Tree of the month - Banilad (Sterculia philippinenesis Merrill)

Physical Characteristics

Banilad is a large, wide-spreading tree reaching a height of 30 meters and 65 centimeters in diameter. Its bark is brown and smooth while the inner bark is light brown.

Its leaves are coriaceous, terminally-clustered, much paler green beneath, soft grayish pubescent, sublucid on the upper surface, 40 centimeters long, cordately ovate short, and abruptly acute.

The petiole is 15 centimeters long. Inflorescence is subterminal, appearing just prior to the young leaves, about equaling the foliage, short grayish to brown tomentose.

The flowers are reddish; calyx campanulate; pedicel articulate, five-toothed, five to eight millimeters long. Follicles are tawny tomentose when young, obovoid, slightly compressed, short and stoutly stipitate at the base, and reddish yellow or pink.

Locations

Banilad can be found in the Luzon and the Visayas regions in the low forested belt up to the 700-meter altitude.

Contemporary Uses

Banilad is used for ropes braided from its bast fiber. Wood can be used for light construction.

How to plant your Banilad seedling

Clear the area where you want to plant your seedling with unwanted weeds and debris. Make sure that a one-meter radius is kept free from other vegetation. Dig a plant hole with dimensions of at least 20 cm x 20 cm x 20 cm. Plant the seedling at proper depth. Root collar should be at level with or a little below the ground surface with the seedling oriented upward. Fill the hole with top or garden soil and press soil firmly around the base of the seedling. In plantation-making, seedlings should maintain a two-meter distance between seedlings if planted in a row of a three-meter distance from one strip to the next strip.

How to take care of your Banilad seedling

Remove grass and other unwanted vegetation and cultivate the soil around the base of the seedling (50 cm radius) once in every quarter for two to three years. Place mulch around the base of the seedling (maintaining the 50 cm radius and using cut grass, leaves, and other suitable materials as mulch base).

Prune the branches at most 50 percent of the crown depth, preferably during dry season, and ensure that when pruning, you do not injure the bark. Remove infected or infested vegetation nearby to stop plant diseases from spreading and contaminating your seedling. Monitor regularly the growth of the seedling for presence of pests and diseases.

Data about native tree species are featured by the Ramon Aboitiz FoundationInc.Forcomments and suggestions, email [email protected].