If you would like to support this site, please consider Donating.
Useful Tropical Plants

Handroanthus barbatus

(E.Mey.) Mattos

Bignoniaceae

+ Synonyms

Bignonia barbata E.Mey.

Couralia toxophora (Mart.) Benth. & Hook.f. ex K.Schum.

Tabebuia barbata (E.Mey.) Sandwith

Tecoma barbata (E.Mey.) DC.

Tecoma toxophora Mart.

Zeyheria barbata (E.Mey.) Miq.

Common Name:

No Image.

General Information

Handroanthus barbatus is a tree growing up to 15 metres tall[
2095
Title
Bignoniaceae: Part II (Tribe Tecomeae)
Publication
Flora Neotropica Monograph Vol. 25, No. 2 pp 1-370
Author
Gentry A.H.
Publisher
The New York Botanical Garden, New York
Year
1992
ISBN
0-89327-368-6
Description
 
].
The tree is harvested from the wld for its wood, which is widely traded.
Handroanthus barbatus is one of a group of species that are heavily exploited for their high quality timber, which is collectively traded under the name Ipê. Although this species is traded in lesser amounts than many of the other species, threats to it are continuing and may grow in the coming decades, therefore it is suspected that this species will experience a population decline of at least 25% over the next 100 years.The plant is classified as 'Near Threatened' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2021)[
338
Title
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.iucnredlist.org/
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat.
].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

2095
Title
Bignoniaceae: Part II (Tribe Tecomeae)
Publication
Flora Neotropica Monograph Vol. 25, No. 2 pp 1-370
Author
Gentry A.H.
Publisher
The New York Botanical Garden, New York
Year
1992
ISBN
0-89327-368-6
Description
 

Range

S. America - Bolivia, northwest Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela

Habitat

Rainforests, especially in areas that are subject to seasonal inundation; at elevations up to 150 metres[
338
Title
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.iucnredlist.org/
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat.
,
2095
Title
Bignoniaceae: Part II (Tribe Tecomeae)
Publication
Flora Neotropica Monograph Vol. 25, No. 2 pp 1-370
Author
Gentry A.H.
Publisher
The New York Botanical Garden, New York
Year
1992
ISBN
0-89327-368-6
Description
 
].

Properties

Conservation StatusNear Threatened
Other Uses Rating *  *  *
Height0.00 m

Cultivation Details

Not known

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

We have no specific information for this species, but the inner bark of the various Handroanthus species has been shown to contain several pharmacologically active compounds. In particular, the bark has astringent and anti-inflammatory properties and several species are used to treat skin disorders, fungal infections, wounds etc, as well as a various inflammatory diseases, cancer etc[
238
Title
Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses.
Publication
 
Author
Bown. D.
Publisher
Dorling Kindersley, London.
Year
1995
ISBN
0-7513-020-31
Description
A very well presented and informative book on herbs from around the globe. Plenty in it for both the casual reader and the serious student. Just one main quibble is the silly way of having two separate entries for each plant.
,
254
Title
The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants
Publication
 
Author
Chevallier. A.
Publisher
Dorling Kindersley. London
Year
1996
ISBN
9-780751-303148
Description
An excellent guide to over 500 of the more well known medicinal herbs from around the world.
].
The bark contains the naphthoquinones lapachol and beta-lapachone. These compounds have a range of medicinal activities, including antitumor activity, but when isolated from the whole bark and used in the quantities required to treat conditions such as cancer, they have also shown unacceptable levels of toxicity towards the body.

Other Uses

We have no specific information on the wood of this species, other than it is one of a group of species that produce a very hard, heavy and durable timber, known collectively as 'Ipê' and widely traded. Most Ipê wood comes from this genus (Handroanthus), though some also comes from the genera Tabebuia and Roseodendron. The general description of Ipê wood, when produced from Handroanthus species is as follows:-
The heartwood is yellowish brown to dark olive brown, sometimes with thin veins; it is clearly demarcated from the 3 - 9cm wide band of lighter-coloured sapwood. The texture is usually fine, though it is medium in some species; the grain is interlocked; there are canals in the wood containing a greenish-yellow deposit of the naphthoquinon 'lapachol'. The wood is very heavy; very hard; elastic; it is very durable, even in contact with the soil, resisting fungi, dry wood borers and termites. It seasons slowly, but with only a low risk of checking or distortion; once dry it is moderately stable in service. The wood has a fairly high blunting effect - stellite-tipped and tungsten carbide tools are recommended; there can be some difficulties due to the interlocked grain; filling is recommended in order to get a good finish; nailing and screwing are good , but require pre-boring; gluing is correct for internal use only, and needs to be done with care because the wood is so dense. Ipê is a very durable and strong wood that has a very wide range of uses, especially for outdoor applications. It is used for making high class furniture, cabinet work, heavy construction, railway sleepers, bridges, hydraulic works, industrial flooring, decking, posts and poles, turnery, musical instruments, tool handles, veneer etc[
848
Title
Tropix 7
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://tropix.cirad.fr/en
Publisher
CIRAD
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An on-line guide to the timbers of 245 species of trees.
].

Propagation

Seed -
Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2024-12-12. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Handroanthus+barbatus>

Add a Comment:

If you have any useful information about this plant, please leave a comment. Comments have to be approved before they are shown here.