Plants
Brazilian ironwood
Libidibia ferrea (Mart. ex Tul.) L.P.Queiroz
Family: Fabaceae · Genus: Libidibia
leopard tree
Leguminous tree occurring in Caatinga, Cerrado and Atlantic Forest. Sun-tolerant and melliferous.
📚 Synonyms
Scientific synonyms: Caesalpinia ferrea Mart. ex Tul., Apuleia ferrea (Mart. ex Tul.) Baill.
Götsch succession
- Götsch stage
- Secondary II
- Ecological role
- Late secondary
- Primary stratum
- High
- Strata
- Medium, High
- Biomass class
- Fertilizer & mulch
Environment
- Light requirement
- Full sun
- Water requirement
- Low
- Drought tolerance
- High
- Waterlogging tolerance
- Moderate
Morphology
- Mature height
- 15–30 m
- Root system
- Taproot
- Root depth
- Deep
- Growth rate
- Moderate
Biomes & climate
- Caatinga Native
- Cerrado Native
- Atlantic Forest Native
Köppen classes
- Hot semi-arid (BSh) Suitable
- Tropical savanna with dry winter (Aw) Suitable
- Tropical monsoon (Am) Suitable
Where it fits in a guild
Brazilian ironwood takes the High stratum in the Secondary II 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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🪴 Cultivation
Hardy, drought-tolerant tree of NE and E Brazil (Caatinga and Atlantic Forest), naturally in seasonally flooded valley bottoms. Propagate from hot-water-scarified seed (>60% germination in 7–15 days); moderate growth (~2.5 m in 2 years), field-ready seedlings in ~8–9 months.
📅 Phenology
Flowering months: October, November, December, January
Fruiting months: December, January, February, March, April
❓ Frequently asked questions
How tall does Brazilian ironwood grow?
At maturity, Brazilian ironwood reaches 15–30 m tall.
When does Brazilian ironwood fruit?
Fruiting of Brazilian ironwood occurs in December, January, February, March, April.
When does Brazilian ironwood flower?
Flowering of Brazilian ironwood occurs in October, November, December, January.
What stage and stratum does Brazilian ironwood occupy in a syntropic system?
In a syntropic system, Brazilian ironwood belongs to the secondary ii stage, occupying the high stratum.
Functions
Propagation
Seed
Citations
- Libidibia ferrea — Wikipedia
- Pau-ferro / Jucá — Nossa Flora Nosso Meio
- Useful Tropical Plants — Libidibia ferrea (waterlogging_tolerance, cultivation_notes, synonyms)
- Jardineiro.net — Pau-ferro (Caesalpinia ferrea) fenologia SE (phenology)
- de Faria et al. 1989, New Phytologist 111:607; Souza Moreira et al. 2010, J. Exp. Bot. 61:3119 (Caesalpinioideae nodulation) (nitrogen_fixer)
- GBIF species match / Flora do Brasil / IPNI — Libidibia ferrea (external_ids, synonyms)
External references
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