Stigmaphyllon ciliatum is often listed as being from Central America but it grows as far south as Brazil. It was in fact noted by Joseph Banks when he arrived at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 1768. The genus name comes from the Latin words 'stigma' for the receptive apex of the pistil of a flower and 'phyla', meaning "leaf" for the leaf-like stigma in the genus and the specific epithet is a reference to the hair-like projections along the leaf margins.
We have grown this plant since 1999 and that year also originally received the related Mascagnia macroptera as a species of Stigmophylon, which it certainly resembles. We also grow Stigmaphyllon littorale. These three plants seem confused in the nursery trade so we have a comparison image showing these three plants together on our Mascagnia and Stigmaphyllon Comparison Page.
The information displayed on this page about Stigmaphyllon ciliatum is based on the research we conducted about it in our nursery horticultural library as well as from information provided by reliable online resources. We also include some of our own observations made about this plant as it grows in the nursery gardens and other gardens that we have visited, as well how the crops have performed in the containers in our nursery field. We will also incorporate comments that we have received from others and welcome hearing from anyone with additional information about this plant, particularly if it includes cultural information that will aid others to better grow it.
