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sabia tree

Mimosa caesalpiniifolia Benth.

Family: Fabaceae · Genus: Mimosa

brazilian thorn

Secondary I Medium Fertilizer biomass 🌱 Nitrogen fixer 🪓 Coppices after cutting
Claudio Oliveira Lim… · CC BY-SA · iNaturalist

Native legume of the Caatinga and northeastern Atlantic Forest. Medium tree (4–10 m), sparse spiny canopy. Nitrogen-fixer — central in degraded-soil restoration in the semi-arid. Vigorous growth (1 m/year). Dense timber for fence posts, fuelwood, and stakes. Plays the same fertilizer-biomass and structural role as gliricidia in syntropic systems, with the advantage of being native.

Götsch succession

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

Environment

Light requirement
Full sun
Water requirement
Low
Drought tolerance
High
Soil pH range
4.5–7
Preferred soil texture
Sandy, Loamy, Clayey
Hardiness zones
10–13

Morphology

Mature height
4–10 m
Recommended spacing
1.5–5 m
Root system
Taproot
Root depth
Deep
Growth rate
Fast
Lifespan
15–40 years

Biomes & climate

Köppen classes

Where it fits in a guild

Sabia tree takes the Medium 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. It also fixes nitrogen, feeding the soil for its line neighbors.

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Emergent High Medium · ≈10 m Low Ground cover

🪴 Cultivation

Spacing 1.5×2 m for live fences; 3×3 m in syntropic; 5×5 m for timber. Tolerates drastic pruning and coppices vigorously. Good companion to dwarf cultivars.

✂️ Management & Pruning

Tolerates drastic coppicing for fertilizer biomass. Vigorous resprouting.

📅 Phenology

Flowering months: August, September, October, November, December

Fruiting months: December, January, February, March

❓ Frequently asked questions

What spacing is recommended for sabia tree?

The recommended spacing for sabia tree is 1.5–5 m.

How tall does sabia tree grow?

At maturity, sabia tree reaches 4–10 m tall.

When does sabia tree fruit?

Fruiting of sabia tree occurs in December, January, February, March.

When does sabia tree flower?

Flowering of sabia tree occurs in August, September, October, November, December.

What stage and stratum does sabia tree occupy in a syntropic system?

In a syntropic system, sabia tree belongs to the secondary i stage, occupying the medium stratum.

Does sabia tree fix nitrogen?

Yes — sabia tree is a nitrogen-fixing species that helps fertilize the system's soil.

Functions

🌱 Nitrogen fixer 🌿 Biomass producer Living fence Fuelwood Timber Fodder

Propagation

Seed

Citations

  1. Embrapa Florestas — Sabiá Mimosa caesalpiniifolia (Circular 135) (height_min_m, height_max_m, drought_tolerance, nitrogen_fixer)
  2. Embrapa — Sabiá: árvore de múltiplo uso no Brasil (growth_rate, functions)
  3. GBIF — Mimosa caesalpiniifolia Benth. (accepted, key 2970230) (external_ids)

External references

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