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Tree Species (Scientific Name)

Virola sebifera

Tree Family

Myristicaceae

Average Leaf Size (cm)

16.5cm

Length

5.85cm

Width

Tree Height

Small (10–20m)

Elevational Range (m)

350–1500m

Distribution

Native

Exotic

Native to Peru

Native to

Region

Americas

Latin America

Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guyana, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Suriname, Venezuela

Coffee Agroforestry Information

Coffee System

Arabica

Coffee Impact

Beneficial to coffee

Prevalence

Not Common in Coffee Agroforestry

Cultivation

Planted

Natural

Tree Management

Planted by seeds and are dispersed by mammals and large birds, mainly monkeys, toucans and turkeys. Seeds have limited viability and should be planted fresh in individual partially shaded containers. The fruits (1 seed each) are abundant but do not ripen at the same time. They are collected directly from the tree with sticks and left to open in the sun to manually separate the pulp that covers the seeds (approx. 2 thousand per kg). Without pregermination treatment, an average of 12% germination is obtained, which occurs between 55 and 132 days after planting. Seeds stored at 20ºC lose viability in less than 1 month. Growth in nursery is slow and seedlings can reach 25-30 cm in height in a time of 8 months. They require shade during their initial development. Trees of this species maintain their foliage permanently. It has a low incidence of pests.

Tree Benefits and Uses

Farmer Uses

Lumber
Medicinal
Ornamental
Product
Ceremonial

It is easy to work with any type of tool, leaving a good polish because the surface is shiny, and it is used to make furniture and plywood. Indigenous people of the Amazon in South America prepare a hallucinogen from the bark, which is used in religious ceremonies. The oil is used for the manufacture of candles and soap. Used to make broomsticks.

Farm Services

Coffee Shade
Soil Improvement
Reforestation

Coffee Shade: provides sparse to medium shade in a cone shape

Biodiversity Benefits

Yes

The flowers are visited by bees and other insects. The seeds are dispersed by animals, mainly monkeys, toucans and turkeys that feed on the aril. Insectivorous birds and birds in the families Trogonidae, Motmotidae, Ramphastidae, Cotingidae, and Turdidae use the tree.

Citations

WFO (2022): Virola sebifera Aubl. Accessed on: 24 Jun 2022. Published on the Internet http://www.worldfloraonline.org/taxon/wfo-0000418491;

Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2022-06-24. tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Virola+sebifera;

Virola sebifera Aubl. in GBIF Secretariat (2021). GBIF Backbone Taxonomy. Accessed on 2022-07-06. Checklist dataset https://doi.org/10.15468/39omei;

Howe, Henry F. "Dispersal of a neotropical nutmeg (Virola sebifera) by birds." The Auk 98.1 (1981): 88-98. Gradstein, S.R. 2022-7-12.;

Virola sebifera Aubl. En Bernal, R., S.R. Gradstein & M. Celis (eds.). 2015. Catálogo de plantas y líquenes de Colombia. Instituto de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá. http://catalogoplantasdecolombia.unal.edu.co;

Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute: Virola sebifera (Aubl.). Accessed 12 July 2022. Published on the Internet: https://panamabiota.org/stri/taxa/index.php?taxon=Virola+sebifera&formsubmit=Search+Terms;

Román, Francisco, et al. Guía para la propagación de 120 especies de árboles nativos de Panamá y el neotrópico. 2012.;

Mendoza, A. L. M., & Guerrero, M. H. (2010). Catálogo de los árboles y afines de la Selva Central del Perú. Arnaldoa, 17, 203-242.

Virola multinervia

Cumala, Cumala negra

Vitex cymosa