West Indian Elm

Overview

West indian elmis is a native of tropical America, but long naturalized in various parts of the Old World tropics. The plant has a long history of herbal use, and is much used in modern herbal medicine in S. America. It is often gathered from the wild for this purpose. It is cultivated in India and Sri Lanka, and often planted as shade and ornamental tree elsewhere in the tropics.

Vernacular Names

Bois de hêtre (French), Guazuma (Japanese), Araticum-bravo (Portuguese), Guacima (Spanish).

Agroecology

A plant of the dry to moist tropics, where it is found at elevations up to 1,200 metres. It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 22 - 32 °C, but can tolerate 10 - 36 °C. It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 700 - 1,500 mm, but tolerates 500 - 1,700 mm. Prefers a sunny position. The plant is widely adapted, found growing in both alluvial and clay soils. Succeeds on a variety of soils but is most common where pH is higher than 5.5. Prefers a pH in the range 6 - 7, tolerating 5 - 7.5.

Morphology

• Stems - up to 25 m tall, with a diameter at breast height of 30 - 60 cm, branches stellate-tomentose.
• Leaves - alternate, ovate to oblong or lanceolate, 3-21 cm × 2-6 cm, base unequally cordate, apex long-acuminate, margin serrulate, basally 6-veined, scabrous above, tomentose below; petiole 0.5-2 cm long; stipulate.
• Flowers - bisexual, up to 8 mm across; calyx tube subglobose, lobes 3, subequal, 2-3 mm long; petals 5, obovate, yellow, the lower part up to 4 mm × 2 mm, cucullate, the appendage divided more than halfway, 4-5 mm long; staminal column of 5 fascicles of 3 anthers, opposite the sepals, alternating with 5 triangular staminodes; ovary superior, globose, 5-locular, styles 5, basally connate.
• Fruits - a subglobose woody capsule, 1.5-4 cm × 1.2-2.5 cm, tubercled, indehiscent, many-seeded.
• Seeds - 2.5-4 mm × 1.8-2 mm.

Cultivation

• Propagated by seeds - requires scarification before planting. Pour boiling water over the seeds, let them soak for 30 seconds and then drain. With fresh seed, germination occurs in 7 - 14 days at a rate of 60 - 80%. Seedlings are ready for out-planting when they reach a height of 30 - 40 cm (about 15 weeks). The plant can also be established by direct seeding.
• By cuttings.

Chemical Constituents

Alkaloids, terpenoids, saponins, steroids, acids (tartaric, kaurenoic, asparaginic), flavonoids (kaempferol, procyanidin B2, procyanidine B5, procyanidine C1), gums (xanthan gum), purines (theobromine, caffeine), tannins (catechins, colatannins), octacosanol, friedelin-3a, 3ß-ol, ß-sitosterol, friedelin, farnesol, taraxerol, colestin.

Traditional Medicinal Uses

• Bark and other plant parts used for malaria, cutaneous and syphilitic affections, elephantiasis, afflictions of the chest and leprosy.
• In Martinique, infusion of the old bark is considered sudorific and used for chest and cutaneous diseases.
• In the West Indies, the inner bark is used for elephantiasis; also as a sudorific.
• In the Antilles, the bark is mucilaginous and used for astringent applications.
• Beverage of crushed seeds soaked in water used for diarrhea, dysentery, cold, coughs, contusions and venereal disease. Also, used as diuretic.
• Used as topical remedy for hair loss and baldness.
• Reported use by Latino healers in NYC for uterine fibroids.
• Leaves used for weight loss.
• In Indonesia, used as ingredient in a slimming tea mixture. Bark used for pneumonia, colds and cough, bronchitis and hemorrhoids.
• Leaf extracts used in the treatment of acne.