Synonym: Hieronima; Hyeronima.
Clades:
Phyllanthaceae.
Genus: ± 20 species.
Region: South America, south America, Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, north to the Caribbean; Central America, Mexico, southern Mexico, West Indies.
Habitat: mois, wet, mixed forest, lowland tropics; wet sites, seasonal marshes; elevations of 900 metres; sunny position and in dappled shade; alluvial, poor, clayey or acid soils.
Content: tannins; wood contains stones of calcium oxalate.
Use: food; timber, tannins; medicines; re-vegetation of degraded lands; wood for marine piling, construction, railway ties, furniture, cabinetwork, decorative veneer, construction, boat construction.
BotanyCanopy, emergent, evergreen tree; fast-growing; dioecious; dense, oblong crown; up to 50 metres tall.
Stem: straight, cylindrical bole; spreading, rounded buttresses; unbranched up to 20 metres; 100 cm or more in diameter; heartwood is very dark brown or reddish brown, clearly demarcated from the 4 cm thick layer of pinkish white sapwood; wood texture is medium or coarse, sometimes uneven, grain interlocked, striped or ribbon-grain appearance, lustre is low, free of odour and taste; wood is strong, rather hard, heavy, moderately to very durable, fairly resistant to termites, glues well, finishes smoothly, resistance to decay and marine borers, good strength, pleasing appearance, fairly good working properties.