Copal
Hymenaea martiana

Family: Fabaceae

What it is like

Hymenaea martiana is an evergreen tree that can be found in South America. It has a dense, wide-spreading crown and short bole of up to 90 cm in diameter. It reaches a height of 18 m. It is often harvested from the wild for its high quality timber. The fruit is edible when raw. It has a white pulp. The wood is heavy to very heavy, hard to very hard, elastic, durable, and resistant to insect and termites attacks. It has a wide range of applications including for high class furniture, cabinet making, construction, etc.

Hymenaea martiana is an evergreen Tree growing to 13 m (42ft) by 10 m (32ft) at a slow rate. See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 10. It can fix Nitrogen. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils, prefers well-drained soil and can grow in nutritionally poor soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers moist soil.

Height (m): 13

Where it is found

Savannah, Atlantic rainforest and forests in semi-arid areas; usually in the more open and secondary growth areas; favouring moister clay soils on the floodplains.

S. America - Paraguay, central, eastern and northern Brazil, Bolivia.

Conservation Status: This taxon has not yet been assessed

Countries/locations it is found in

Paraguay; Colombia; Argentina; Bolivia, Plurinational State of; Brazil, Bolivia, Brazil, Mexico, North America, Paraguay, South America,

How it is used

Food

Rating: 2

Fruit - raw. The white, mealy pulp surrounding the seeds is eaten. The semi-cylindrical seedpod is up to 15cm long and 6cm wide, containing 5 - 8 seeds.

Medicine

Rating: 0

Other

Rating: 4

Other Uses: The heartwood varies from purple-brown or orangey-brown to red-brown, with slight veins; it is clearly demarcated from the 3 - 12cm wide band of sapwood. The texture is medium; the grain straight or interlocked; there are slight internal stresses. The wood is heavy to very heavy; hard to very hard; elastic; durable, even in contact with the soil, being resistant to fungi, dry wood borers and termites. It seasons normally, with only a slight risk of checking and distortion; once dry it is moderately stable to stable in service. The wood has a fairly high blunting effect, stellite-tipped and tungsten carbide tools are recommended; nailing and screwing are good, but require pre-boring; gluing is correct for interior use only, but needs to be done with care because of the density of the wood. The wood has a wide range of applications, including for high class furniture, cabinet making, construction, heavy duty flooring, ship building, carving, turnery, tool handles etc.

Furniture: A few miscellaneous uses that do not fit easily into other headings.

Wood: A list of the trees and shrubs that are noted for having useful wood.

How it is grown

Grows best in a sunny position. Grows in the wild on moist, clay soils. The plant has a slow rate of growth, even when small. Although many species within the family Fabaceae have a symbiotic relationship with soil bacteria, this species is said to be devoid of such a relationship and therefore does not fix atmospheric nitrogen.

Propagating it: Seed - it has a hard seedcoat and benefits from scarification before sowing to speed up and improve germination. This can usually be done by pouring a small amount of nearly boiling water on the seeds (being careful not to cook them!) and then soaking them for 12 - 24 hours in warm water. By this time they should have imbibed moisture and swollen - if they have not, then carefully make a nick in the seedcoat (being careful not to damage the embryo) and soak for a further 12 hours before sowing. Sow the treated seed in a partially shaded position in individual containers. A germination rate in excess of 50% can be expected from treated seed, with the seed sprouting within 15 - 30 days.

Best place to grow:

Habit: Tree

Hardiness: 10-12

Growth: Slow

Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)

Shade: No shade

Moisture: Moist

Things to keep in mind

Its other names

Local names

Copal, jatobá, Jatoba-miudo

Synonyms

Cynometra martiana (Hayne) Baill. Hymenaea sellowiana Hayne