Common Name:

General Information

Parkia nitida is a semi-deciduous tree with a roundish crown; it can grow 20 - 35 metres tall[]. The straight, cylindrical bole can be 40 - 70cm in diameter[].
The tree is sometimes harvested from the wild for local use as a food, medicine and timber.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

S. America - Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, the Guyanas; C. America - Panama.

Habitat

Found mainly in old secondary formations of the rain forest, on clay or sandy soils, in both dryland areas and in periodically inundated areas[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Semi-deciduous Tree
Height	30.00 m
Pollinators	Bats
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

A plant of the moist tropics, mainly found at low elevations, but also ascending to 1,500 metres.
Grows best in a sunny position[]. Succeeds in wet and dry soils[].
Newly planted young trees establish well and grow away quickly[].
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

The sugary, black substance surrounding the seed is eaten[].

Medicinal

The inner bark is rasped into boiling water and the decoction used as a wash for fever[].

Other Uses

The heartwood is creamy white, sometimes with very large light brown veins; it os not demarcated from the sapwood. The texture is medium; the grain straight or interlocked. The wood is very light to light in weight, soft; not very durable, being susceptible to fungi, dry wood borers and termites. It seasons fairly quickly, with a high risk of checking and distortion; once seasoned it is poorly stable in service. It can be worked with ordinary tools, though there is a risk of fuzzy surfaces; nailing and screwing are poor; gluing is correct. A low quality wood, it is used for purposes such as interior panelling and joinery, furniture components, boxes and crates, moulding, blockboard and veneer[, ].
The wood is used for fuel[].

Propagation

Seed - it has a hard seedcoat and needs 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. Sow the seed in a sunny position in a nursery seedbed or in individual containers. Germination rates are usually in excess of 50%, with the seed sprouting within 3 - 4 weeks[].

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