Fabaceae FAMILY Least Concern

Swartzia simplex

Edibility

2/5

Medicinal

0/5

Safety & Hazards

The sawdust from wood of plants in this genus can be irritating to mill workers[ 316 Title Tropical Timbers of the World. Ag. Handbook No. 607. Publication Author Chudnoff. Martin. Publisher USDA Forest Service. Wisconsin. Year 1984 ISBN Description Terse details on the properties of the wood of almost 400 species of trees from the Tropics. ].

Botanical Description

Swartzia simplex is an evergreen tree of irregular and often asymmetrical form, growing 5 - 15 metres tall. The crooked, irregular bole is 10 - 40cm in diameter[ 333 Title Tree Species of Panama Publication Author Website http://ctfs.arnarb.harvard.edu/webatlas/mainframe.php?order=s Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description Factsheets on all the tree and shrub species of Panama, giving identification guide, brief guide to the species and some uses. A vast, but rather incomplete work as of 15/07/09. ]. Trees growing in the deep forest, where they receive little direct sunlight, tend to possess thin crowns that are open and irregular in form. However, where insolation levels are higher, this species can develop a thick, symmetrical, and full canopy of leaves[ 510 Title Trees of Costa Rica's Pacific Slope Publication Author Website http://www.cds.ed.cr/teachers/harmon/page1.html Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description Information on over 80 species of tree from the Pacific coast of Costa Rica. ]. The tree is harvested from the wild as a local source of food and wood. With its attractive blossoms, showy fruits, and ability to grow in a variety of habitats, the tree is suitable for use as an ornamental[ 510 Title Trees of Costa Rica's Pacific Slope Publication Author Website http://www.cds.ed.cr/teachers/harmon/page1.html Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description Information on over 80 species of tree from the Pacific coast of Costa Rica. ]. Swartzia simplex is a widespread species, known to occur in protected areas and its population is believed to be stable at present. The plant is classified as 'Least Concern' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2012)[ 338 Title IUCN Red List of Threatened Species Publication Author Website http://www.iucnredlist.org/ Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat. ].

Habitat & Origin

Origintropical

Native RangeS. America - Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela; Caribbean - Trinidad, Windward and Leeward Isles; C. America - Panama to Mexico.

HabitatAn understorey tree in shady, primary forests, it is also found in the drier, brighter conditions of the secondary forest and sometimes also in dry forest and scrub. It grows in humid or very wet climates at low to medium elevations[ 333 Title Tree Species of Panama Publication Author Website http://ctfs.arnarb.harvard.edu/webatlas/mainframe.php?order=s Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description Factsheets on all the tree and shrub species of Panama, giving identification guide, brief guide to the species and some uses. A vast, but rather incomplete work as of 15/07/09. , 338 Title IUCN Red List of Threatened Species Publication Author Website http://www.iucnredlist.org/ Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat. , 510 Title Trees of Costa Rica's Pacific Slope Publication Author Website http://www.cds.ed.cr/teachers/harmon/page1.html Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description Information on over 80 species of tree from the Pacific coast of Costa Rica. ].