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Useful Tropical Plants

Sterculia rubiginosa

Vent.

Malvaceae

+ Synonyms

Balanghas rubiginosa Raf.

Clompanus rubiginosa (Vent.) Kuntze

Sterculia brevipetiolata Merr.

Sterculia cuneata R.Br.

Sterculia ferruginea R.Br.

Sterculia humilis Elmer

Sterculia obovata Merr.

Sterculia stipularis Merr.

Common Name:

Sterculia rubiginosa
Open fruit, showing the seeds
Photograph by: loupok
Creative Commons License
Sterculia rubiginosa Sterculia rubiginosa Sterculia rubiginosa Sterculia rubiginosa Sterculia rubiginosa

General Information

Sterculia rubiginosa is a deciduous tree growing up to 20 metres tall, but usually smaller. The bole can be 35cm in diameter with buttresses up to 1 metre high[
345
Title
Minor Products of Philippine Forests
Publication
 
Author
Brown. W. H.
Publisher
Bureau of Forestry, Manilla.
Year
1920
ISBN
 
Description
A useful guide to some of the plants of the area, though terse on details. The book is out of copyright and can be legally downloaded from the Internet.
,
701
Title
Asean Tropical Plant Database
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://211.114.21.20/tropicalplant/index.jsp
Publisher
 
Year
 
ISBN
 
Description
Terse details, with photos, of many of the plants growing in the tropical forests of southeast Asia. Gives some details of plant uses along with a description of the plant and its range.
].
The tree is sometimes harvested from the wild for local use as a source of wood and fibre.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References


Range

Southeast Asia - Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines.

Habitat

A subcanopy tree, occupying a wide spectrum of habitats ranging from thickets and open secondary forests to primary forests, from near sea-level to 1,600 metres.

Properties

Other Uses Rating *  *
HabitDeciduous Tree
Height15.00 m
Cultivation StatusWild

Cultivation Details


Found in the wild on sandy to clay soils, but also on limestone[
653
Title
Plants of Southeast Asia
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.asianplant.net/
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
Excellent site with brief information on the plant, its range, habitat and uses, plus phots of specimens, close-ops of flowers and leaves etc,
].

Edible Uses

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[
K
Title
Plants for a Future
Author
Ken Fern
Description
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.
]. The black, globose to ellipsoid seed is 10 - 20mm long[
701
Title
Asean Tropical Plant Database
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://211.114.21.20/tropicalplant/index.jsp
Publisher
 
Year
 
ISBN
 
Description
Terse details, with photos, of many of the plants growing in the tropical forests of southeast Asia. Gives some details of plant uses along with a description of the plant and its range.
].

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

A fibre obtained from the bark is used for making rope[
345
Title
Minor Products of Philippine Forests
Publication
 
Author
Brown. W. H.
Publisher
Bureau of Forestry, Manilla.
Year
1920
ISBN
 
Description
A useful guide to some of the plants of the area, though terse on details. The book is out of copyright and can be legally downloaded from the Internet.
]. The strips of bast are perforated with small holes so that they have a sieve-like appearance. The colour is uniform ochraceous-buff. Rope made from it has very little strength, but is used considerably. It is said to be durable during the wet season and is employed particularly for making hogtraps. The rope has a tensile strength of 268 kilos per square centimetre, increased 37% by wetting[
345
Title
Minor Products of Philippine Forests
Publication
 
Author
Brown. W. H.
Publisher
Bureau of Forestry, Manilla.
Year
1920
ISBN
 
Description
A useful guide to some of the plants of the area, though terse on details. The book is out of copyright and can be legally downloaded from the Internet.
].

The wood is sometimes used[
701
Title
Asean Tropical Plant Database
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://211.114.21.20/tropicalplant/index.jsp
Publisher
 
Year
 
ISBN
 
Description
Terse details, with photos, of many of the plants growing in the tropical forests of southeast Asia. Gives some details of plant uses along with a description of the plant and its range.
].
We have no specific description for the wood of this species, but the following is a general description of the wood of Sterculia species in the Phillipines:-
The fresh wood is creamy white or very light gray or brown, but almost invariably staining to a silvery gray or a light brown; the sapwood is scarcely if at all distinguishable from the heartwood. The texture is coarse, spongy; the grain straight. The wood is soft to very soft; light to very light in weight; The durability is very poor; the wood being frequently attacked by beetles, though the heartwood, if seasoned rapidly and thoroughly, is somewhat better than the sapwood. Except for staining, the wood seasons well; it is very easy to work. Of low quality, it is used for cheap and temporary construction, box lumber, etc.; temporary mining timbers. It has been recommended for trial as match wood[
721
Title
Commercial Woods of the Philippines; Their Preparation and Uses
Publication
Philippines Bureau of Forestry Bulletin No. 14
Author
Schneider E.E.
Website
http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org
Publisher
Bureau of Forestry; Manilla.
Year
1916
ISBN
 
Description
A series of booklets dealing with various aspects of the Philippine forests. This volume looks at the preparation and uses of the commercial woods of the Philippines. It can be downloaded from the Internet.
].

Propagation

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[
325
Title
Seed Leaflets
Publication
 
Author
Various
Website
http://en.sl.life.ku.dk/Publikationer/Udgivelser/PopulaerPublikationer.aspx?katid={D28373CC-6EF3-4EF8-B097-6D83FABF209E}&serieid={9F1C3DB1-6E7B-4CF1-AF53-F480B0CB40EF}&sort=title
Publisher
Forest & Landscape. Denmark
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
A series of leaflets, jointly produced by the University of Copenhagen and the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, focussing on seed information for a number species, but also giving a lot of other information about each plant.
]. The aril surrounding the seed should also be removed - this is easiest when it has been softened through soaking in water[
325
Title
Seed Leaflets
Publication
 
Author
Various
Website
http://en.sl.life.ku.dk/Publikationer/Udgivelser/PopulaerPublikationer.aspx?katid={D28373CC-6EF3-4EF8-B097-6D83FABF209E}&serieid={9F1C3DB1-6E7B-4CF1-AF53-F480B0CB40EF}&sort=title
Publisher
Forest & Landscape. Denmark
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
A series of leaflets, jointly produced by the University of Copenhagen and the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, focussing on seed information for a number species, but also giving a lot of other information about each plant.
]. 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[
325
Title
Seed Leaflets
Publication
 
Author
Various
Website
http://en.sl.life.ku.dk/Publikationer/Udgivelser/PopulaerPublikationer.aspx?katid={D28373CC-6EF3-4EF8-B097-6D83FABF209E}&serieid={9F1C3DB1-6E7B-4CF1-AF53-F480B0CB40EF}&sort=title
Publisher
Forest & Landscape. Denmark
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
A series of leaflets, jointly produced by the University of Copenhagen and the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, focussing on seed information for a number species, but also giving a lot of other information about each plant.
].
Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2024-12-03. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Sterculia+rubiginosa>

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