Common Name:

General Information

Centrolobium sclerophyllum is a semideciduous tree with an upright, sparse crown; it can grow 8 - 30 metres tall. The straight, cylindrical bole can be 40 - 70cm in diameter[].
The tree produces an attractive and useful timber, so is commonly harvested from the wild. It can also be used as a pioneer when restoring native woodland or establishing a woodland garden[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

S. America - eastern and northeastern Brazil.

Habitat

Atlantic rainforest and semi-arid forest, occasional in the dense, primary formations but often quite plentiful in more open, secondary formations; favouring well-drained soils[].

Properties

Other Uses Rating
Habit	Semi-deciduous Tree
Height	20.00 m
Growth Rate	Fast
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Grows best in a sunny position[]. Requires a well-drained soil[]. Established plants are drought tolerant[].
Young plants have a rapid rate of growth[].

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

None known

Agroforestry Uses:

A fast-growing tree that is tolerant of full sun, probably fixes atmospheric nitrogen and has a sparse crown, it can be used as a pioneer for restoring native woodland and also for establishing woodland gardens[, ].

Other Uses

The wood is medium-textured, straight-grained, heavy, with dark streaks and highly resistant to insect attacks. An attractive wood, it is used for making furniture, veneer, lathe work, parquet flooring and also for external purposes such as railway sleepers and posts[].

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a partially shaded position in a nursery seedbed. A high germination rate can usually be expected, with the seed sprouting within 20 - 30 days[].
Like many species within the family Fabaceae, once they have been dried for storage the seeds of this species may benefit from scarification before sowing in order to speed up and improve germination. This can usually be done by pouring a small amount of nearly boiling water on the seeds (being careful not to cook them!) and then soaking them for 12 - 24 hours in warm water. By this time they should have imbibed moisture and swollen - if they have not, then carefully make a nick in the seedcoat (being careful not to damage the embryo) and soak for a further 12 hours before sowing[].

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