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Alectryon excelsa titoki

November 28th 2004

 


Alectryon excelsa 
Alectryon excelsus                                                                                                      
Titoki

Titoki is an attractive tree reaching 10–15 m. tall with a trunk up to 60 cm in diameter.  The bark is slightly roughened and is nearly black in colour. The compound leaves may be 10–40 cm long, each with four to six pairs of leaflets, which may be 5–10 cm long by 2–5 cm wide.
Tiny flowers are borne in panicles.
The fruit is enclosed in a brown, furry capsule on a red fleshy base. When ripe in spring, the capsule splits open to reveal the hard black, lustrous seed embedded in a red aril.
  With its gracefully shaped leaves and attractive form it makes the perfect ornamental tree. There are some  beautiful titoki planted as specimen trees in many northern towns.
 The seed is produced in early summer and is classed as recalcitrant. Remove from the aril. Sow on collection and do not allow to dry out. Germination began 3 weeks after sowing.


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