Sterculia

Plant Characteristics
Lifespan:	⌛	perennial

Cultivation

Features:	✓	evergreen, deciduous

Scientific Names
Sterculiaceae >	Sterculia >

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Sterculia is a genus colloquially termed the tropical chestnuts. The scientific name is taken from Sterculius of Roman mythology, who was the god of manure; this is in reference to the unpleasant aroma of the flowers of this genus (e.g., Sterculia foetida).

Read about Sterculia in the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture
Sterculia (Sterculius of Roman mythology, from stercus, manure; applied to these plants because of the odor of the leaves and fruits of some species). Sterculiaceae. Trees grown in the greenhouse, but also outdoors in the South. Leaves undivided, lobed or digitate: infl. paniculate or rarely racemose, frequently axillary, with the terminal fls. commonly feminine and earlier: fls. unisexual or polygamous; calyx 5-cleft or 5-parted, rarely 4-merous, often colored; petals none; stamens united in a column which bears a head of 10-15 sessile anthers; pistil of as many carpels as calyx-lobes and opposite them, each carpel 2- to many-ovuled, the stigmas free and radiating: fr. follicular, each carpel distinct and either woody or membranaceous and sometimes opening and spreading into a lf .-like body long before maturity (Fig. 3691); seeds 1 to many, sometimes arillate or winged, sometimes hairy.—About 100 species, natives of the warmer regions of the world, most abundant in Asia. Sterculias have very various foliage, the lvs. of different species being simple, palmately lobed or digitate. The fls. are mostly in panicles or large clusters, sometimes large and showy, varying from greenish to dull red and scarlet. The species are grown mostly for street and lawn trees. The kinds that are generally known in this country are S. platanifolia, S. diversifolia, and S. acerifolia, the last two known in Calif. as brachychitons. All are easily grown from seeds. By Bentham & Hooker, Brachychiton is merged in Sterculia; by Schumann in Engler & Prantl it is kept distinct. See Brachychiton. S. acuminata, Beauv.-Cola acuminata.—S. Russelliana, Hort., is said to be an aralia-like plant with the main st. and petioles light green and the narrow divisions of the lf. very dark green. Offered in the trade but not known botanically. ^CH The above text is from the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture. It may be out of date, but still contains valuable and interesting information which can be incorporated into the remainder of the article. Click on "Collapse" in the header to hide this text.