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Plants

baru nut

Dipteryx alata Vogel

Family: Fabaceae · Genus: Dipteryx

baruka

Climax Emergent
Thomaz Ricardo Favreto Sinani · CC BY · GBIF

Native Cerrado leguminous tree reaching over 25 m. Although a legume, it does not form root nodules with N-fixing bacteria — relies on N from groundwater.

📚 Synonyms

Scientific synonyms: Coumarouna alata (Vogel) Taub., Dipteryx pterota Mart., Cumaruna alata (Vogel) Kuntze

Götsch succession

Götsch stage
Climax
Ecological role
Late secondary
Primary stratum
Emergent
Strata
High, Emergent

Environment

Light requirement
Full sun
Water requirement
Low
Drought tolerance
High
Waterlogging tolerance
Low
Preferred soil texture
Sandy, Loamy, Clayey

Morphology

Mature height
15–25 m
Recommended spacing
1.5–5 m
Root system
Taproot
Root depth
Deep
Growth rate
Moderate
Lifespan
≤ 60 years

Biomes & climate

Köppen classes

Where it fits in a guild

Baru nut takes the Emergent stratum in the Climax phase of succession — in a guild it shares the line with species from the other strata, each harvesting light at its own height, in its own time.

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Emergent · ≈25 m High Medium Low Ground cover

🪴 Cultivation

Cerrado tree of well-drained, medium-fertility sandy-clay soils; highly drought-tolerant, planted in silvopasture and degraded-area recovery for foliar biomass and nutrient recycling (NOT via N-fixation — it is non-nodulating). Propagate by seed removed from the hard endocarp for fast uniform germination (~5–10 days vs 40–60 days for the whole fruit); ~96% field survival in full sun. Self-incompatible (Xylocopa-pollinated) — plant several unrelated individuals for fruit set.

📅 Phenology

Flowering months: November, December, January, February

Fruiting months: July, August, September, October

❓ Frequently asked questions

What spacing is recommended for baru nut?

The recommended spacing for baru nut is 1.5–5 m.

How tall does baru nut grow?

At maturity, baru nut reaches 15–25 m tall.

When does baru nut fruit?

Fruiting of baru nut occurs in July, August, September, October.

When does baru nut flower?

Flowering of baru nut occurs in November, December, January, February.

What stage and stratum does baru nut occupy in a syntropic system?

In a syntropic system, baru nut belongs to the climax stage, occupying the emergent stratum.

Functions

🌰 Nut 🍎 Fruit Timber Fodder 🍯 Melliferous

Propagation

Seed

Citations

  1. Dipteryx alata — Wikipedia
  2. Baru (Dipteryx alata): a comprehensive review — SciELO
  3. Dipteryx alata — Wikipedia (nitrogen_fixer, root_depth, lifespan_years_max)
  4. EMBRAPA — Baru (Dipteryx alata), Especies Arboreas Brasileiras (spacing_min_m, spacing_max_m, soil_texture_preference, waterlogging_tolerance, phenology, cultivation_notes)
  5. Zhao et al. 2021, Molecular Plant — losses of nodulation in Papilionoideae (Dipterygeae/ADA clade) (nitrogen_fixer)
  6. IPNI / Flora do Brasil — Dipteryx alata Vogel (external_ids, synonyms)

External references

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