Common Name:

General Information

Alexa grandiflora is an evergreen tree with a fairly open, irregular and roundish crown; it can grow 20 - 30 metres tall. The straight, more or less cylindrical bole can be 60 - 120cm in diameter[].
The tree is harvested from the wild for its useful timber. It provides a good shade and can be planted in parks, squares etc[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

S. America - northern Brazil, Surinam.

Habitat

A canopy or subcanopy tree in the Amazon rainforest, in areas not subject to inundation, favouring well-drained soils that can range from sandy to clayey[].

Properties

Other Uses Rating
Habit	Evergreen Tree
Height	25.00 m
Growth Rate	Medium
Pollinators	Bees
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Seedlings can tolerate considerable shade but need increasing amounts of light as they grow, eventually requiring moderate to full sun[]. Requires a well-drained soil, succeeding in sandy to clayey conditions[]. Established plants are drought tolerant[].
Young plants have a moderate rate of growth[].
Although many species within the family Fabaceae have a symbiotic relationship with soil bacteria, this species is said to be devoid of such a relationship and therefore does not fix atmospheric nitrogen[].

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

The heartwood is light yellow to reddish-brown; it is not clearly demarcated from the 5 - 10cm wide band of sapwood. The texture is coarse; the grain straight or interlocked. The wood is heavy, hard, elastic, and very durable, being resistant to attacks by fungi, dry wood borers and termites. The wood seasons slowly with a high risk of checking and distortion, once dry it is poorly stable in service. It works well with normal tools; nailing and screwing are good, though pre-boring can be helpful in the hard wood; gluing is correct. It is used in general construction for purposes such as beams, scantlings, laths, door and window jambs; for making furniture, door and window frames, flooring blocks, lathe work, boxes and crates etc[, ].

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a partially shaded position in a nursery seedbed or in individual containers. A high germination rate can be expected, with the seed sprouting within 7 - 14 days[]. When the seedbed-sown seedlings are 5 - 6cm tall, pot them up into individual containers and they should be ready to plant out 6 - 7 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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