Sterculia is a genus

Genus

In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...

 of flowering plant

Flowering plant

The flowering plants , also known as Angiospermae or Magnoliophyta, are the most diverse group of land plants. Angiosperms are seed-producing plants like the gymnosperms and can be distinguished from the gymnosperms by a series of synapomorphies...

s in the mallow

Malva

Malva is a genus of about 25–30 species of herbaceous annual, biennial, and perennial plants in the family Malvaceae , one of several closely related genera in the family to bear the common English name mallow. The genus is widespread throughout the temperate, subtropical and tropical regions of...

 family, Malvaceae

Malvaceae

Malvaceae, or the mallow family, is a family of flowering plants containing over 200 genera with close to 2,300 species. Judd & al. Well known members of this family include okra, jute and cacao...

. It was previously placed in the now obsolete Sterculiaceae

Sterculiaceae

Sterculiaceae is a botanical name for a group of flowering plants at the rank of family, which is now considered obsolete. As is true for any botanical name, the circumscription, status and placement of the taxon has varied with taxonomic point of view...

. Members of the genus are colloquially known as tropical chestnuts. The scientific name is taken from Sterculius of Roman mythology

Roman mythology

Roman mythology is the body of traditional stories pertaining to ancient Rome's legendary origins and religious system, as represented in the literature and visual arts of the Romans...

, who was the god of manure; this is in reference to the unpleasant aroma of the flowers of this genus (e.g., Sterculia foetida).

Sterculia species are used as food plants by the larva

Larva

A larva is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle...

e of some Lepidoptera

Lepidoptera

Lepidoptera is a large order of insects that includes moths and butterflies . It is one of the most widespread and widely recognizable insect orders in the world, encompassing moths and the three superfamilies of butterflies, skipper butterflies, and moth-butterflies...

 species including the leaf-miner Bucculatrix xenaula

Bucculatricidae

Bucculatricidae or is a family of moths. This small family has representatives in all parts of the world. Some authors place the group as a subfamily of the family Lyonetiidae....

, which feeds exclusively on the genus.

Gum karaya

Gum karaya

Gum Karaya is a vegetable gum produced as an exudate by trees of the genus Sterculia. Chemically, gum karaya is an acid polysaccharide composed of the sugars galactose, rhamnose and galacturonic acid. It is used as a thickener and emulsifier in foods, as a laxative, and as a denture adhesive...

 is extracted from Sterculia species, and is used as a thickener and emulsifier in foods, as a laxative

Laxative

Laxatives are foods, compounds, or drugs taken to induce bowel movements or to loosen the stool, most often taken to treat constipation. Certain stimulant, lubricant, and saline laxatives are used to evacuate the colon for rectal and/or bowel examinations, and may be supplemented by enemas under...

, and as a denture adhesive.

Selected species

Sterculia africana – Mopopaja tree Sterculia alexandri Sterculia alexandri Sterculia alexandri is a species of plant in the Sterculiaceae family. It is endemic to South Africa. It is threatened by habitat loss.-Source:* Hilton-Taylor, C. et al. 1998. . Downloaded on 23 August 2007.... – Cape sterculia Sterculia apetala Sterculia apetala Sterculia apetala, commonly known as the Panama tree or manduvi tree, is a species of plant in the Sterculiaceae family. It is found in Central and South America.... – Panama tree; manduvi tree Sterculia balanghas Sterculia cinerea Sterculia cinerea Sterculia cinerea is a species of plant in the Sterculiaceae family. It is found in Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Sudan.-Source:* World Conservation Monitoring Centre 1998. . Downloaded on 23 August 2007.... Sterculia colorata Sterculia colorata Scarlet Sterculia , also known as Bonfire tree, Colored Sterculia and Indian Almond and in Marathi known as "कौशी"[kaushi], is a medium-sized tree with spreading branches. It sheds leaves before the onset of flowering. After leaf-shedding, buds sprout and develop into flowers... – Scarlet sterculia Sterculia cochinchinensis Pierre 'Trom nam' in Vietnam Sterculia foetida – bastard poon tree, hazel sterculia, wild almond tree Sterculia guttata Sterculia hypochrea Pierre – 'Trom quat' in Vietnam Sterculia khasiana Sterculia khasiana Sterculia khasiana was a species of plant in the Sterculiaceae family. It was endemic to India. It became extinct due to habitat loss.-Source:* World Conservation Monitoring Centre 1998. . Downloaded on 23 August 2007.... Sterculia lanceolata Sterculia lychnophora Sterculia lychnophora Sterculia lychnophora Hance is a species of tree in the genus Sterculia, native to mainland Southeast Asia.-Description:The tree grows to a height of 25-30 meters... Hance – Malva nut, Marg Jong (Thailand) Sterculia monosperma – China chestnut, Pheng phok Sterculia murex – Lowveld chestnut Sterculia oblongata Sterculia parviflora Sterculia parviflora Sterculia parviflora is a species of plant in the Sterculiaceae family. It is found in India, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore.-References:* Chua, L.S.L. 1998. . Downloaded on 23 August 2007....

Sterculia quadrifida Sterculia quadrifida Sterculia quadrifida, also known as the Peanut Tree, or Red-fruited kurrajong is a small tree that grows in the rainforests, vine thickets and gallery forests of coastal Queensland and north-eastern New South Wales.... – Gorarbar Sterculia quinqueloba – Five-lobed sterculia Sterculia rhinopetala – Red sterculia Sterculia rogersii – Ulumbu tree Sterculia rubiginosa Vent – 'Bai rua long' in Vietnam Sterculia scaphigera Sterculia scaphigera Sterculia scaphigera is a deciduous tropical nut-bearing tree of genus Sterculia. Seeds of this plant are known as Pang Da Hai in Chinese-speaking countries and are used as herbal remedies in Indonesian and Chinese medicine. Beverages brewed from S... – Pang da hai, the boat Sterculia seed Sterculia schliebenii Sterculia schliebenii Sterculia schliebenii is a species of plant in the Sterculiaceae family. It is found in Kenya, Mozambique, and Tanzania.-Source:* Lovett, J. & Clarke, G.P. 1998. . Downloaded on 23 August 2007.... Sterculia tantraensis Sterculia tomentosa Sterculia thorelii Pierre – 'Bay thua Thorel' in Vietnam Sterculia treubii Sterculia trichosiphon – Broad-leaved bottle tree Sterculia urceolata Sterculia urens – Gulu Sterculia villosa Sterculia zastrowiana

Formerly placed here

Brachychiton acerifolius Brachychiton acerifolius Brachychiton acerifolius, commonly known as the Illawarra Flame Tree, is a large tree of the family Malvaceae native to subtropical regions on the east coast of Australia. It is famous for the bright red bell-shaped flowers that often cover the whole tree when it is leafless... (A. Cunn. ex G.Don) Macarthur (as S. acerifolia A.Cunn. ex G.Don) Brachychiton australis (Schott & Endl.) A.Terracc. (as S. trichosiphon Benth.) Brachychiton discolor Brachychiton discolor Brachychiton discolor is a rainforest tree of eastern Australia. It grows in drier rainforest areas. Scattered from Paterson, New South Wales to Mackay, Queensland... F. Muell. (as S. lurida (C.Moore ex F.Muell.) F.Muell. ex Benth.) Brachychiton garrawayae Brachychiton garrawayae Brachychiton garrawayae is a small tree of the genus Brachychiton found on the Cape York peninsula.... (F.M.Bailey) Guymer (as S. garrawayae F.M.Bailey) Brachychiton paradoxus Schott & Endl. (as S. ramiflora (R.Br.) Benth.) Brachychiton populneus Brachychiton populneus The Kurrajong is a small to medium sized tree found naturally in Australia in a diversity of habitats from wetter coastal districts to semi-arid interiors of Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland. The extended trunk is a water storage devise for survival in a warm dry climate... (Schott & Endl.) R.Br. (as S. diversifolia G.Don) Cola acuminata Cola acuminata Cola acuminata belongs to the family Sterculiaceae and its fruits are harvested from the forests of the Democratic Republic of Congo. The fruits are rough, mottled and up to 8 inches long and contain large, flat and bright red coloured seeds... (P.Beauv.) Schott & Endl. (as S. acuminata P.Beauv.)

Cola heterophylla (P.Beauv.) Schott & Endl. (as S. heterophylla P.Beauv.) Cola nitida (Vent.) Schott & Endl. (as S. nitida Vent.) Firmiana fulgens (Wall. ex Mast.) Corner (as S. fulgens Wall. ex Mast. or S. pallens Wall. ex King) Firmiana simplex Firmiana simplex Firmiana simplex, commonly known as the Chinese parasol tree or wutong is an ornamental plant or tree of the cacao, or chocolate, of the family Sterculiaceae of the order Malvales, native to Asia. It grows to a height of 12 m . It has alternate, deciduous leaves up to 30 cm across and small... (L.) W.Wight (as S. platanifolia L.f.) Hildegardia barteri (Mast.) Kosterm. (as S. barteri Mast.) Hildegardia cubensis Hildegardia cubensis Hildegardia cubensis is a species of flowering plant in the Sterculiaceae family.It is found only in Cuba.It is threatened by habitat loss.-Source:* Areces-Mallea, A.E. 1998. . Downloaded on 10 July 2007.... (Urb.) Kosterm. (as S. cubensis Urb.) Knema glomerata Knema glomerata Knema glomerata is a species of plant in the Myristicaceae family. It is found in Malaysia and the Philippines.-References:* de Wilde, W.J.J.O. 1998. . Downloaded on 22 August 2007.... (Blanco) Merr. (as S. glomerata Blanco) Pterygota alata (Roxb.) R.Br. (as S. alata Roxb.) Scaphium scaphigerum (Wall. ex G.Don) Guibourt & G.Planch. (as S. scaphigera Wall. ex G.Don)