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Useful Tropical Plants

Hymenaea martiana

Hayne

Fabaceae

+ Synonyms

Cynometra martiana (Hayne) Baill.

Hymenaea sellowiana Hayne

Common Name:

Hymenaea martiana
Flowering branch
Photograph by: Rodolfo Vásquez
Creative Commons License

General Information

Hymenaea martiana is an evergreen tree with a dense, wide-spreading crown, growing 4 - 25 metres tall. The short bole can be 40 - 90cm in diameter[
625
Title
Brazilian Trees. Volume 3.
Publication
 
Author
Lorenzi. H.
Publisher
Instituto Plantarum De Estudos Da Flora; Brazil.
Year
2009
ISBN
85-86714-34-4
Description
Information on 350 species of Brazilian trees. Stunning photographs of each species, brief details on the plant, its uses and how to grow it from seed. A superb work, with the minor irritation that the translation from Portuguese is not of the best.
].
The tree is harvested from the wild for local use as a food, medicine and source of materials. The wood is of good quality and is harvested on a commercial basis and traded. An excellent shade tree, it is often left in pasture land when the forest is cleared.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References


Range

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

Habitat

Savannah, Atlantic rainforest and forests in semi-arid areas; usually in the more open and secondary growth areas; favouring moister clay soils on the floodplains[
625
Title
Brazilian Trees. Volume 3.
Publication
 
Author
Lorenzi. H.
Publisher
Instituto Plantarum De Estudos Da Flora; Brazil.
Year
2009
ISBN
85-86714-34-4
Description
Information on 350 species of Brazilian trees. Stunning photographs of each species, brief details on the plant, its uses and how to grow it from seed. A superb work, with the minor irritation that the translation from Portuguese is not of the best.
].

Properties

Edibility Rating *  *
Other Uses Rating *  *  *  *
HabitEvergreen Tree
Height13.00 m
Growth RateSlow
Cultivation StatusWild

Cultivation Details


Grows best in a sunny position[
625
Title
Brazilian Trees. Volume 3.
Publication
 
Author
Lorenzi. H.
Publisher
Instituto Plantarum De Estudos Da Flora; Brazil.
Year
2009
ISBN
85-86714-34-4
Description
Information on 350 species of Brazilian trees. Stunning photographs of each species, brief details on the plant, its uses and how to grow it from seed. A superb work, with the minor irritation that the translation from Portuguese is not of the best.
]. Grows in the wild on moist, clay soils[
625
Title
Brazilian Trees. Volume 3.
Publication
 
Author
Lorenzi. H.
Publisher
Instituto Plantarum De Estudos Da Flora; Brazil.
Year
2009
ISBN
85-86714-34-4
Description
Information on 350 species of Brazilian trees. Stunning photographs of each species, brief details on the plant, its uses and how to grow it from seed. A superb work, with the minor irritation that the translation from Portuguese is not of the best.
].
The plant has a slow rate of growth, even when small[
625
Title
Brazilian Trees. Volume 3.
Publication
 
Author
Lorenzi. H.
Publisher
Instituto Plantarum De Estudos Da Flora; Brazil.
Year
2009
ISBN
85-86714-34-4
Description
Information on 350 species of Brazilian trees. Stunning photographs of each species, brief details on the plant, its uses and how to grow it from seed. A superb work, with the minor irritation that the translation from Portuguese is not of the best.
].
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[
755
Title
Nodulation Plants in GRIN Taxonomy
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.ars-grin.gov/~sbmljw/cgi-bin/taxnodul.pl?language=en
Publisher
United States Department of Agriculture
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An online database listing plants that have either positive or negative reports on root and stem nodulation with nitrogen-fixing bacteria.
].

Edible Uses

Fruit - raw[
625
Title
Brazilian Trees. Volume 3.
Publication
 
Author
Lorenzi. H.
Publisher
Instituto Plantarum De Estudos Da Flora; Brazil.
Year
2009
ISBN
85-86714-34-4
Description
Information on 350 species of Brazilian trees. Stunning photographs of each species, brief details on the plant, its uses and how to grow it from seed. A superb work, with the minor irritation that the translation from Portuguese is not of the best.
]. The white, mealy pulp surrounding the seeds is eaten[
625
Title
Brazilian Trees. Volume 3.
Publication
 
Author
Lorenzi. H.
Publisher
Instituto Plantarum De Estudos Da Flora; Brazil.
Year
2009
ISBN
85-86714-34-4
Description
Information on 350 species of Brazilian trees. Stunning photographs of each species, brief details on the plant, its uses and how to grow it from seed. A superb work, with the minor irritation that the translation from Portuguese is not of the best.
,
1438
Title
Food Plants in the Americas: A Survey of the Domesticated, Cultivated, and Wild Plants Used for Human Food in North,
Publication
 
Author
Kermath B.M.; Bennett B.C.' Pulsipher L.M.
Publisher
 
Year
2014
ISBN
 
Description
A pre-publication draft of an amazing, on-going work first started in 1985. It contains information on more than 3,900 taxa from the Americas - from Arctic regions to the Tropics
]. The semi-cylindrical seedpod (legume) is up to 15cm long and 6cm wide, containing 5 - 8 seeds surrounded by a white, mealy, edible pulp[
625
Title
Brazilian Trees. Volume 3.
Publication
 
Author
Lorenzi. H.
Publisher
Instituto Plantarum De Estudos Da Flora; Brazil.
Year
2009
ISBN
85-86714-34-4
Description
Information on 350 species of Brazilian trees. Stunning photographs of each species, brief details on the plant, its uses and how to grow it from seed. A superb work, with the minor irritation that the translation from Portuguese is not of the best.
].

Medicinal

Both a tea and a syrup made from the bark and bast of the stem are used in the treatment of respiratory problems, inflammations, stomach aches, chest, and spinal problems[
1495
Title
Anatomia dos órgãos vegetativos de Hymenaea martiana Hayne (CaesalpinioideaeFabaceae): espécie de uso medicinal em C
Publication
Rev. Bras. Pl. Med., Botucatu, v.14, n.4, p.673-679, 2012
Author
Silva M.S.; Leite K.R.B.; Saba M.D
Publisher
 
Year
2012
ISBN
 
Description
 
].

A resin obtained from the tree is used as a healing poultice, encouraging the formation of new tissue[
1495
Title
Anatomia dos órgãos vegetativos de Hymenaea martiana Hayne (CaesalpinioideaeFabaceae): espécie de uso medicinal em C
Publication
Rev. Bras. Pl. Med., Botucatu, v.14, n.4, p.673-679, 2012
Author
Silva M.S.; Leite K.R.B.; Saba M.D
Publisher
 
Year
2012
ISBN
 
Description
 
].

Other Uses

The heartwood varies from purple-brown or orangey-brown to red-brown, with slight veins; it is clearly demarcated from the 3 - 12cm wide band of sapwood. The texture is medium; the grain straight or interlocked; there are slight internal stresses. The wood is heavy to very heavy; hard to very hard; elastic; durable, even in contact with the soil, being resistant to fungi, dry wood borers and termites. It seasons normally, with only a slight risk of checking and distortion; once dry it is moderately stable to stable in service. The wood has a fairly high blunting effect, stellite-tipped and tungsten carbide tools are recommended; nailing and screwing are good, but require pre-boring; gluing is correct for interior use only, but needs to be done with care because of the density of the wood. The wood has a wide range of applications, including for high class furniture, cabinet making, construction, heavy duty flooring, ship building, carving, turnery, tool handles etc[
386
Title
Forest Stewardship Council.
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.fsc.dk/index.php?id=256&PHPSESSID=367043b95e93a891cf96369e9264cd03
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
The site contains information on the properties of some less well-known tropical timbers. The Forest Stewardship Council works actively to protect tropical forests by encouraging sustainable harvesting of the trees.
,
625
Title
Brazilian Trees. Volume 3.
Publication
 
Author
Lorenzi. H.
Publisher
Instituto Plantarum De Estudos Da Flora; Brazil.
Year
2009
ISBN
85-86714-34-4
Description
Information on 350 species of Brazilian trees. Stunning photographs of each species, brief details on the plant, its uses and how to grow it from seed. A superb work, with the minor irritation that the translation from Portuguese is not of the best.
,
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 - 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 partially shaded position in individual containers. A germination rate in excess of 50% can be expected from treated seed, with the seed sprouting within 15 - 30 days[
625
Title
Brazilian Trees. Volume 3.
Publication
 
Author
Lorenzi. H.
Publisher
Instituto Plantarum De Estudos Da Flora; Brazil.
Year
2009
ISBN
85-86714-34-4
Description
Information on 350 species of Brazilian trees. Stunning photographs of each species, brief details on the plant, its uses and how to grow it from seed. A superb work, with the minor irritation that the translation from Portuguese is not of the best.
].
Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2024-03-28. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Hymenaea+martiana>

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