Common Name:

General Information

Piptadenia viridiflora is a very spiny, deciduous tree with a dense, elongate crown; it can grow 10 - 18 metres tall. The usually crooked and more or less cylindrical bole can be 40 - 60cm in diameter[].
The tree is harvested from the wild for local use of its wood. A natural pioneer species, it can be used for restoring native woodland and establishing woodland gardens.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

S. America - Argentina, Paraguay, central and northeastern Brazil, Bolivia, Peru; C. America - Panama to Guatemala, Mexico.

Habitat

Dryland forests in northeast Brazil, and open calcareous woodland in the savannah, growing mainly in open places and secondary growth areas in well-drained, fertile, calcareous soils[].

Properties

Other Uses Rating
Habit	Deciduous Tree
Height	14.00 m
Growth Rate	Fast
Pollinators	Bees
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

A plant of the 'Caatinga' dry forest region of northeast Brazil. The climate is hot and dry, there are usually 6 to 11 months without rain each year. The mean annual rainfall varies from 250 - 1,000mm, and the mean annual temperature is from 24 - 26°c.
Grows best in a sunny position[]. Grows in the wild in well-drained, fertile, calcareous, clayey soils[]. Established plants are drought tolerant[].
The plant produces great quantities of seed and also resprouts freely if cut down. It can rapidly invade open areas and can be difficult to eradicate. It is considered to be a weed in pastures by cattle ranchers[].
Young trees have a very fast rate of growth[].
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[].

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

None known

Agroforestry Uses:

A fast-growing, tree that fixes atmospheric nitrogen and is a very effective natural pioneer, it can be used in reforestation projects to restore native woodland and also to establish woodland gardens[, ].

Other Uses

The wood is thick-textured, straight-grained, heavy, with moderate mechanical properties and low durability. It is used for internal purposes in general construction, light cabinet making, boxes and tool handles[].
The wood is used for fuel and to make charcoal[].

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a sunny position in a nursery seedbed. A high germination rate can be expected, with the seed sprouting within 5 - 10 days[]. When the seedlings are 4 - 5cm tall, pot them up into individual containers and they should be ready to plant out 5 - 6 months later[].
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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