Skip to content
sintropia.club
PT EN

Plants

jatoba

Hymenaea courbaril L.

Family: Fabaceae · Genus: Hymenaea

Brazilian cherry, stinking toe

Climax Emergent Mulch biomass
mauroguanandi · CC BY · Wikimedia Commons

Tropical climax with extremely dense timber; fruit pulp is edible. Common in syntropic abundance systems.

📚 Synonyms

Scientific synonyms: Hymenaea stilbocarpa Hayne, Hymenaea courbaril var. stilbocarpa (Hayne) Y.T.Lee & Langenh., Hymenaea candolleana Kunth, Hymenaea multiflora Kleinhoonte

Götsch succession

Götsch stage
Climax
Ecological role
Climax
Primary stratum
Emergent
Strata
Emergent, High
Biomass class
Mulch biomass

Environment

Light requirement
Full sun
Water requirement
Moderate
Drought tolerance
High
Waterlogging tolerance
Moderate
Soil pH range
5–7.5
Preferred soil texture
Loamy, Sandy, Clayey
Hardiness zones
10–13

Morphology

Mature height
20–40 m
Recommended spacing
8–12 m
Root system
Taproot
Root depth
Deep
Growth rate
Slow
Lifespan
100–300 years
Time to first harvest
96 months

Biomes & climate

Köppen classes

Where it fits in a guild

Jatoba 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.

Design my guild

Free account — and the catalog stays open, no sign-up needed.

Emergent · ≈40 m High Medium Low Ground cover

🪴 Cultivation

Slow-growing, long-lived climax canopy tree; tolerates poor, dry, acidic soils and 4+ months of drought once established, plus some waterlogging. Sow scarified seed (germinates in 8–12 days at 30 °C); young plants benefit from shade for a straight trunk. Fruits at 8–12 years.

✂️ Management & Pruning

Coppices well when young or in cut-over areas, but large-tree stumps do not resprout — not a species to manage by coppicing at maturity.

📅 Phenology

Flowering months: September, October, November

Fruiting months: October, November, December, January, February, March

❓ Frequently asked questions

How long until the first harvest of jatoba?

The first harvest of jatoba comes around 96 months after planting.

What spacing is recommended for jatoba?

The recommended spacing for jatoba is 8–12 m.

How tall does jatoba grow?

At maturity, jatoba reaches 20–40 m tall.

When does jatoba fruit?

Fruiting of jatoba occurs in October, November, December, January, February, March.

When does jatoba flower?

Flowering of jatoba occurs in September, October, November.

What stage and stratum does jatoba occupy in a syntropic system?

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

Functions

Timber 🍎 Fruit Medicinal

Propagation

Seed, Cutting, Air layering

Citations

  1. Pasini, F. (2017) in Guimarães & Mendonça (Incaper) , p. 50 (gotsch_stage, primary_stratum)
  2. Useful Tropical Plants — Hymenaea courbaril (waterlogging_tolerance, propagation, pruning_notes, time_to_first_harvest_months, cultivation_notes)
  3. Serviço Florestal Brasileiro (SFB) — Hymenaea courbaril, inventário e fenologia (phenology)
  4. de Faria et al. 1989, New Phytologist 111:607 (nodulation in Leguminosae) (nitrogen_fixer)
  5. GBIF species match API — Hymenaea courbaril L. (external_ids)
  6. IPNI — Hymenaea courbaril L. (external_ids, synonyms)

External references

Continue exploring

Related plants