Seaside Mahoe
Scientific & Common Names:
Thespesia populnea, commonly known as: seaside mahoe, Pacific rosewood, milo, Indian tulip tree, and portia tree
Native to:
The ‘Old World’ or Afro-Eruasia (Africa, Europe and Asia), it is believed to have originated in India but is now found worldwide
Description:
The seaside mahoe looks very much like the manchineel tree. A good way to tell them apart is by the leaves. The seaside mahoe has green, heart-shaped leaves, 4 to 5 inches in length with tapering tips. The tree grows from about 20 to 33 feet high, with a trunk diameter of about 8 to 12 inches. Solitary, yellow, hibiscus-like flowers bloom year round, and turn red before falling off the tree. The fruit is a 1 to 2 inch wide, flat-topped, brown, leathery capsule that looks like a crab apple. The fruit is buoyant in seawater, enabling seeds to be carried by ocean currents to distant shores. Seaside mahoe trees colonize shoreline habitats and can form dense, impenetrable stands, crowding and shading out other native vegetation.
Practical Uses:
The seaside mahoe was introduced as a salt and drought tolerant flowering tree for coastal landscapes. Its wood is mainly used in making furniture because of its good ability to undergo carving. The wood is also used by many countries to carve musical instruments, bowls, spoons, and curios. The bark can be used for cordage, and, in West Africa, the leaves are used to wrap food.
Medicinal Uses:
Medicinally, a decoction of the seaside mahoe leaves has been used to treat coughs and headaches, an infusion of the bark to treat intestinal diseases, and a drink from the leaves and bark to treat fevers in teething babies. Plant extracts from the seaside mahoe have antiviral and antibacterial properties.