Common Name:

General Information

Sterculia rhinpetala is a deciduous tree growing up to 40 metres tall. The straight, cylindrical bole can be up to 120cm in diameter, it can be branchless for up to 21 metres, with narrow buttresses up to 3 metres high[].
The tree is harvested from the wild for local use as a food, medicine and source of timber. The tree is also exploited commercially for its timber[].
Although Sterculia rhinopetala is exploited quite heavily for its timber, it is currently not considered to be significantly globally threatened. The plant is classified as 'Least Concern' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2019)[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

East tropical Africa - Cote D'Ivoire to Cameroon.

Habitat

Drier areas of lowland rain forests. Natural regeneration seems good. Under natural conditions, seedlings and saplings can be commonly found in small gaps in the forest, but slightly older trees become light demanders[].

Properties

Conservation Status	Least Concern
Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Deciduous Tree
Height	30.00 m
Growth Rate	Slow
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

The plant is classified as a non-pioneer light demander[]. It is shade-tolerant[]. These apparently conflicting statements probably indicate that young plants are shade tolerant although older plants are more light demanding[].
A slow-growing tree[].
Annual bole diameter increment in secondary forest in Cameroon averaged 3.6mm. In this forest some individuals were present in the main canopy, but the majority of individuals occurred as recruits in the lower storeys[]. In Cote d'Ivoire the annual increment in diameter was 3.3 - 7.3mm in natural forest and 5.0 - 12.4mm in a strongly thinned forest, but trees over 40cm in bole diameter have slower diameter growth: about 2.5 mm per yea[]r. In Cote d'Ivoire 14-year-old planted trees showed a mean annual growth in diameter of 1cm[].

Edible Uses

The wood ash yields a vegetable salt that is used in cooking[].

Although we have seen no specific information for this species, the large seeds of many species in this genus are used for food. Usually cooked, they are rich in oil and have a flavour described by some as like peanuts[]. The seeds are about 18mm × 8mm, with a red fleshy seed coat, dangling from the open fruit on white threads[].

Medicinal

A mixture of the powdered bark and oil is applied to swellings and taken orally to counteract flatulence[].

Other Uses

The wood ash yields a vegetable salt that is used in soap making[].

The heartwood is pale to deep reddish brown; it is distinctly demarcated from the 4 - 6cm wide band of white or creamish sapwood. The grain is straight or slightly interlocked; texture medium to coarse; growth rings are distinct; quarter sawn surfaces have an attractive figure. The wood is moderately heavy to heavy, tough; moderately hard to hard; moderately durable, being moderately resistant to termite attack, although pinhole borer attack sometimes occurs. It seasons slowly, with a high risk of checking and distortion; once dry it is moderately stable in service. The wood saws and works easily with hand and machine tools, but tends to blunt tool edges and saw teeth; there can be some difficulties when planing due to the interlocked grain; it finishes well, but a filler is needed; it holds nails and screws well, but pre-boring is recommended to avoid splitting on nailing; gluing is correct for internal purposes only; peeling and slicing properties are fairly good; steam bending properties are moderate. The wood is suitable for construction, flooring, joinery, interior trim, panelling, stairs, high-quality furniture, ship and boat building, tool handles, toys, turnery, poles, veneer and plywood[]. It is apparently suitable for paper making but is not as yet used for this purpose[, ].

Propagation

Seed - germinates rapidly both in light and in darkness. Germination starts after 4 - 12 days[]. Planting in full sun is possible.
A physical dormancy caused by the hard seed coat of the mature seeds of many species in this genus can be overcome by scarifying the seed. This is carried out by cutting away or abrading some of the seed coat to allow the ingress of water, though great care must be taken not to damage the embryo[]. The aril surrounding the seed should also be removed - this is easiest when it has been softened through soaking in water[]. The seeds germinate optimally at temperatures between 20 - 30°c. They can be sown in a nursery seedbed or in containers. A germination rate of about 95%, occurring within about 2 weeks can be expected if the seed has been properly treated[].

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