Fabaceae FAMILY

Machaerium paraguariense

Edibility

0/5

Medicinal

0/5

Safety & Hazards

None known

Cultivation Details

HabitSemi-deciduous Tree

GrowthMedium

Requires a sunny position^[1]. Requires a well-drained soil, succeeding in poor and dry soils^[1]. Established plants are drought tolerant^[1]. A fairly fast-growing tree, able to reach a height of around 2.5 metres within 2 years from seed^[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[].

Propagation

Seed - it has a hard seedcoat and may benefit from scarification before sowing to speed up germination. This can usually be done by pouring a small amount of nearly boiling water on the seeds (being careful not to cook them!) and then soaking them for 12 - 24 hours in warm water. By this time they should have imbibed moisture and swollen - if they have not, then carefully make a nick in the seedcoat (being careful not to damage the embryo) and soak for a further 12 hours before sowing. Seedlings transplant very poorly, so sow the seed as soon as it is ripe in a partially shaded position in individual containers. A low germination rate can be expected from untreated seed, with the seed sprouting within 25 - 40 days^[1]. The seedlings develop slowly, but they should be ready to plant out 7 - 8 months later^[1]. The seed has a viability of no more than 90 days in storage^[1]. Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2026-02-20. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Machaerium+paraguariense>

Pollinators

Insects

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.