Anadenanthera colubrina
Anadenanthera colubrina
Safety & Hazards
None known
Cultivation Details
Prefers a sunny position[1]. Found in a range of usually well-drained soils in the wild, including poor stony soils, fertile soils, clay and basalt[1]. Young plants establish well and grow away quickly. They easily reach a height of 4 - 5 metres within two years[1]. The flowers are a good source of nectar for the bees[1]. This species has a symbiotic relationship with certain soil bacteria, these bacteria form nodules on the roots and fix atmospheric nitrogen. Some of this nitrogen is utilized by the growing plant but some can also be used by other plants growing nearby[2].
Propagation
Seed - it has a relatively short viability of about 4 months[1]. It is best sown as soon as ripe, in a semi-shaded position, either in a nursery bed or individual containers[1]. Germination of more than 80% of the seeds usually takes place in only 4 - 8 days[1]. Seedlings should be placed in individual containers by the time they are 3 - 5cm tall. They grow away quickly and are usually ready for planting out within 4 months[1] Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2026-02-19. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Anadenanthera+colubrina>
Pollinators
Bees
References
- [1]Brazilian Trees. Volume 1. 4th Edition. — Lorenzi. H. · Instituto Plantarum De Estudos Da Flora; Brazil. · 2002 · ISBN 85-86714-17-8 ↩︎Information on 350 species of Brazilian trees. Stunning photographs of each species, brief details on the plant, its uses and how to grow it from seed. A superb work, with the minor irritation that the translation from Portuguese is not of the best.
- [2]The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. — Huxley. A. · MacMillan Press · 1992 · ISBN 0-333-47494-5 ↩︎Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
- [3]Tropical Timbers of the World. Ag. Handbook No. 607. — Chudnoff. Martin. · USDA Forest Service. Wisconsin. · 1984 ↩︎Terse details on the properties of the wood of almost 400 species of trees from the Tropics.
- [4]Technical Information on 134 Species of Bolivian Woods — USDA Forest Service -- Forest Products Lab · USDA Forest Service · http://www2.fpl.fs.fed.us/publications/ ↩︎A PDF file, available for download. Exactly what the title says, brief and to the point.
- [5]South American Timbers: the Properties, Uses and Characteristics of 190 Species. — Bolza. E. & Christensen. F.J. · Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization · 1979 · ISBN 0 643 02582 0 ↩︎A very useful guide.
- [6]Dictionary of Economic Plants. — Uphof. J. C. Th. · Weinheim · 1959 · ISBN - ↩︎An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.
- [7]Medicinal Plants of Brazil — Mors W.B.; Rizzini C.T.; Pereira N.A. · Reference Publications; Michigan. · 2000 · ISBN 0-917256-42-5 ↩︎An extremely concise book, listing approximately 1,500 species and varieties of plants with their botanical name, common name in Brazil, regions in Brazil where the plant is found, a brief list of uses and any medically active compounds in the plant.
- [8]Handbook of S. American Indians. — Steward J. H. (Editor) · US Government Printing Office; Washington · 1946 - 1950 · http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org ↩︎In six volumes, a detailed look at the native peoples of S. America - their culture, lifestyle, use of plants etc,
- [9]The Leguminosae; A Source Book of Characteristics, Uses and Nodulation — Allen O.N.; Allen E.K. · University of Wisconsin · 1981 · ISBN 0-333-32221-5 ↩︎An amazing and comprehensive work, giving a brief guide to the many genera of the family Fabaceae and also the principle uses of the genus.
- [10]Water extracts of Brazilian leguminous seeds as rich sources of larvicidal compounds against Aedes aegypti L. — Davi F. Farias et al · 2010 · ISBN 0001-3765 ↩︎