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Brosimum rubescens - Taub.

Common Name Bloodwood Cacique
Family Moraceae
USDA hardiness 10-12
Known Hazards None known
Habitats Wet evergreen forests at low elevations[ 369 ].
Range S. America - Brazil, Bolivia and Peru, north through Central America to Panama and Costa Rica.
Edibility Rating    (0 of 5)
Other Uses    (4 of 5)
Weed Potential No
Medicinal Rating    (2 of 5)
Care (info)
Tender Moist Soil Full shade Semi-shade
Brosimum rubescens Bloodwood Cacique


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Brosimum rubescens Bloodwood Cacique
Dick Culbert wikimedia.org

 

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Summary

Bloodwood Cacique or Brosimum rubiscens is an evergreen tree that grows up to 40 m tall with trunk diameter of up to 5 0 -70 cm. It has no buttresses, and its crown is small. It is found in wet evergreen forests at low elevations in South America. The latex is drunk to treat colds and cough. Bloodwood cacique is valued for its very hard and durable, high-quality wood that is resistant to termite attacks. It is used in furniture-making, carpentry, parquet flooring, etc.


Physical Characteristics

 icon of manicon of cone
Brosimum rubescens is an evergreen Tree growing to 30 m (98ft) by 20 m (65ft) at a medium rate.
See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 10.
Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It can grow in full shade (deep woodland) or semi-shade (light woodland). It prefers moist soil.

UK Hardiness Map US Hardiness Map

Synonyms

Brosimum paraense Huber

Plant Habitats

Edible Uses

None known

References   More on Edible Uses

Medicinal Uses

Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.
Antitussive

The latex is drunk as a medication for colds or for coughing[ 348 ].

References   More on Medicinal Uses

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Other Uses

Furniture  Latex  Wood

Other uses rating: High (4/5). Other Uses: The heartwood is dark red, often with darker veins; it is clearly demarcated from the 4 - 20cm wide band of sapwood. The texture is fine; the grain straight or interlocked. The wood is very hard, dense, very heavy; durable, with a high resistance to wood-eating organisms. It is slow to season, with only a slight risk of checking or distortion; once dry it is stable in service. The wood has a fairly high blunting effect, stellite-tipped and tungsten carbide tools are recommended; it finishes well with a beautiful polish; nailing and screwing are good, but pre-boring is required; gluing is correct for internal purposes, but requires care because of the denseness of the wood. A very good quality wood, it is used for making high value items such as furniture, musical instruments, parquet flooring, wood ware, turned goods and fancy carpentry[ 46 , 625 , 848 ].

Special Uses

References   More on Other Uses

Cultivation details

Prefers a position with some shade[ 625 ]. Newly planted young trees have a moderate rate of growth[ 625 ].

References   Carbon Farming Information and Carbon Sequestration Information

Temperature Converter

Type a value in the Celsius field to convert the value to Fahrenheit:

Fahrenheit:

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Plants For A Future have a number of books available in paperback and digital form. Book titles include Edible Plants, Edible Perennials, Edible Trees,Edible Shrubs, Woodland Gardening, and Temperate Food Forest Plants. Our new book is Food Forest Plants For Hotter Conditions (Tropical and Sub-Tropical).

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Plant Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe. Sow in individual containers, placed in partial shade. Germination rates are usually low, with the seed sprouting within 40 - 60 days[ 625 ].

Other Names

If available other names are mentioned here

Bloodwood Cacique or Brosimum rubiscens

Native Range

SOUTHERN AMERICA: Panama, French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname, Brazil (Acre, Amapá, Amazonas, Bahia, Goiás, Pará, Rio de Janeiro, Rondônia, Roraima), Bolivia (Pando), Colombia (east), Ecuador (Morona Santiago, Napo, Pastaza, Sucumbíos), Peru (Amazonas, Madre de Dios, Pasco, San Martín)

Weed Potential

Right plant wrong place. We are currently updating this section. Please note that a plant may be invasive in one area but may not in your area so it’s worth checking.

None Known

Conservation Status

IUCN Red List of Threatened Plants Status : This taxon has not yet been assessed.

Related Plants
Latin NameCommon NameHabitHeightHardinessGrowthSoilShadeMoistureEdibleMedicinalOther
Brosimum alicastrumBreadnut. Maya nutTree30.0 10-12 MLMHSNM323
Brosimum guianenseBastard BreadnutTree25.0 10-12 FLMHSNDM124
Brosimum parinarioidesLeite de amapa, BrosimumTree32.0 10-12 MLMHNM323
Brosimum utileCow Tree, Palo De VacaTree25.0 10-12 MLMHNM323

Growth: S = slow M = medium F = fast. Soil: L = light (sandy) M = medium H = heavy (clay). pH: A = acid N = neutral B = basic (alkaline). Shade: F = full shade S = semi-shade N = no shade. Moisture: D = dry M = Moist We = wet Wa = water.

 

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Author

Taub.

Botanical References

Links / References

For a list of references used on this page please go here
A special thanks to Ken Fern for some of the information used on this page.

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