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yellow poinciana

Peltophorum dubium (Spreng.) Taub.

Family: Fabaceae · Genus: Peltophorum

ibira-puita

Secondary I High Fertilizer biomass 🪓 Coppices after cutting
Douglas Goldman · CC BY-SA · iNaturalist

Pioneer heliophyte legume with fast growth. 10–20 m, occasionally 40 m at maturity. Occurs in Cerrado and Atlantic Forest, transition zones and riparian formations.

📚 Synonyms

Scientific synonyms: Caesalpinia dubia Spreng., Peltophorum vogelianum Benth., Baryxylum dubium (Spreng.) Pierre, Brasilettia dubia (Spreng.) Kuntze

Götsch succession

Götsch stage
Secondary I
Ecological role
Early secondary
Primary stratum
High
Strata
Medium, High
Biomass class
Fertilizer biomass

Environment

Light requirement
Full sun
Water requirement
Moderate
Drought tolerance
Moderate
Waterlogging tolerance
Low
Preferred soil texture
Loamy, Clayey
Frost tolerance
-7.0 °C

Morphology

Mature height
10–25 m
Recommended spacing
1.5–4 m
Root system
Taproot
Root depth
Deep
Growth rate
Fast
Time to first harvest
84 months

Biomes & climate

Köppen classes

Where it fits in a guild

Yellow poinciana takes the High stratum in the Secondary I 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 High · ≈25 m Medium Low Ground cover

🪴 Cultivation

Fast-growing light-demanding early-secondary/pioneer with a strong taproot and vigorous stump resprouting; full sun, but irregular form in pure stands — use formation pruning or mix with pioneers. Seeds have hard-coat dormancy — scarify (mechanical or H2SO4) for up to ~95% germination. N-demanding and NON-N-fixing, so needs fertile, well-drained loam-to-clay (avoid shallow/stony/waterlogged). Good for degraded-land/riparian recovery (tolerates periodic not permanent flooding), living fences, pasture shade and windbreaks (wind-firm).

✂️ Management & Pruning

High tolerance to root pruning; coppices/resprouts vigorously from the stump and from pruning points. Needs formation pruning (desrama); natural self-pruning occurs.

📅 Phenology

Flowering months: September, October, November, December, January, February, March

Fruiting months: April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December

❓ Frequently asked questions

How long until the first harvest of yellow poinciana?

The first harvest of yellow poinciana comes around 84 months after planting.

What spacing is recommended for yellow poinciana?

The recommended spacing for yellow poinciana is 1.5–4 m.

How tall does yellow poinciana grow?

At maturity, yellow poinciana reaches 10–25 m tall.

When does yellow poinciana fruit?

Fruiting of yellow poinciana occurs in April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December.

When does yellow poinciana flower?

Flowering of yellow poinciana occurs in September, October, November, December, January, February, March.

What stage and stratum does yellow poinciana occupy in a syntropic system?

In a syntropic system, yellow poinciana belongs to the secondary i stage, occupying the high stratum.

Functions

🌿 Biomass producer Timber 🍯 Melliferous Ornamental

Propagation

Seed, Grafting, Cutting

Citations

  1. Peltophorum dubium — Rewilding Brazil
  2. Canafístula — Nova Mata
  3. EMBRAPA/Carvalho — Espécies Arbóreas Brasileiras vol.1, Canafístula (pp.283–290) (spacing_min_m, spacing_max_m, frost_tolerance_c, root_system, root_depth, drought_tolerance, waterlogging_tolerance, soil_texture_preference, propagation, pruning_notes, time_to_first_harvest_months, phenology, cultivation_notes, nitrogen_fixer, synonyms)
  4. Faria et al. 2022, New Phytologist — non-nodulation in Peltophorum clade (nitrogen_fixer)
  5. IPNI / Flora do Brasil — Peltophorum dubium (Spreng.) Taub. (external_ids, synonyms)

External references

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