Tetragastris hostmannii
(Engl.) Kuntze
Burseraceae
Hedwigia hostmannii Engl.
Common Name:
General Information
Tetragastris hostmannii is a tree that can grow up to 25 metres tall. The bole can be 50 - 60cm in diameter[
422- Title
- Fruits of the Guianan Flora
- Publication
-
- Author
- van Roosmalen. M.G.M.
- Publisher
- Institute of Systematic Boyany, Utrecht University; Netherlands.
- Year
- 1985
- ISBN
- 90-9000988-4
- Description
- Terse descriptions of over 1,700 species from the Guianas that bear fruits - not necessarily edible! Often mentions if the fruit is edible, plus gives brief description of habit and habitat.
,
447- Title
- Common Trees of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands
- Publication
-
- Author
- Little E.L.; Wadsworth F.H.
- Publisher
- USDA, Forest Service; Washington.
- Year
- 1964
- ISBN
-
- Description
- Contains detailed information, and usually an illustration, on 250 tree species, including both native and exotic species.
,
848- Title
- Tropix 7
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://tropix.cirad.fr/en
- Publisher
- CIRAD
- Year
- 0
- ISBN
-
- Description
- An on-line guide to the timbers of 245 species of trees.
].
The tree is harvested from the wild for local use of its wood.
Known Hazards
None known
Botanical References
Range
S. America - Venezuela, Guyana, Surinam.
Habitat
Rain forests, mountain and savannah forests[
422- Title
- Fruits of the Guianan Flora
- Publication
-
- Author
- van Roosmalen. M.G.M.
- Publisher
- Institute of Systematic Boyany, Utrecht University; Netherlands.
- Year
- 1985
- ISBN
- 90-9000988-4
- Description
- Terse descriptions of over 1,700 species from the Guianas that bear fruits - not necessarily edible! Often mentions if the fruit is edible, plus gives brief description of habit and habitat.
].
Properties
| Other Uses Rating |  |
| Habit | Tree |
| Height | 20.00 m |
| Self-fertile | No |
| Cultivation Status | Wild |
Cultivation Details
A dioecious species, both male and female forms need to be grown if fruit and seed are required[
412- Title
- Illustrated Guide to the Trees of Peru
- Publication
-
- Author
- Pennington, T.D.; Reynel, C. & Daza, A.
- Publisher
- David Hunt; Sherbourne, England.
- Year
- 2004
- ISBN
- 0 9538134 3 6
- Description
- A very terse guide to the trees of Peru, managing to give basic guides to a large number of genera, with more detail on a few species in each genus.
].
Edible Uses
We have no specific information for this plant, but the fruits of Tetragastris species are generally red, opening at maturity to expose a stone with an edibe, sweet white covering that attracts animals like pacas, peccaries and tortoises, which disperse some seeds throughout the forest. Forest people snack on the white pulp when the stones fall[
757- Title
- Fruit Trees and Useful Plants in Amazonian Life
- Publication
- Non-Wood Forest Products 20.
- Author
- Shanley P.; Cymerys M.; Serra M.; Medina G. (Editors)
- Website
- http://www.fao.org/docrep/015/i2360e/i2360e.pdf
- Publisher
- FAO, United Nations
- Year
- 2011
- ISBN
- 978-92-5-107007-9
- Description
- Quite a lot of information on a number of useful plants growing in the Amazon. It can be downloaded from the Internet.
].
Medicinal
None known
Other Uses
The heartwood is light brown to orangey-yellow, sometimes with frequent small, black, resinous spots; it is clearly demarcated from the 4 - 6cm wide band of orange-yellow sapwood. Texture is fine, the grain interlocked. The wood is heavy, hard, of moderate elasticity, moderately durable, with resistance to attacks by fungi, dry wood borers and termites. The drying rate is normal to slow with a high risk of distortion or checking; once dry it is poorly stable in service. Sawing and machining are nore or less easy, but with a fairly high blunting effect - stellite-tipped sawteeth are recommended. Nailing and screwing are good, though pre-boring is necessary to avoid splitting; gluing is correct. The wood is used for industrial or heavy flooring, interior stairs, joinery, heavy carpentry, bridges etc[
848- Title
- Tropix 7
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://tropix.cirad.fr/en
- Publisher
- CIRAD
- Year
- 0
- ISBN
-
- Description
- An on-line guide to the timbers of 245 species of trees.
].
Propagation
Seed -
If you have any useful information about this plant, please leave a comment. Comments have to be approved before they are shown here.
Useful Tropical Plants Database 2014 by
Ken Fern,
web interface by
Ajna Fern
with help from
Richard Morris.
