Common Name:

General Information

Enterolobium timbouva is a deciduous tree with a very wide, dense, low crown; it can grow 10 - 20 metres tall. The short, cylindrical bole can be 80 - 140cm in diameter[].
The tree is harvested from the wild for local use of its wood. It can be used as a pioneer when restoring native woodland and also provides an excellent shade, so is used in urban landscaping and in pastures[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

S. America - Paraguay, central, eastern and northern Brazil.

Habitat

Semideciduous forest and its transition to savannah, found mainly in the more open, secondary formations and also as an isolated plant in pastures, favouring well-drained, clayey soils[].

Properties

Other Uses Rating
Habit	Deciduous Tree
Height	15.00 m
Growth Rate	Fast
Pollinators	Insects
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Succeeds in full sun to fairly dense shade[]. Grows in the wild in well-drained, clayey soils[]. Established plants are drought tolerant[].
Young trees have quite a 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 plant that fixes atmospheric nitrogen and provides food for the native fauna, it can be used as a pioneer species for restoring native woodland[].

Other Uses

The wood is thick-textured, irregular-grained, moderately heavy, soft, with poor mechanical properties and moderately durable. It is used for making boats, canoes, toys, plywood, furniture frames, fillings for doors, boxes, carving etc[].

Propagation

Seed - it has a hard seedcoat and benefits from scarification before sowing 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. Sow the treated seed in a sunny position in a nursery seedbed or in individual containers. A high germination rate can be expected from treated seeds, with the seed sprouting within 10 - 20 days[].

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