Herb: Shittamwood


Latin name: Bumelia lycioides


Family: Sapotaceae (Sapodilla Family)



Edible parts of Shittamwood:

Fruit. No further details. The fruit has a thick flesh and is about 10mm in diameter.

Description of the plant:



Plant:
Deciduous
Tree

Height:
8 m
(26 feet)

Flowering:
August to
September

Habitat of the herb:

Low moist soils by swamps and streams, also found on rocky bluffs.

Other uses of Shittamwood:

Wood - heavy, hard, not strong, close grained. It weighs about 46lb per cubic foot. Of no commercial value, it is used for tool handles, cabinet making etc.

Propagation of the herb:

Seed - we have no details on this species but would suggest that if ripe seed can be obtained it should be sown straight away in a cold greenhouse. Stored seed can be sown in late winter or early spring in a greenhouse. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter, planting them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts.

Cultivation of Shittamwood:

Low moist soils by swamps and streams, also found on rocky bluffs.

Medicinal use of the herb:

None known

Known hazards of Bumelia lycioides:

None known

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future.