Terminalia oblonga - Peruvian almond / Sura, Guayabon
Family:
Native to:
Habitat:
Combretaceae
Southern Central America and northern and central South America.
Canopy species, floodplains. 30 meter tall tree, up to 900 meters above sea level.
Ecological value:
Pollinated by medium-sized bees and other insects. Found at lower elevations, and prefers well-drained alluvial soils. Commonly grows along riparian edges. Canopy tree. Seeds dispersed by wind.
Material uses:
Wood, heavy, hard and moderately durable. Resistant to wood-boring insects and fungi. Used for cabinetry, high quality furniture, flooring, tool handles, ship building, heavy construction including bridge-building, and veneers.
Edible uses:
Some fruits in this genus are edible, but no record on this species. Used as a shade tree for coffee in El Salvador and Guatemala.
Medicinal use:
Terminalia species in general contain compounds that may treat cancers, kidney and heart ailments, diabetes, malaria and fungal infections
Other details:
Fruits ripen between January and March and again in September - although this varies by region. Loses its foliage during dry spells.
Research:
Christine Facella
Sources:
“Terminalia Oblonga (Ruiz & Pav.) Steud. | Plants of the World Online | Kew Science.” n.d. Plants of the World Online. Accessed November 19, 2023. https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:171280-1/general-information.
“Terminalia Oblonga - Useful Tropical Plants.” n.d. Tropical.theferns.info. https://tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Terminalia+oblonga.
Terminalia oblonga, (Ruiz & Pav.) Steud., Academia Nacional de Ciencias de Costa Rica, Costa Rica
“Terminalia Oblonga (Sura).” 2022. CABI Compendium CABI Compendium (January). https://doi.org/10.1079/cabicompendium.53177.
Image sources: Reinaldo Aguilar.