Characteristics
A medium sized tree. It can be 8-10 m tall. It develops a large bottle-shaped trunk. This can be 2 m across. The plant can spread 5-6 m wide. It loses many leaves during the year. Young leaves have deep lobes but adult leaves are undivided. They are 5-10 cm long by 7-8 mm wide, and bright green. Flowers are bell-shaped. They are 1.2 cm across. They occur in small clusters near the ends of branches. The fruit are boat-shaped follicles. They are dark brown and leathery. They are 2-3 cm long.
| Life form |
perennial
|
| Growth form |
tree
|
| Growth support |
free-standing
|
| Foliage retention |
deciduous
|
| Sexuality |
-
|
| Pollination |
-
|
| Spread |
-
|
| Mature width (meter) |
5.0 - 6.0
|
| Mature height (meter) |
8.0 - 10.0
|
| Root system |
-
|
| Rooting depth (meter) |
-
|
| Root diameter (meter) |
-
|
| Flower color |
|
| Blooming months |
-
|
| Fruit color |
-
|
| Fruiting months |
-
|
| Nitrogen fixer |
-
|
| Photosynthetic pathway |
-
|
Environment
A tropical plant. It grows in drier regions. It cannot tolerate heavy frosts. It is very drought tolerant. It needs an acid pH. It grows in areas with an annual rainfall between 460-890 mm. It can grow in arid places. Melbourne Botanical gardens. It suits hardiness zones 9-11.
| Light |
|
| Soil humidity |
|
| Soil texture |
|
| Soil acidity |
-
|
| Soil nutriment |
-
|
| Hardiness (USDA) |
|
Usage
The young leaves are used as a salad vegetable. The gum is edible. The young roots of seedling trees are boiled and eaten.
Cultivation
Plants can be grown from seed. Young plants transplant easily.
| Mode |
seedlings
|
| Germination duration (days) |
-
|
| Germination temperacture (C°) |
-
|
| Germination luminosity |
-
|
| Germination treatment |
soaking
|
| Minimum temperature (C°) |
1
|
| Optimum temperature (C°) |
-
|
| Size |
-
|
| Vigor |
-
|
| Productivity |
-
|
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