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Sterculia africana
Also called Tick Star Chestnut
A deciduous tree of dry African woodlands, growing up to about 8 m with a rounded crown and star-shaped leaves. It is grown mainly as a shade or ornamental tree in warm, dry climates, and needs full sun and well-drained soil.
Sterculia africana is a species of flowering plant in the family Malvaceae (previously the Sterculiaceae, now relegated to a subfamily). This deciduous tree is sometimes referred to by the common names African star-chestnut and mopopaja tree. It is distributed throughout Northeast Africa to Arabia.
Sterculia africana has been recorded in southeastern Egypt, Eastern Sudan, Ethiopia, Djibouti, northern Somalia, southern Tanzania, Mozambique, Malawi, eastern Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, and Namibia's Caprivi Strip. No subspecies are listed in the Catalogue of Life. Variety socotrana is endemic to the island of Socotra.
Resin was traditionally used as a washing agent in Arabia. The hardened resin was mixed with water or spittle and then rubbed over the body. It was also a treatment to treat head lice. It is an important fodder and the wood was used to make fishing platforms.
Cape star-chestnut · Panama tree · Sterculia balanghas · Sterculia cinerea · Sterculia cochinchinensis · Hazel sterculia · Spotted Sterculia · Sterculia hypochroa · Sterculia khasiana · Sterculia lanceifolia · Sterculia lanceolata · Chinese Chestnut
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Sterculia africana by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
