''Mimosa scabrella'' is a tree in the family

Fabaceae Fabaceae () or Leguminosae,International Code of Nomen ...

. It is very fast-growing and it can reach a height of tall in only 3 years. Its trunk is about in diameter. It has yellow flowers.

Biology

''Mimosa scabrella'' (Bracatinga) is a tree in the subfamily

Mimosoideae The Mimosoideae are a traditional subfamily of trees, herbs, lianas, and shrubs in the pea family (Fabaceae) that mostly grow in tropical and subtropical climates. They are typically characterized by having radially symmetric flowers, with petal ...

of the family

Fabaceae Fabaceae () or Leguminosae,International Code of Nomen ...

. It is a cross-pollinating, mostly tetraploid plant with 52 chromosomes. ''Mimosa scabrella'' is native to the southern region of Brazil. There it grows naturally in associations called “Bracatingais”. The

Cerrado The Cerrado () is a vast ecoregion of Tropics, tropical savanna in central Brazil, being present in the states of Goiás, Mato Grosso do Sul, Mato Grosso, Tocantins, Maranhão, Piauí, Bahia, Minas Gerais, São Paulo (state), São Paulo, Paraná ...

zone is a centre of biodiversity of ''

Mimosa ''Mimosa'' is a genus of about 600 species of herbs and shrubs, in the mimosoid clade of the legume family Fabaceae. Species are native to the Americas, from North Dakota to northern Argentina, and to eastern Africa (Tanzania, Mozambique, and ...

'', where about one quarter of all ''Mimosa'' species are found. However ''M. scabrella'' evolved to grow in colder humid weather south from this region, in a sub-type of Atlantic Forest, called "mixed ombrophilous forest" (also known as Araucaria moist forests). It is one of the fastest growing trees in the world. Within 14 months ''Mimosa scabrella'' grows up to , in 2 years it reaches , and in 3 years it can grow to a height of .Orwa C,A Muta, Kindt R, Jamnads R,S Anthony. 209 Agroforestry Database: a tree reference and selection guide version 4.0 (http://www.worldagroforestry.org/treedb/AFTPDFS/Mimosa_scabrella.pdf) http://www.worldagroforestry.org/treedb/AFTPDFS/Mimosa_scabrella.pdf

Characterization

The plant is characterized by quick growth, with a lean trunk of around in diameter. The leaves are bi-pinnate. Each leaf has several pinna, which again have 15–31 pairs of pinnules. The upper side of the leaves is yellow-green coloured with a paler underneath. The flowers with ovary, narrow and slender

pistils Gynoecium (; ; : gynoecia) is most commonly used as a collective term for the parts of a flower that produce ovules and ultimately develop into the fruit and seeds. The gynoecium is the innermost whorl (botany), whorl of a flower; it consists ...

are ordered in clusters of 1–3 at the leaf bases. They are colored in a whitish to yellow color. Split-open pods are flattened, wide and long. They are covered with tiny warts and separated into 2–4 segments. Each segment is 4-angeled and 1-seeded. The

seed In botany, a seed is a plant structure containing an embryo and stored nutrients in a protective coat called a ''testa''. More generally, the term "seed" means anything that can be Sowing, sown, which may include seed and husk or tuber. Seeds ...

s are little, brown, beanlike and about long. The dominant reproductive system is an

allogamy Allogamy or cross-fertilization is the fertilization of an ovum from one individual with the spermatozoa of another. By contrast, autogamy is the term used for self-fertilization. In humans, the fertilization event is an instance of allogamy. Self-f ...

(cross-pollinating) system. The reproductive age of ''M. scabrella'' is reached after around 3 years.

Uses

Because of the abundant flowering and presence of honeydew caused by

Cochineal The cochineal ( , ; ''Dactylopius coccus'') is a scale insect in the suborder Sternorrhyncha, from which the natural dye carmine is derived. A primarily sessility (motility), sessile parasitism, parasite native to tropical and subtropical Sout ...

infestation in some altitudes the tree has an important place in honey production, especially in Brazil. Its wood is suitable for firewood and can also be used as lumber. Before the advent of the

diesel locomotive A diesel locomotive is a type of railway locomotive in which the prime mover (locomotive), power source is a diesel engine. Several types of diesel locomotives have been developed, differing mainly in the means by which mechanical power is con ...

, ''M. scabrella'' wood was grown to fuel railroads in parts of

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

. The long fibres are used for paper production. In

agroforestry Agroforestry (also known as agro-sylviculture or forest farming) is a land use management system that integrates trees with crops or pasture. It combines agricultural and forestry technologies. As a polyculture system, an agroforestry system c ...

''M. scabrella'' shades coffee plants. It is also used in

intercropping Intercropping is a multiple cropping practice that involves the cultivation of two or more crops simultaneously on the same field, a form of polyculture. The most common goal of intercropping is to produce a greater yield on a given piece of land ...

systems in association with maize and beans. Because ''M. scabrella'' is a

legume Legumes are plants in the pea family Fabaceae (or Leguminosae), or the fruit or seeds of such plants. When used as a dry grain for human consumption, the seeds are also called pulses. Legumes are grown agriculturally, primarily for human consum ...

tree it doesn't need fertilization and with the

decomposition Decomposition is the process by which dead organic substances are broken down into simpler organic or inorganic matter such as carbon dioxide, water, simple sugars and mineral salts. The process is a part of the nutrient cycle and is ess ...

of the leaves, big amounts of

nitrogen Nitrogen is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol N and atomic number 7. Nitrogen is a Nonmetal (chemistry), nonmetal and the lightest member of pnictogen, group 15 of the periodic table, often called the Pnictogen, pnictogens. ...

become available for other plants. Because ''M. scabrella'' has beautiful “feather” leaves, it is often used as an ornamental tree or live fence. Because of its fast growth its often used for

reforestation Reforestation is the practice of restoring previously existing forests and woodlands that have been destroyed or damaged. The prior forest destruction might have happened through deforestation, clearcutting or wildfires. Three important purpose ...

management.

Alkaloids

''Mimosa scabrella'' contains the

alkaloid Alkaloids are a broad class of natural product, naturally occurring organic compounds that contain at least one nitrogen atom. Some synthetic compounds of similar structure may also be termed alkaloids. Alkaloids are produced by a large varie ...

tryptamine Tryptamine is an indolamine metabolite of the essential amino acid tryptophan. The chemical structure is defined by an indole—a fused benzene and pyrrole ring, and a 2-aminoethyl group at the second carbon (third aromatic atom, with the firs ...

, ''N''-methyltryptamine, ''N'',''N''-dimethyltryptamine and ''N''-methyltetrahydrocarboline in its bark.

Cultivation

''Mimosa scabrella'' can be grown at altitudes of with an annual mean temperature between . The annual

precipitation In meteorology, precipitation is any product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapor that falls from clouds due to gravitational pull. The main forms of precipitation include drizzle, rain, rain and snow mixed ("sleet" in Commonwe ...

should reach from . The soil should be well drained. Acid soils with pH as low as 4.8 and soils with high

aluminum Aluminium (or aluminum in North American English) is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol Al and atomic number 13. It has a density lower than that of other common metals, about one-third that of steel. Aluminium has ...

content are tolerated. Waterlogged, compacted or severely degraded soils are not suitable for ''M. scabrella''. Dry periods of up to four months can be tolerated. ''Mimosa scabrella'' is susceptible to strong winds. Although ''M. scabrella'' is native to

, it is cultivated in many South American, some African and South European countries. In its native range, some 28 species of insects are reported to attack ''M. scabrella''.

References

External links

*
''Mimosa scabrella'' (www.worldagroforestry.org)
{{Taxonbar, from=Q6862341 scabrella Flora of the Atlantic Forest Flora of Brazil Flora of Misiones Province