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Plathymenia reticulata (Portuguese: vinhático) is a species of legume native to much of eastern South America. It is placed in its own genus, Platyhymenia, although other species have previously been recognised in that genus. It grows up to 30 m (98 ft) tall, and has distinctive flattened seed pods. Its wood is rot-resistant, and is widely used as a structural timber.
Plathymenia reticulata is a widespread tree in the cerrado and Atlantic Forest biomes of South America, but is not found in the more xeric caatinga biome. It occurs in Suriname, Bolivia, Paraguay, the Misiones Province of Argentina and 14 states of Brazil, at altitudes of 30–1,300 metres (100–4,300 ft).
Plathymenia reticulata is known by many different common names throughout its wide range, but it is generally referred to as vinhático. The timber of P. reticulata contains terpenes that preserve the wood from termite attack and from rotting, even when exposed to the weather. It is the preferred timber for constructing dugout canoes in Brazil, and is widely used for anchors, fence-posts and for many other structural uses. The production of nectar and pollen for the pollinators make Plathymenia useful for apiculture.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Plathymenia by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts are shared under the same licence.
