Hymenaea courbaril
Fabaceae FAMILY Least Concern

Hymenaea courbaril

Hymenaea courbaril

Edibility
3/5
Medicinal
3/5

Safety & Hazards

None known

Botanical Description

Hymenaea courbaril is a noble, evergreen tree with massive spreading branches and a heavy, umbrella-shaped crown. It grows slowly, but can reach an eventual height of 30 metres, with some specimens up to 45 metres[ 307 Title Tropical and Subtropical Trees - A Worldwide Encyclopaedic Guide. Publication Author Barwick. M. Publisher Thames & Hudson, London Year 2004 ISBN 0-500-51181-0 Description A superb book, very concise and well written, giving a wealth of information on 400 or more species including descriptions, habitat, cultivation details and plant uses. A wealth of colour photographs bring each plant vividly to life. , 378 Title Present and Potential Commercial Timbers of the Caribbean Publication USDA Agricultural Handbook No. 207 Author Longwood.F.R. Publisher USDA Forest Service; Washington, DC. Year 1962 ISBN Description Quite detailed information on more than 60 species of Caribbean timber trees, giving species descriptions, habitat, detailed info on the wood and some info on other uses. Available for download on the internet. , 381 Title Timber Trees of Meso America. Publication Author Website http://www.unep-wcmc.org/forest/timber/workshops/reports/MA2005/Annex%202.pdf Publisher UNEP Year 2005 ISBN Description A PDF document, published on the internet. Detailed reports on about 30 species of timber trees from Central America. ]. The straight, cylindrical bole can be unbranched for 12 - 24 metres and is usually 60 - 120cm in diameter, though specimens up to 150cm have been recorded[ 378 Title Present and Potential Commercial Timbers of the Caribbean Publication USDA Agricultural Handbook No. 207 Author Longwood.F.R. Publisher USDA Forest Service; Washington, DC. Year 1962 ISBN Description Quite detailed information on more than 60 species of Caribbean timber trees, giving species descriptions, habitat, detailed info on the wood and some info on other uses. Available for download on the internet. ]. Although the trees are usually evergreen, they can shed their leaves in a drought[ 307 Title Tropical and Subtropical Trees - A Worldwide Encyclopaedic Guide. Publication Author Barwick. M. Publisher Thames & Hudson, London Year 2004 ISBN 0-500-51181-0 Description A superb book, very concise and well written, giving a wealth of information on 400 or more species including descriptions, habitat, cultivation details and plant uses. A wealth of colour photographs bring each plant vividly to life. ]. A very important multi-purpose tree, it is harvested from the wild as a local source of food, medicines and various commodities. It is exploited commercially for its timber and gum; is sometimes cultivated and encouraged to grow semi-wild as a food crop[ 1438 Title Food Plants in the Americas: A Survey of the Domesticated, Cultivated, and Wild Plants Used for Human Food in North, Publication Author Kermath B.M.; Bennett B.C.' Pulsipher L.M. Publisher Year 2014 ISBN Description A pre-publication draft of an amazing, on-going work first started in 1985. It contains information on more than 3,900 taxa from the Americas - from Arctic regions to the Tropics ]; and has also been planted as an ornamental in parks all over the tropical world[ 307 Title Tropical and Subtropical Trees - A Worldwide Encyclopaedic Guide. Publication Author Barwick. M. Publisher Thames & Hudson, London Year 2004 ISBN 0-500-51181-0 Description A superb book, very concise and well written, giving a wealth of information on 400 or more species including descriptions, habitat, cultivation details and plant uses. A wealth of colour photographs bring each plant vividly to life. ]. It has limited ornamental use as a shade tree in parks and on streets because the heavy seed pods emit an offensive odour as they mature and can cause damage or injury when they fall[ 381 Title Timber Trees of Meso America. Publication Author Website http://www.unep-wcmc.org/forest/timber/workshops/reports/MA2005/Annex%202.pdf Publisher UNEP Year 2005 ISBN Description A PDF document, published on the internet. Detailed reports on about 30 species of timber trees from Central America. ]. This taxon has a wide range and is considered to be common. The plant is classified as 'Least Concern' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2011)[ 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, Colombia, Venezuela, the Guyanas; C. America - Panama to southern Mexico; Caribbean.
HabitatFound in a wide range of habitats including tropical dry forest, transition to premontane moist forest, and tropical wet forest as well as subtropical moist forest[ 303 Title World Agroforesty Centre Publication Author Website http://www.worldagroforestry.org/ Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description An excellent online database of a huge range of trees giving very good information on each plant - its uses, ecology, identity, propagation, pests etc. , 791 Title Hymenaea courbaril (L.) Algarrobo, locust. Leguminosae. Legume family. Caesalpinioideae. Cassia sub-family. Publication USDA Forest Service, Southern Forest Experiment Station, Institute of Tropical Forestry; . 5 p. (SO-ITF-SM; 27). Author Francis J.K. Website http://www.treesearch.fs.fed.us/pubs/30404 Publisher USDA Forest Service; New Orleans. Year 1990 ISBN Description A very detailed article on Hymenaea courbaril. It can be downloaded from the internet. ].