Common Name: White Cedar

General Information

Tabebuia heterophylla is a fast-growing, semideciduous tree with a fairly sparse, spreading canopy; it can grow up to 18 metres tall. The straight, cylindrical bole can be 45cm in diameter[, ].
A valuable timber tree, commonly harvested from the wild for local use and export. It is sometimes grown in plantations for timber production and reforestation[]. A very ornamental tree, valued for its floral display, it is often grown in gardens and parks[, ].
Tabebuia heterophylla is a generalist species growing in many habitats and is a particularly effective pioneer species. It is found throughout the Caribbean and, even though it is exploited for its several uses, it does not appear to be facing any major threat. The plant is classified as 'Least Concern' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2019)[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

Caribbean from Trinidad and Tobago to the Bahamas.

Habitat

Dry, rocky, woodland habitats, tolerating calcareous, coral-based soils and high, slightly brackish water tables, thus often found on small tropical islands; at elevations up to 1,000 metres[].

Properties

Weed Potential	Yes
Conservation Status	Least Concern
Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Semi-deciduous Tree
Height	15.00 m
Growth Rate	Fast
Pollinators	Bees
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

A plant of the dry to moist tropics growing in areas where the mean annual rainfall can range from 850 - 1,500mm[]. Temperature ranges from a mean minimum in January of 16°c to a mean maximum of 31°c in August - the trees do not experience frost[].
Prefers a position in full sun[]. An easily grown plant growing on a range of soils, it prefers a well-drained, fertile soil but can succeed even in poor, calcareous soils[, ]. Established plants are very drought tolerant[].
The tree has shown a tendency to become invasive in some regions[]. It has become a problem in Pacific regions where it grows on any soil type and will adapt to poor or degraded soils. It produces lots of seeds, which can grow away to form pure monotypic stands. It is an extremely fast growing species and can easily outcompete native and other exotic trees. It bears leaves and branches almost to the base and casts a deep shade under which virtually no other species can grow. Its thick litter layer may also prevent the growth of native seedlings[].
Trees will transplant well, even when quite large[].
The tree flowers intermittently throughout the year and will often celebrate an unexpected shower by erupting into masses of bloom[].
This species can hybridize quite freely with other members of the genus[].

Edible Uses

The leaves are sometimes used as a tea[].

Medicinal

The bark is used as a plaster to cure corns remove callous layers of the skin[].

A decoction of the bark and the leaves is used in the treatmeny of colds[], and helps against fainting

A poultice of the leaves is used to cure sores[].

Agroforestry Uses:

In general, the tree is tolerant of degraded sites and abandoned farm lands, where it tends to invade quite quickly and form nearly pure stands[]. This makes it a potential pioneer species[].
In Puerto Rico, the tree is planted on poor sites in order to provide cover and to improve the soil. It is recommended for planting on uniform and convex slopes and ridges, where trials have shown it to be a promising species for reforestation. It has also done well on humid, waterlogged sites[].

Other Uses

The heartwood is light brown with a greyish or golden hue and fine, brown lines; it is not clearly demarcated from the sapwood[, ]. The grain is straight to interlocked; the texture is medium to coarse; the lustre is low to medium; no distinct odour or taste is apparent[]. The wood is relatively heavy, moderately hard, tough, strong and durable in contact with the soil, though susceptible to attack by termites[, ]. Some reports say that it is also susceptible to marine borers[, ], though it is also said to last especially well in salt water[, ]. It saws and machines easily with very satisfactory results in all operations except planing; it has fair resistance to screw splitting; takes nails fairly well; glues easily[]. The wood accepts mahogany and oak stains satisfactorily or can be finished naturally with excellent results; it takes a high polish[, ]. The wood is used widely in construction and is also used in boat building, flooring panels, making bowls etc[, ].

Propagation

Seed - it has a short viability and needs to be sown as soon as possible once it is ripe[]. Seeds sown directly in seedbeds after collection in the field showed germination rates of 90% within 2 weeks[]. A 3 week delay in sowing seeds reduced viability to about 55%; and after 5 weeks no seeds germinated[]. Seeds stored at 25% seed moisture content, at a temperature of 4°c, gave a germination rate of 55% after 25 months storage[].
The more common means of propagating this plant is to dig up seedlings from the wild and transplant them straight into their permanent positions[].

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