Anadenanthera colubrina var. cebil

Anadenanthera colubrina var. cebil (Griseb.) Altschul is a mimosa-like timber tree native to Caatinga and Cerrado vegetation in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay and Peru. It has also been introduced to Mauritius. It grows up to 25 m (82 ft) tall, with a trunk diameter of 60–90 cm (24–35 in).[1][2] The tree's mimosa-like leaves range in length from about 7–20 cm (2.8–7.9 in). The flowers are cream-colored and arrive in the spring. The seed pods are fairly straight and contain about 8 to 15 seeds each. The seeds are flat, average each about 1.5 cm (0.59 in) in diameter and have an average mass of about 0.125 g (0.0044 oz) each. The tree's wood has a density of about 840 kg/m3 (1,420 lb/cu yd).[3]

Anadenanthera colubrina var. cebil
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Fabales
Family: Fabaceae
Clade: Mimosoideae
Genus: Anadenanthera
Species:
A. colubrina
Variety:
A. c. var. cebil
Trinomial name
Anadenanthera colubrina var. cebil
Synonyms
  • Acacia cebil Griseb.
  • Anadenanthera macrocarpa (Benth.) Brenan
  • Piptadenia cebil (Griseb.) Griseb.
  • Piptadenia hassleriana Chodat
  • Piptadenia hassleriana Chodat var. fruticosa Chodat & Hass
  • Piptadenia macrocarpa Benth.
  • Piptadenia macrocarpa Benth. var. cebil (Griseb.) Chodat & Hass
  • Piptadenia macrocarpa Benth. var. genuina Chodat & Hass
  • Piptadenia macrocarpa Benth. var. plurifoliata Hoehne
  • Piptadenia macrocarpa Benth. var. vestita Chodat & Hass
  • Piptadenia microphylla Benth.[1]

Uses

Gum

Gum from the tree can be used in the same way as gum arabic.[4]

Honey

This tree is used as a honey plant.[2]

Medicine

The tree is a medicinal plant.[2] The bark is the most-used part of the tree for this. Small amounts of roasted, powdered seeds are snuffed for headaches and colds.[3]

Ornamental tree

The tree is an ornamental plant, and it is especially useful as an urban tree.[2]

Tannin

The tree's bark contains about 15.38% tannin. The seed pods contain 3% tannin and the heartwood contains 1.8%.[2][5]

Wood

The wood is very hard and it dulls cutting tools. The heartwood is quite durable. The tree's wood is used for outdoor construction, marine applications, railroad ties and implement handles.[2]

Alkaloids

Bufotenin and dimethyltryptamine have been isolated from the seeds and seed pods, 5-MeO-DMT from the bark of the stems.[3]

Conservation

A. colubrina var. cebil is very much sought for its wood and bark (for medicinal purposes) and so it is being destructively cut down by industry. Since the tree is beautiful and useful, calls are being made to plant trees near communities that use them, so that sustainable harvesting of the tree can be accomplished.[6]

Propagation

The seeds can be placed between a folded damp paper towel in a sealable plastic sandwich bag for a few days until the seeds sprout. They can then be planted 1 cm (0.39 in) deep in well-drained containers. Once watered, is important to let the growing medium dry out well, before watering again.[7]

See also

References
  1. "Acacia cebil - ILDIS LegumeWeb". www.ildis.org. Retrieved 2008-05-17.
  2. "Anadenanthera colubrina var. cebil". www2.fpl.fs.fed.us. Archived from the original on 2008-12-18. Retrieved 2008-05-17.
  3. Herbotechnica (in Spanish)
  4. Anadenanthera: Visionary Plant of Ancient South America By Constantino Manuel Torres, David B. Repke, p. 98
  5. Constantino Manuel Torres, David B. Repke (2006). Anadenanthera: Visionary Plant of Ancient South America. p. 96. ISBN 9780789026422.
  6. Acta Botanica Brasilica ISSN 0102-3306 Acta Bot. Bras. vol.19 no.1 São Paulo Jan./Mar. 2005, Use of plant resources in a seasonal dry forest (Northeastern Brazil)
  7. "LILA » Anadenanthera". www.lila.info. Archived from the original on 2008-04-18. Retrieved 2008-05-17.
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