Family: Malvaceae
Origin, Description & Uses
Sterculia apetala, commonly known as Panama tree, is native to Florida and throughout tropical South America. It is a large, fast-growing tropical tree that can reach impressive heights, with a broad, spreading crown and large, palmately lobed leaves that provide dense shade. The tree produces distinctive seed pods and flowers, and in its native range it is valued as a shade tree in parks, urban plantings, and along roadsides. It has also been used in agroforestry systems and for ornamental planting due to its striking form and ability to establish quickly in warm climates.
Risks & Threats
In Hawaiʻi, Sterculia apetala is naturalized on Oʻahu and Maui, indicating that it is already persisting and spreading outside of cultivation. While it may be appreciated for shade and ornamental use, it does possess traits that are cause for concern, including its vigorous growth, large size, and ability to establish in a range of tropical environments. These characteristics increase the potential for it to compete with or alter native and naturalized plant communities. Ongoing evaluation is needed, and caution is recommended to ensure that it will not negatively impact Hawaiʻi’s ecosystems or contribute to further spread in sensitive habitats.
High Risk Traits:
- Naturalized in Jamaica, Trinidad, Puerto Rico, and on O'ahu and Maui (Hawaii)
- Host for multiple pests (cotton stainer bugs, borers, leaf miners, fungi)
- Fruit bristles irritate human skin
- Seedlings tolerate heavy shade
- Produces viable seeds
- Intentionally planted as ornamental/wood tree
- Bird-dispersed (toucans, aracaris)
- Dispersed externally by squirrels and monkeys
- Seeds survive gut passage
Low Risk Traits:
- No toxicity, unpalatability, or allelopathy
- No vegetative reproduction
- First seeds at 20–30 years (long generation time)
- Large seeds (2 cm) — not wind-dispersed or likely as contaminants
- Low seed production (50–200 pods per tree)
- Mature trees do not coppice after cutting
