Apeiba tibourbou

Apeiba tibourbou is a tree native to Caatinga and Cerrado vegetation in Brazil, and Costa Rica. It is used as an alternative fiber crop to make paper. It is found in Mexico, Central America, and the northern part of South America. This fast-growing tree typically reaches 15 meters tall, though it can reach 25 meters in some habitats. The star-shaped yellow flowers give way to dry capsules covered with soft green spines. The leaves are pointed at the tip and rounded at the base, 10–30 centimeters long and 6–12 centimeters wide, borne on petioles 1–3 centimeters long. The leaf margins are lightly serrated, and the veins are lightly hairy. The wood is light and floats easily, so it is used to make buoys and small boats.

Description

A tree. It grows 20 m tall. It loses its leaves during the year. The trunk is grey ad the bark is fibrous. The leaves are simple and alternate. They are softly hairy. The leaves are are 30 cm long. They are heart shaped at the base and have teeth around the edge. The leaf stalk is swollen where it joins the leaf blade. The buds and flowers are softly hairy. The flowers are yellow. The fruit are green to brown and a flattened round shape. The fruit are 8 cm across. The fruit are covered with soft bristles. The pulp has many small seeds. The seeds are 5 mm long.

Edible Uses

The fruit are eaten; the seeds are rich in oil.

Medicinal Uses

The flowers are used for medicinal purposes. They are antispasmodic. The leaves are mucilaginous. They are crushed, mixed with water and applied as a paste to the head to relieve headaches. The bark is mucilaginous.

Distribution

It is a tropical plant. In Costa Rica it grows from sea level to 1,000 m altitude. It grows along roadsides and in abandoned fields.

Where It Grows

Amazon, Andes, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Central America, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, French Guiana, Guianas, Guyana, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, North America, Panama, Peru, South America, Suriname, Trinidad-Tobago, Venezuela, Winward Is.,

Cultivation

Prefers a sunny position. Newly planted young trees establish well and grow away rapidly, easily reaching a height of 4 metres within 2 years from seed.

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a lightly shaded position in a nursery seedbed. Germination rates are usually low, with the seed sprouting within 15 - 20 days. Transplant the seedlings into individual containers when 3 - 5cm tall and they can be ready for planting out 4 - 5 months later.

Other Uses

A tough fibre is obtained from the bark. It is in the form of a thin ribbon of coarse bast, similar to that produced from Tilia species, and capable of making coarse ropes, rude weaving into mats and similar manufactures. The wood is whitish, pale yellow or slightly greyish in colour, sometimes with a pinkish or greenish tint. There is little difference between the sapwood and the heartwood. The grain is straight; texture moderately coarse to coarse; lustre moderate; free of distinctive odour and taste; growth rings indistinct. The wood is very light in weight, soft and almost spongy, of low durability. It is very easy to season with no drying defects. Easy to work, it saws readily, but requires sharp edges to cut smoothly across the grain; due to its abundant parenchymatous tissue, the timber planes unevenly and polishes with difficulty; it takes nails and screws easily, but the holding power is not satisfactory. It is suitable for use as insulating panels, packaging and crating. It is used locally for making rafts and small boats. The wood is used for fuel. A fast-growing tree, it is a natural pioneer in its native range and could be of use in reforestation projects.

Notes

The Tiliaceae have now been placed in the Malvaceae. The seeds are rich in oil.

Synonyms

Also Known As

Bitumbo, Cortezo, Peine de mico, Peinecillo

References (8)

• Condit, R., et al, 2011, Trees of Panama and Costa Rica. Princeton Field Guides. p 286
• Grandtner, M. M., 2008, World Dictionary of Trees. Wood and Forest Science Department. Laval University, Quebec, Qc Canada. (Internet database http://www.WDT.QC.ca)
• Grandtner, M. M. & Chevrette, J., Dictionary of Trees, Volume 2: South America: Nomenclature, Taxonomy and Ecology p 41
• Hist. Pl. Guiane 1:538, t. 213. 1775
• Kew Plants of the World Online

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