Common Name:

General Information

Tapirira guianensis is an evergreen tree with a dense, rounded crown; usually growing 8 - 14 metres tall in Brazil, but to 25 metres or more in Panama. The usually short, straight bole is normally unbuttressed and can be 40 - 80cm in diameter[, , ].
A popular wood, it is often harvested from the wild for local use and for export. The plant also has an edible fruit and local medicinal uses.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

S. America - Paraguay, Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, the Guyanas, Venezuela; C. America - Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, Mexico.

Habitat

Found in a wide range of habitats, mainly in denser forests and secondary growth areas. It grows principally in wetter soils, though it can also tolerate drier, hillside conditions[]. Savannah and gallery forests[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Evergreen Tree
Height	11.00 m
Pollinators	Insects
Self-fertile	No
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Prefers a sunny position[].
Young plants grow away quickly and can easily reach a height of 3 metres within 2 years[].
A dioecious species, both male and female forms need to be grown if fruit and seed are required[].

Edible Uses

The fruit is considered to be edible[]. The fruit is a purple, globose drupe up to 10mm in diameter[].

Medicinal

An oleoresin is obtained in abundance from the stems[]. It is recommended for the treatment of syphilitic ulcers[].

The finely ground bark is ingested as a treatment for children's thrush[]
A decoction of the bark is used as a fever bath, an infusion is used for washing ulcers[]. The inner bark is used to dress cuts, wounds and sores, and to treat snakebite[].

An unspecified part of the plant is used a purgative[].

A tea made from the flowers is used by elderly persons experiencing painful urination[].

Agroforestry Uses:

A fast-growing and very adaptable tree that is a natural pioneer in its own range, it also provides an edible fruit that is eagerly sought by the native fauna[]. It makes a good choice as a pioneer species when re-establishing native woodland, especially in the moister soils[].

Other Uses

The heartwood is a uniform, pale pink to golden-brown colour, often stained by oily exudations; it is clearly demarcated from the thin layer of lighter coloured sapwood[, ]. The wood is of fine to medium texture; fairly lustrous, the grain fairly straight. It is light in weight, soft, with moderate mechanical properties and of low durability with a low resistance to wood eating organisms. It works easily with all hand and machine tools, planes easily and finishes smoothly, turns and bores satisfactorily, nails and screws well, with good holding powers, polishes well, slices and peels satisfactorily. The wood is used intensively in the manufacture of toys, plywood, light wooden crates and boxes, inexpensive furniture, wood carvings, wooden soles, broom handles etc[, ].

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a partially shaded position in a nursery seedbed. A high germination rate can be expected, with the seed sprouting within 15 - 30 days[]. When the seedlings are 4 - 6cm tall, pot them up into individual containers and they should be ready to plant out 4 - 5 months later[].

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