Hura crepitans L., Euphorbiaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  no

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Risk assessment results:  High risk, score: 8 (Go to the risk assessment)

Common name(s): [more details]

Chinese: xiang he zi

English: sandbox tree

Spanish: catahua, ceiba amarilla, javillo

Habit:  tree

Description:  "Tree to 25 m tall. Leaves with petioles to 20 cm long; blades ovate to orbiculate, 12-25 x 7-15 cm, base cordate, apex acuminate to subcuspidate, margin crenate with glandular teeth, prominently pinnate-veined, sparsely long-pubescent on lower surface. Staminate inflorescences on peduncle to 10 cm long, staminate flowers 60 to 80 on axis 2-4.5 cm long, column with 2 or 3 verticels of anthers; pistillate flowers with peduncles > 5 cm long, calyx 3-5 mm long, truncate, stylar column 2.5-5 cm long, fleshy apical disk to 1 cm in diameter, with radiating tips 1 cm long. Capsules woody, depressed, > 8 cm in diameter, 3-5 cm long, dehiscent into ca. 15, crescent-shaped, woody-valved cocci; seeds flattened, suborbicular, 2 cm in diameter, smooth" (Howard, 1989; p. 57).

Habitat/ecology:  In Australia, "planted in a CSIRO forestry plot at Middle Point, 50 km east of Darwin in the mid to late 1960's, it has established populations in surrounding native bushland" (Csurhes & Edwards, 1998; p. 110).

Propagation:  "The fruit is a capsule, with up to sixteen carpels arranged radially around the central axis, that explodes to release seed (Swaine and Beer, 1977, cited in Csurhes & Edwards, 1998; p. 110).

Native range:  Tropical America; also cultivated (GRIN).

Presence:

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Australia Australia (continental)	Northern Territory	introduced invasive cultivated	Csurhes, S./Edwards, R. (1998) (p. 110)
Central America Central America (Pacific rim)	Costa Rica (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
Central America Central America (Pacific rim)	Nicaragua (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
Central America Central America (Pacific rim)	Panama (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
China China	China (People's Republic of)	introduced cultivated	Zhengyi, Wu/Raven, Peter H./Deyuan, Hong (2013) Cultivated. Hainan, Hong Kong.
South America (Pacific rim) South America (Pacific rim)	Colombia	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
South America (Pacific rim) South America (Pacific rim)	Ecuador (Republic of) (continental)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013) Loja, Morona-Santiago
South America (Pacific rim) South America (Pacific rim)	Perú (Republic of)		U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)

Comments:  Invasive in Tanzania (Rejmánek, 1996).

Control:  If you know of control methods for Hura crepitans, please let us know.