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Barry
Stock's photo of his own plant.
The young leaves are
pubescent and have a significant sent.
Barry Stock's photo of the
Fairchild plant's leaves.
 The
seeds.
A
young tree. Photo by Boris "Puk" Vrskovy in southern India.
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This member of the
Hernandiaceae family was described by Nicolaas Joseph von Jacquin in 1763. It is found all around the
Pacific region (South America, Papau New Guinea, Australia and more)
and Asia. It grows in a well drained
peat with some water and lots of
sun. It can be reproduced by seeds and probably by cuttings. The
flowers are small and whitish to yellowish-green, and male and
bisexual flowers grow in the same flower-head. The fruits are
olive-shaped, large, tough, woody, dry, and blackish. The seeds are
slightly winged.
On Malaysia there are
three subspecies: Gyrocarpus americanus caperonianus, with
lobed and smooth leaves, from Southern Madagascar; Gyrocarpus
americanus glaber, with entire, not lobed, smooth leaves, from
Western and South-Western Madagascar; and Gyrocarpus americanus
tomentosus, with dense hairs on both sides of the leaves, from
Northern Madagascar (Schatz, 2001).
Often seen with synonym:
Gyrocarpus jacquinii,.
Also seen as a member
of the
Combretaceae family.
The sap can cause blindness.
Often confused with
Firmiana colorata.
Besides from the non-flat leaves with shorter drip-tips, the Gyrocarpus have a
significant smell.
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