Malvaceae

Sterculia L.

First published in Sp. Pl.: 1007 (1753)
This genus is accepted
The native range of this genus is Tropics & Subtropics.

Descriptions

Sterculiaceae, Martin Cheek & Laurence Dorr; Nesogordonia, Laurence Dorr, Lisa Barnett. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 2007

Morphology General Habit
Monoecious, evergreen or deciduous shrubs and trees.
Morphology Stem
Stem often producing a gummy exudate when wounded; bud-scales present and persistent
Morphology Leaves
Leaves entire, digitately lobed or divided; lobes or leaflets 3–7, entire; stipules usually highly caducous
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescences usually paniculate, rarely spike-like, often on leafless stems; bracts usually caducous
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers with a single united perianth whorl, purplish red, green or yellow, usually with five reflexed lobes, rarely cohering at the tip Male flowers with 8–10 anthers each with two separate thecae, ± randomly dispersed (not in discrete ranks as in Cola) in a globose head, ovary entirely absent, borne on a long, often curved androphore Female flowers with anthers at base of subsessile apocarpous ovary; carpels 5, uniseriate
sex Male
Male flowers with 8–10 anthers each with two separate thecae, ± randomly dispersed (not in discrete ranks as in Cola) in a globose head, ovary entirely absent, borne on a long, often curved androphore
sex Female
Female flowers with anthers at base of subsessile apocarpous ovary; carpels 5, uniseriate
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruit carpels separated, developing into dehiscent follicles, each globose to cylindrical, often rostrate and stipitate, pericarp leathery and flexible to stout and woody, the valves opening slightly or completely, outside often red or pink, inside pale yellow or white, dehiscing along the line of the placenta which usually covered in urticating hairs
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds leaden black, often with a yellow or red aril near the seed stalk
Figures
Fig 1, p. 6.
[FTEA]

M. Thulin et al. Flora of Somalia, Vol. 1-4 [updated 2008] https://plants.jstor.org/collection/FLOS

Morphology General Habit
Trees or shrubs, monoecious or dioecious, usually with indumentum of stellate hairs
Morphology Leaves
Leaves entire, lobed or digitately divided
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Flowers in panicles or racemes, unisexual. Calyx 4–5(–6)-lobed
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Petals absent
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Female flowers with ovary of 4–5 coherent carpels surrounded by staminodes and often borne on top of a gynophore; carpels each with 2–many ovules; styles coherent with peltate or 4–5-lobed stigma Male flowers with c. 10–20 stamens in a capitate cluster on a slender androphore
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Carpels separating at maturity and becoming woody or leathery follicles, often with irritating hairs inside
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds often with aril at base.
Distribution
Some 170 species in the tropics and subtropics of both hemispheres.
[FSOM]

Timothy M. A. Utteridge and Laura V. S. Jennings (2022). Trees of New Guinea. Kew Publishing. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

Distribution
A pantropical genus, by far the largest in the subfamily with 200–300 species. At least 20 species in New Guinea, 12 endemic.
Morphology General Habit
Trees, occasionally shrubs
Morphology Leaves
Leaves spirally arranged, simple, entire or lobed, rarely palmately compound, often crowded at the end of the branches
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence terminal or axillary, racemose or occasionally paniculate, often pendulous
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers bisexual or unisexual and plants monoecious; epicalyx absent, calyx usually 5-lobed; androgynophore present, stamens 10–30, arranged irregularly at apex of androgynophore, staminodes absent; ovary apocarpous or syncarpous, carpels 5, ovules 2–20 per carpel
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruit of up to 5 free follicles, coriaceous, pericarp often red, opening via a single suture
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds usually black to blue, glabrous, remaining attached to follicle wall after dehiscence by white hilum.
Ecology
Sterculia is known from sea level to above 2000 m in New Guinea.
Recognition
The genus can be recognised by the leaves clustering towards the end of the branches, the inflorescence that is usually racemose, the calyx lobes often remaining adherent at the tips at anthesis, and by the distinctive leathery, red follicles that open to reveal black, often shiny, seeds which are suspended within the cavity by their hilums.
[TONG]

George R. Proctor (2012). Flora of the Cayman Isands (Second Edition). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

Morphology General Habit
Mostly large trees, usually buttressed, evergreen or deciduous, andromonoecious
Morphology Leaves
Leaves alternate, petiolate, palmately compound or lobed, or simple and entire
Morphology Leaves Stipules
Stipules modified into stipulaceous bracts. Flowers staminate or bisexual, with parts borne on elongate androgynophores. Sepals with lobes sometimes appendaged; petals absent
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
Stamens 10, 12, 15 or many, the anther loculi irregularly arranged
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium
Gynoecium tomentose or pilose; ovules 2–20 per carpel; style recurved, the stigma capitate or 5-lobed
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruit of 1–5 woody follicles, bright red or brown and densely minutely velvety externally
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds 2–20 per follicle, pendant from the follicular suture, ellipsoid, with glistening, blue-black, papery tegument.
Distribution
A pantropical genus of about 300 species.
[Cayman]

Sterculiaceae, H. Wild. Flora Zambesiaca 1:2. 1961

Morphology General Habit
Trees with entire, lobed or occasionally digitate leaves.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescences paniculate or rarely racemose, terminal or axillary, appearing before or with the leaves.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers bisexual or unisexual, monoecious or dioecious. Male flower: anthers c. 10–20 in a capitate or capitate-globose cluster on a slender androphore. Female flower: ovary of 4–5 coherent carpels with 2-? ovules per carpel; often borne on a short gynophore with vestigial anthers at its base; styles coherent; stigma peltate or 4–5-lobed.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx 4–5 (6)-lobed.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Petals 0.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Carpels
Carpels separating at maturity and becoming follicular, usually rather woody or leathery.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds 1-?.
[FZ]

Uses

Use
In East Africa the bark of many species is used locally as a source of fibre for ropes and string, and the seeds when roasted are often used as food.
[FTEA]

Use
Young fruits may be eaten. The bast-fibres of the Somali species are used for rope making
[FSOM]

Sources

  • Flora Zambesiaca

    • Flora Zambesiaca
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Flora of Somalia

    • Flora of Somalia
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Flora of Tropical East Africa

    • Flora of Tropical East Africa
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Flora of the Cayman Islands

    • Flora of the Cayman Islands
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • 'The Herbarium Catalogue, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the Internet http://www.kew.org/herbcat [accessed on Day Month Year]'. Please enter the date on which you consulted the system.

  • Interactive Key to Seed Plants of Malesia and Indo-China

    • The Malesian Key Group (2010) Interactive Key to Seed Plants of Malesia and Indo-China (Version 2.0, 28 Jul 2010) The Nationaal Herbarium Nederland Leiden and The Royal Botanic Gardens Kew

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2025. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2025. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Trees of New Guinea

    • Trees of New Guinea
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0