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Useful Tropical Plants

Haematoxylum brasiletto

H.Karst.

Fabaceae


Closely related to Haematoxylum campechianum[
331
Title
Flora of Guatemala
Publication
 
Author
Standley P.C. & J. A. Steyermark
Website
http://www.archive.org/
Publisher
 
Year
1946 - 1976
ISBN
 
Description
A superb reference, though somewhat dated. Gives lots of plant uses as well as information on plant habit and habitat. The entire flora (13 volumes) can now be downloaded from http://www.archive.org/
]. If the two species were found growing together, they could scarcely be regarded as distinct, since they are at best none too easily separable, except by the wood, which seems to have distinct properties in the two species[
331
Title
Flora of Guatemala
Publication
 
Author
Standley P.C. & J. A. Steyermark
Website
http://www.archive.org/
Publisher
 
Year
1946 - 1976
ISBN
 
Description
A superb reference, though somewhat dated. Gives lots of plant uses as well as information on plant habit and habitat. The entire flora (13 volumes) can now be downloaded from http://www.archive.org/
].

+ Synonyms

Haematoxylum boreale S.Watson

Common Name:

Haematoxylum brasiletto
Close-up of the flowers
Photograph by: Dick Culbert
Creative Commons License
Haematoxylum brasiletto Haematoxylum brasiletto Haematoxylum brasiletto Haematoxylum brasiletto Haematoxylum brasiletto

General Information

Haematoxylum brasiletto is usually a shrub growing around 2 - 3 metres tall, though sometimes it can become a tree as much as 9 metres high[
331
Title
Flora of Guatemala
Publication
 
Author
Standley P.C. & J. A. Steyermark
Website
http://www.archive.org/
Publisher
 
Year
1946 - 1976
ISBN
 
Description
A superb reference, though somewhat dated. Gives lots of plant uses as well as information on plant habit and habitat. The entire flora (13 volumes) can now be downloaded from http://www.archive.org/
]. It has stout branches which are often tortuous and are armed with long hard spines as much as 2cm long[
331
Title
Flora of Guatemala
Publication
 
Author
Standley P.C. & J. A. Steyermark
Website
http://www.archive.org/
Publisher
 
Year
1946 - 1976
ISBN
 
Description
A superb reference, though somewhat dated. Gives lots of plant uses as well as information on plant habit and habitat. The entire flora (13 volumes) can now be downloaded from http://www.archive.org/
]. The bole is crooked and deeply fluted, branching from near the base[
331
Title
Flora of Guatemala
Publication
 
Author
Standley P.C. & J. A. Steyermark
Website
http://www.archive.org/
Publisher
 
Year
1946 - 1976
ISBN
 
Description
A superb reference, though somewhat dated. Gives lots of plant uses as well as information on plant habit and habitat. The entire flora (13 volumes) can now be downloaded from http://www.archive.org/
].
The wood is the source of a beautiful red dye, which is used locally and exported to countries such as America and Britain[
331
Title
Flora of Guatemala
Publication
 
Author
Standley P.C. & J. A. Steyermark
Website
http://www.archive.org/
Publisher
 
Year
1946 - 1976
ISBN
 
Description
A superb reference, though somewhat dated. Gives lots of plant uses as well as information on plant habit and habitat. The entire flora (13 volumes) can now be downloaded from http://www.archive.org/
].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

331
Title
Flora of Guatemala
Publication
 
Author
Standley P.C. & J. A. Steyermark
Website
http://www.archive.org/
Publisher
 
Year
1946 - 1976
ISBN
 
Description
A superb reference, though somewhat dated. Gives lots of plant uses as well as information on plant habit and habitat. The entire flora (13 volumes) can now be downloaded from http://www.archive.org/

Range

Northern S. America - Colombia and Venezuela, north through Central America to Mexico; Caribbean.

Habitat

Dry rocky brushy hillsides at elevations of 200 - 1,200 metres[
331
Title
Flora of Guatemala
Publication
 
Author
Standley P.C. & J. A. Steyermark
Website
http://www.archive.org/
Publisher
 
Year
1946 - 1976
ISBN
 
Description
A superb reference, though somewhat dated. Gives lots of plant uses as well as information on plant habit and habitat. The entire flora (13 volumes) can now be downloaded from http://www.archive.org/
].

Properties

Medicinal Rating *  *
Other Uses Rating *  *  *
HabitShrub
Height3.00 m
Growth RateMedium
Cultivation StatusWild

Cultivation Details

Haematoxylum brasiletto is a plant of drier, regions in the tropics of the Americas, where it ca be found at elevations up to 1,200 metres. It prefers a mean temperature range of 15 - 25°c, and a mean annual rainfall in excess of 400mm[
1535
Title
Establishment, growth and biomass production of 10 tree woody species introduced for reforestation and ecological re
Publication
Forest Ecology and Management xxx (2006) xxx–xxx
Author
Foroughbakhch R. et al
Website
http://10.1016/j.foreco.2006.08.012
Publisher
 
Year
2006
ISBN
 
Description
 
].
Requires a sunny position. Succeeds in a range of soils, including calcareous[
1535
Title
Establishment, growth and biomass production of 10 tree woody species introduced for reforestation and ecological re
Publication
Forest Ecology and Management xxx (2006) xxx–xxx
Author
Foroughbakhch R. et al
Website
http://10.1016/j.foreco.2006.08.012
Publisher
 
Year
2006
ISBN
 
Description
 
].
This species has a symbiotic relationship with certain soil bacteria, these bacteria form nodules on the roots and fix atmospheric nitrogen. Some of this nitrogen is utilized by the growing plant but some can also be used by other plants growing nearby[
200
Title
The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
Publication
 
Author
Huxley. A.
Publisher
MacMillan Press
Year
1992
ISBN
0-333-47494-5
Description
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
].

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

A decoction or infusion of the plant is employed in Guatemala for treating erysipelas and inflammation of the stomach[
331
Title
Flora of Guatemala
Publication
 
Author
Standley P.C. & J. A. Steyermark
Website
http://www.archive.org/
Publisher
 
Year
1946 - 1976
ISBN
 
Description
A superb reference, though somewhat dated. Gives lots of plant uses as well as information on plant habit and habitat. The entire flora (13 volumes) can now be downloaded from http://www.archive.org/
].

Other Uses

A beautiful, bright red dye is obtained from the wood[
46
Title
Dictionary of Economic Plants.
Publication
 
Author
Uphof. J. C. Th.
Publisher
Weinheim
Year
1959
ISBN
-
Description
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.
,
331
Title
Flora of Guatemala
Publication
 
Author
Standley P.C. & J. A. Steyermark
Website
http://www.archive.org/
Publisher
 
Year
1946 - 1976
ISBN
 
Description
A superb reference, though somewhat dated. Gives lots of plant uses as well as information on plant habit and habitat. The entire flora (13 volumes) can now be downloaded from http://www.archive.org/
]. The heartwood is rich orange when fresh, turning to dark red upon exposure. In the trade it usually is known by the name 'brazilette' (from Spanish brasileto), usually is classed with brazilwood (Caesalpinia echinata) and supplies brasilin and not the hematin crystals of H. campechianum[
331
Title
Flora of Guatemala
Publication
 
Author
Standley P.C. & J. A. Steyermark
Website
http://www.archive.org/
Publisher
 
Year
1946 - 1976
ISBN
 
Description
A superb reference, though somewhat dated. Gives lots of plant uses as well as information on plant habit and habitat. The entire flora (13 volumes) can now be downloaded from http://www.archive.org/
]. Wood from Nicaragua is known locally as 'brasil' and in the trade as 'Nicaragua wood' or 'hypernic,' the latter applied to a superior quality[
331
Title
Flora of Guatemala
Publication
 
Author
Standley P.C. & J. A. Steyermark
Website
http://www.archive.org/
Publisher
 
Year
1946 - 1976
ISBN
 
Description
A superb reference, though somewhat dated. Gives lots of plant uses as well as information on plant habit and habitat. The entire flora (13 volumes) can now be downloaded from http://www.archive.org/
].

The heartwood is a bright orange-red; the sapwood is whitish to straw-coloured. The texture is medium to fine; the grain is irregular; there is an odour of violets. The wood is strong, very hard, compact, but brittle. It takes a fine polish.. Usually too small to be used as a timber, it is used locally for small items[
46
Title
Dictionary of Economic Plants.
Publication
 
Author
Uphof. J. C. Th.
Publisher
Weinheim
Year
1959
ISBN
-
Description
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.
,
1535
Title
Establishment, growth and biomass production of 10 tree woody species introduced for reforestation and ecological re
Publication
Forest Ecology and Management xxx (2006) xxx–xxx
Author
Foroughbakhch R. et al
Website
http://10.1016/j.foreco.2006.08.012
Publisher
 
Year
2006
ISBN
 
Description
 
].

Propagation

Seed -
Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2024-03-19. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Haematoxylum+brasiletto>

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