Common Name:

General Information

Machaerium stipitatum is a semideciduous tree with a much-branched, upright, pyramid-shaped crown; it can grow 10 - 20 metres tall. The grooved bole can be 40 - 50cm in diameter[].
The tree is harvested from the wild for its wood. It can be used as a pioneer species when restoring woodland and, as a very ornamental tree, it deserves to be more used in landscaping[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

S. America - Argentina, Paraguay, southern and eastern Brazil.

Habitat

Broadleaved, semideciduous forests, mainly in open and secondary areas and only occasionally in the dense primary forest; favouring fertile soils in moist lowlands and stony areas[419[,

Properties

Other Uses Rating
Habit	Semi-deciduous Tree
Height	15.00 m
Growth Rate	Medium
Pollinators	Insects
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Grows best in a sunny position[]. Prefers a moist, fertile soil[].
Plants have a moderate 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 pioneer plant in its native range, where it has a moderate rate of growth and fixes atmospheric nitrogen[]. It can be used in reforestation projects for restoring native woodland[].

Other Uses

The wood is medium-textured, moderately heavy, good mechanical properties, moderately resistant to the attacks of wood-eating organisms. It can be used in building construction for purposes such as beams, rafters, laths, frames and wainscoting; also for making curved objects such as tool handles and barrels[].

Propagation

Seed - it has a hard seedcoat and may benefit from scarification before sowing to speed up 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. The seed has a short viability and so needs to be sown as soon as it is ripe in a partially shaded position in individual containers. A low germination rate can be expected from untreated seed, with the seed sprouting within 15 - 30 days[]. The seedlings grow reasonably quickly, and they should be ready to plant out 6 - 7 months later[].

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