''Handroanthus chrysanthus'' (araguaney or yellow ipê), formerly classified as ''Tabebuia chrysantha'', also known as ''araguaney'' in

Venezuela Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...

, as ''guayacán'' in

Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...

and

Panama Panama, officially the Republic of Panama, is a country in Latin America at the southern end of Central America, bordering South America. It is bordered by Costa Rica to the west, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north, and ...

, as ''chonta quiru'' in

Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...

, and

Ecuador Ecuador, officially the Republic of Ecuador, is a country in northwestern South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and the Pacific Ocean on the west. It also includes the Galápagos Province which contain ...

, as ''tajibo'' in

Bolivia Bolivia, officially the Plurinational State of Bolivia, is a landlocked country located in central South America. The country features diverse geography, including vast Amazonian plains, tropical lowlands, mountains, the Gran Chaco Province, w ...

, and as ''ipê-amarelo'' in

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 ...

, is a native tree of the intertropical broadleaf deciduous forests of

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a considerably smaller portion in the Northern Hemisphere. It can also be described as the southern Subregion#Americas, subregion o ...

above the Tropic of Capricorn. On May 29, 1948, ''Handroanthus chrysanthus'' was declared the National Tree of

due to its status as an emblematic native species of extraordinary beauty. Its deep yellow resembles that of the Venezuelan flag.

Etymology

''Chrysantha'' is derived from two Greek words, χρῡσ-ός 'gold' + ἄνθεμον 'flower'. The name ''araguaney'' appears to derive from , the name used by the

Kalina people The Kalina, also known as the Caribs or mainland Caribs and by several other names, are an Indigenous people native to the northern coastal areas of South America. Today, the Kalina live largely in villages on the rivers and coasts of Venezuela ...

(Caribs) for this tree.

Habitat

The araguaney is found in clearings of deciduous tropical forests of the broad Guiana Shield region. It is also native to warm lands and

savanna A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) biome and ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach th ...

(Vía Oriente to El Guapo, Cupira, and Uchire Sabana) and even some arid hills ( Mampote, Guarenas,

Guatire Guatire is a city in Miranda (state), Miranda, Venezuela. In 2006, its population has been estimated at 200,417. Today, Guatire has virtually merged with its neighbour, Guarenas forming the Guarenas-Guatire conurbation. Located in Miranda Sta ...

and Caucagua). Its habitat ranges 400 to 1700m above sea level.

Description

It is a rustic

deciduous In the fields of horticulture and botany, the term deciduous () means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed Leaf, leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, aft ...

tree that grows in hard, dry or poor soils. Therefore, its roots require well-drained terrain. Its height ranges from 6 to 12m. Leaves are opposite and petiolate; they have an elliptic and lanceolate shape and pinnate venation. Flowers are large and tubular, with a broadening corolla of deep yellow colour, about 2 inches long; the tree flowers from February to April, before the tree has grown back any leaves. The fruit consists of dehiscent capsule that typically matures by the end of dry season. It is a slow-growing but long-lasting tree.Hoyos F., Jesús (1983) "Guía de árboles de Venezuela", Caracas. Sociedad de Ciencias Naturales La Salle. Monografía Nº 32. Flowering and fruiting take place in the dry season, from February to April, so that the seeds can take advantage of early rains. If the raining season is delayed, the araguaney may flower and fruit, mildly, a second time. It is a highly efficient moisture manager. Similar to mango trees, the araguaney requires the most water during the dry season.

References

* Hoyos F., Jesús (1983) "Guía de árboles de Venezuela", Caracas. Sociedad de Ciencias Naturales La Salle. Monografía Nº 32.
Venezuela
{{Taxonbar, from=Q15549607 chrysantha National symbols of Venezuela Trees of Brazil Trees of Bolivia Trees of Peru Trees of Colombia Trees of Venezuela Symbols of Mato Grosso do Sul