Clibadium surinamense (PROSEA)

Plant Resources of South-East Asia Introduction

List of species

Clibadium surinamense L.

Family: Compositae

Synonyms

• Baillieria aspera Aubl.,
• Clibadium asperum (Aubl.) DC.,
• C. surinamense L. var. asperum (Aubl.) Baker.

Vernacular names

• Jackass breadnut (En).

Distribution

Native to Central and tropical South America; introduced and sometimes naturalized in other tropical areas.

Uses

Suitable as a ground cover to reduce erosion. Also used as a fish poison.

Observations

• Shrub up to 6 m tall.
• Leaves opposite, ovate to ovate-oblong, 6-15 cm long, long-acuminate at the top.
• Inflorescence a head, corymbose, clustered, sessile, with few female ray-flowers and bisexual disk-flowers; involucre campanulate; corolla white.
• Achene hirsute at the top.

C. surinamense occurs in South-East Asia as a weed in mahogany and rubber plantations. It is grown in combination with Centrosema spp. in Indonesia.

Selected sources

• Mansfeld, R., 1986. Verzeichnis landwirtschaflicher und gärtnerischer Kulturpflanzen (ohne Zierpflanzen) [Register of cultivated agricultural and horticultural plants (without ornamentals)]. Schultze-Motel, J. et al., editors 2nd edition, 4 volumes. Springer Verlag, Berlin, Germany. 1998 pp.
• Pulle, A. et al. (Editors), 1932-1947. Flora of Suriname (Netherlands Guyana). Koninklijke Vereniging Koloniaal Instituut, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

Authors

• M.S.M. Sosef & L.J.G. van der Maesen