Common Name:

General Information

Luetzelburgia auriculata is a deciduous tree growing up to 10 metres tall, though it is sometimes no more than a shrub 1.5 - 2.5 metres tall[].
The plant is sometimes harvested from the wild as a source of materials, and has occasionally been used in times of need as an emergency food. The flowers of Luetzelburgia species appear en masse before the plant comes into leaf, making the floral display quite conspicuous and colourful, giving the genus a potential ornamental value[].
The plant is classified as 'Least Concern' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2013)[].

Known Hazards

The pant is not recommended for honey production because of its toxicity[].
At the start of the rainy season, the leaves are reported to be toxic to cattle[].
A recently published study demonstrated that samaras are responsible for poisoning outbreaks in goats[].

Botanical References

Range

S. America - central and northeast Brazil

Habitat

Dry forests and savannah[].

Properties

Conservation Status	Least Concern
Edibility Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Deciduous Tree
Height	8.00 m
Pollinators	Insects
Cultivation Status	Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

Luetzelburgia auriculata is 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.

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

During the severe drought of 1932 in one semi-arid region of Brazil local people reportedly dug up root tubers of L. auriculata and milled them into flour[].

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

The oil-rich seeds are used to make soap in some rural areas of the semi-arid region of north-eastern Brazil[]. The seeds are 12 - 25mm long, 7 - 15mm wide, 4 - 7mm thick[].

There is a report that leaves help accelerate the maturation of banana fruits[].

A phytochemical study showed that the lectin-rich seeds successfully overcome predation by the cowpea beetle Callosobruchus maculatus[].

Propagation

Seed -

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