hands, causing the spoke-like branches to whip or beat any liquid they are immersed in[
510
Title
Trees of Costa Rica's Pacific Slope
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.cds.ed.cr/teachers/harmon/page1.html
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
Information on over 80 species of tree from the Pacific coast of Costa Rica.
]. They are often used as whipping or beating devices in the preparation of liquid refreshments[
510
Title
Trees of Costa Rica's Pacific Slope
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.cds.ed.cr/teachers/harmon/page1.html
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
Information on over 80 species of tree from the Pacific coast of Costa Rica.
].

The extraordinarily thin and flat buttresses have often been sawn off from standing forest trees for use as shelves or tables[
510
Title
Trees of Costa Rica's Pacific Slope
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.cds.ed.cr/teachers/harmon/page1.html
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
Information on over 80 species of tree from the Pacific coast of Costa Rica.
]. Many living individuals still bear the scars where such planks were cut from them[
510
Title
Trees of Costa Rica's Pacific Slope
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.cds.ed.cr/teachers/harmon/page1.html
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
Information on over 80 species of tree from the Pacific coast of Costa Rica.
].

Propagation

Seed -
Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2024-12-05. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Quararibea+asterolepis>

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