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Hymenaea stiginocarpa is an irregularly shaped, mostly 6–9 m (20–30 ft) high tree that has been assigned to the pea family. It has a twisted spindle-shaped trunk, a very rough grey bark, and reddish-brown twigs. The deciduous leaves consist of two large asymmetrical leaflets with an entire margin. The flowers occur in clusters of up to thirty at the end of the branches. It produces edible, highly appreciated fruits, which are often collected from the wild and used by local people. The vernacular name of this species in Brazil is jatobá do cerrado.
The nectar-rich flowers of Hymenaea stiginocarpa open at night and are pollinated by several bat species, among which are the mostly fruit-eating Platyrhinus lineatus and Carollia perspicilata and the nectar specialist Glossophaga soricina. Hawkmoths also frequent the flowers, but seem ineffective in pollinating them. Self-pollinated seeds do not fully mature. Although the flower’s own pollen grains grow tubes and fertilise ovules as successfully as pollen from a different specimen, after seven or eight days the self-pollinated fruits fall from the tree. The mechanism to abort self-pollinated fruits is not known, but cross-fertilised ovules grow faster from the start.
Jatobá do cerrado is an important tree for the people of the Brazilian Cerrado, and it represents a substantial economic value with its high quality wood, resin and edible fruits. These fruits can be used to produce flour and in the preparation of different types of food. With the increasing demand for the products of this plant, there is a need for commercial cultivation and for growing high quality seedlings.
Stinkingtoe · Hymenaea martiana · Hymenaea oblongifolia · Hymenaea torrei · East African copal · Hymenaeas
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Hymenaea stigonocarpa by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts are shared under the same licence.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
