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Useful Tropical Plants

Sapium glandulosum

(L.) Morong

Euphorbiaceae


A very variable species, as can be deduced by the plethora of synonyms![
K
Title
Plants for a Future
Author
Ken Fern
Description
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.
].

+ Synonyms

Excoecaria aerea (Klotzsch ex Müll.Arg.) Müll.Arg.

Excoecaria biglandulosa Müll.Arg.

Excoecaria marginata (Müll.Arg.) Müll.Arg.

Excoecaria obtusiloba (Müll.Arg.) Müll.Arg.

Excoecaria occidentalis Müll.Arg.

Excoecaria suberosa Müll.Arg.

Hippomane aucuparia (Jacq.) Crantz

Hippomane biglandulosa L.

Hippomane fruticosa Sessé & Moc.

Hippomane glandulosa L.

Hippomane zeocca L. ex B.D.Jacks.

Omphalea glandulata Vell.

Sapiopsis cremostachys Müll.Arg.

Sapium aereum Klotzsch ex Müll.Arg.

Sapium alainianum P.T.Li

Sapium albomarginatum Pax & K.Hoffm.

Sapium aubletianum (Müll.Arg.) Huber

Sapium aucuparium Jacq.

Sapium aucuparium Willd.

Sapium aureum H.Buek

Sapium biglandulosum (L.) Müll.Arg.

Sapium bogotense Huber

Sapium caribaeum Urb.

Sapium claussenianum (Müll.Arg.) Huber

Sapium contortum Croizat

Sapium cremostachyum I.M.Johnst.

Sapium endlicherianum Klotzsch ex Pax

Sapium fendleri Hemsl.

Sapium fragile Pax & K.Hoffm.

Sapium giganteum Pittier

Sapium glandulatum (Vell.) Pax

Sapium guaricense Pittier

Sapium hamatum (Müll.Arg.) Pax & K.Hoffm.

Sapium hemsleyanum Huber

Sapium hippomane G.Mey.

Sapium integrifolium Splitg. ex Lanj

Sapium intercedens Huber

Sapium itzanum Lundell

Sapium ixiamasense Jabl.

Sapium izabalense Lundell

Sapium jamaicense Sw.

Sapium klotzschianum (Müll.Arg.) Huber

Sapium lanceolatum (Müll.Arg.) Huber

Sapium leptadenium (Müll.Arg.) Huber

Sapium marginatum Müll.Arg.

Sapium moaense Alain

Sapium montevidense Klotzsch ex Baill.

Sapium moritzianum Klotzsch

Sapium muelleri Hemsl.

Sapium naiguatense Pittier

Sapium nitidum Alain

Sapium obtusatum Klotzsch ex Pax

Sapium obtusilobum Müll.Arg.

Sapium occidentale (Müll.Arg.) Huber

Sapium oligoneurum K.Schum. & Pittier

Sapium paranaense Pax & K.Hoffm.

Sapium paucistamineum Pittier

Sapium pavonianum (Müll.Arg.) Huber

Sapium petiolare (Müll.Arg.) Huber

Sapium pittieri Huber

Sapium poeppigii Hemsl.

Sapium pohlianum Klotzsch ex Pax

Sapium prunifolium Klotzsch

Sapium punctatum Klotzsch ex Pax

Sapium pycnostachys K.Schum. ex Pax

Sapium salicifolium Kunth

Sapium saltense (O'Donell & Lourteig) Jabl.

Sapium schippii Croizat

Sapium serratum (Müll.Arg.) Klotzsch ex Baill.

Sapium suberosum Müll.Arg.

Sapium submarginatum Huber

Sapium subserratum Klotzsch ex Pax

Sapium sulciferum Pittier

Sapium taburu Ule

Sapium tenellum Pax & K.Hoffm.

Stillingia aucuparia (Jacq.) Oken

Stillingia biglandulosa (L.) Baill.

Stillingia dracunculoides Baill.

Stillingia haematantha Standl.

Stillingia hippomane (G.Mey.) Baill.

Stillingia marginata (Müll.Arg.) Baill.

Stillingia prunifolia (Klotzsch) Baill.

Common Name: Milk Tree

Sapium glandulosum
Flowering branch
Photograph by: Tarciso Leão
Creative Commons License
Sapium glandulosum Sapium glandulosum Sapium glandulosum Sapium glandulosum Sapium glandulosum Sapium glandulosum Sapium glandulosum Sapium glandulosum

General Information

Milk tree is an evergreen or briefly deciduous, tall forest tree with a spreading crown; it can grow up to 35 metres tall. The straight, cylindrical bole is 50cm or more in diameter; unbranched for about half of the tree's height; with strong buttresses about 1.2 metres tall[
453
Title
Woods of Northeastern Peru
Publication
 
Author
Williams L.
Website
http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/
Publisher
Field Museum Press; Chicago.
Year
1936
ISBN
 
Description
Gives information on the properties of the wood of well over 1,000 species of woody plants from northeastern Peru. Can be downloaded from the Internet.
].
The latex is sometimes gathered from the wild for local use. The tree is a good pioneer species for re-establishing woodland.

Known Hazards

The latex is toxic and can damage the eyes if it comes into contact with them[
419
Title
Brazilian Trees. Volume 1. 4th Edition.
Publication
 
Author
Lorenzi. H.
Publisher
Instituto Plantarum De Estudos Da Flora; Brazil.
Year
2002
ISBN
85-86714-17-8
Description
Information on 350 species of Brazilian trees. Stunning photographs of each species, brief details on the plant, its uses and how to grow it from seed. A superb work, with the minor irritation that the translation from Portuguese is not of the best.
].

Botanical References


Range

S. America - Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay and Brazil, north to the Caribbean and through Central America to Mexico.

Habitat

Dense, flood-free forests at elevations from 120 metres to 1,500 metres[
453
Title
Woods of Northeastern Peru
Publication
 
Author
Williams L.
Website
http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/
Publisher
Field Museum Press; Chicago.
Year
1936
ISBN
 
Description
Gives information on the properties of the wood of well over 1,000 species of woody plants from northeastern Peru. Can be downloaded from the Internet.
]. Savannah forests and mountain slopes[
341
Title
South American Timbers: the Properties, Uses and Characteristics of 190 Species.
Publication
 
Author
Bolza. E. & Christensen. F.J.
Publisher
Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization
Year
1979
ISBN
0 643 02582 0
Description
A very useful guide.
]. It may grow in secondary formations in some areas[
341
Title
South American Timbers: the Properties, Uses and Characteristics of 190 Species.
Publication
 
Author
Bolza. E. & Christensen. F.J.
Publisher
Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization
Year
1979
ISBN
0 643 02582 0
Description
A very useful guide.
].

Properties

Other Uses Rating *  *  *
HabitSemi-deciduous Tree
Height30.00 m
Growth RateMedium
PollinatorsBees, Insects
Cultivation StatusCultivated, Wild

Cultivation Details


Prefers a sunny position[
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.
]. Plants can succeed on thin, dry soils[
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.
]. Established plants are drought tolerant[
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

Agroforestry Uses:

The tree plays an important role, within its native range, in the reclamation of storm-ravaged land by 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.
].
Trees and saplings are sturdy, resistant to drought and excessive sunlight, and are thus good pioneer plants[
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 frequently are among the first woody plants to invade clearings caused by tree-falls, landslides, or human intervention. They are also good competitors on steep slopes where soils are thin and xeric conditions are prevalent. Saplings one meter tall have been observed in storm-damaged sites after only two years of regeneration[
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.
].

Other Uses

A latex is obtained from the tree[
46
Title
Dictionary of Economic Plants.
Publication
 
Author
Uphof. J. C. Th.
Publisher
Weinheim
Year
1959
ISBN
-
Description
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.
]. It is the source of a good rubber[
46
Title
Dictionary of Economic Plants.
Publication
 
Author
Uphof. J. C. Th.
Publisher
Weinheim
Year
1959
ISBN
-
Description
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.
].
When cut, the bark secretes a fair quantity of a sweet, pinkish latex[
453
Title
Woods of Northeastern Peru
Publication
 
Author
Williams L.
Website
http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/
Publisher
Field Museum Press; Chicago.
Year
1936
ISBN
 
Description
Gives information on the properties of the wood of well over 1,000 species of woody plants from northeastern Peru. Can be downloaded from the Internet.
].

The heartwood is pale brown; the sapwood cream-coloured in a band 12 - 25mm wide[
341
Title
South American Timbers: the Properties, Uses and Characteristics of 190 Species.
Publication
 
Author
Bolza. E. & Christensen. F.J.
Publisher
Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization
Year
1979
ISBN
0 643 02582 0
Description
A very useful guide.
]. The wood is straight-grained; coarse-textured; very soft; light; not strong; not durable; tasteless, but with a slightly foetid odour[
453
Title
Woods of Northeastern Peru
Publication
 
Author
Williams L.
Website
http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/
Publisher
Field Museum Press; Chicago.
Year
1936
ISBN
 
Description
Gives information on the properties of the wood of well over 1,000 species of woody plants from northeastern Peru. Can be downloaded from the Internet.
]. It requires a sharp knife to cut smoothly across the grain; It is easy to work; checks and is liable to stain in drying[
453
Title
Woods of Northeastern Peru
Publication
 
Author
Williams L.
Website
http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/
Publisher
Field Museum Press; Chicago.
Year
1936
ISBN
 
Description
Gives information on the properties of the wood of well over 1,000 species of woody plants from northeastern Peru. Can be downloaded from the Internet.
]. It is little used, but occasionally light boxes are made from it[
419
Title
Brazilian Trees. Volume 1. 4th Edition.
Publication
 
Author
Lorenzi. H.
Publisher
Instituto Plantarum De Estudos Da Flora; Brazil.
Year
2002
ISBN
85-86714-17-8
Description
Information on 350 species of Brazilian trees. Stunning photographs of each species, brief details on the plant, its uses and how to grow it from seed. A superb work, with the minor irritation that the translation from Portuguese is not of the best.
].
The wood is used for fuel and to make charcoal[
419
Title
Brazilian Trees. Volume 1. 4th Edition.
Publication
 
Author
Lorenzi. H.
Publisher
Instituto Plantarum De Estudos Da Flora; Brazil.
Year
2002
ISBN
85-86714-17-8
Description
Information on 350 species of Brazilian trees. Stunning photographs of each species, brief details on the plant, its uses and how to grow it from seed. A superb work, with the minor irritation that the translation from Portuguese is not of the best.
].

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a partially shaded position in a nursery seedbed. A low germination rate can usually be expected, with the seed sprouting within 10 - 35 days[
419
Title
Brazilian Trees. Volume 1. 4th Edition.
Publication
 
Author
Lorenzi. H.
Publisher
Instituto Plantarum De Estudos Da Flora; Brazil.
Year
2002
ISBN
85-86714-17-8
Description
Information on 350 species of Brazilian trees. Stunning photographs of each species, brief details on the plant, its uses and how to grow it from seed. A superb work, with the minor irritation that the translation from Portuguese is not of the best.
].
In nature, the seeds germinate soon (within a week or two) after coming into contact with the moist forest floor[
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.
].
Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2024-10-13. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Sapium+glandulosum>

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