Macacauba, Macawood, Hormigo, Orange Agate
Platymiscium trinitatis

Family: Fabaceae

What it is like

Platymiscium trinitatis is a TREE growing to 22 m (72ft) by 18 m (59ft) at a medium rate. See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 10. The flowers are pollinated by Bees. It can fix Nitrogen. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and can grow in heavy clay soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers moist soil.

Height (m): 22

Where it is found

Found in a wide variety of habitats; in savannah, forest transition to savannah, periodically inundated forests, humid deciduous forests; sometimes dominant in thorn scrub. Mainly found on clayey soils at elevations up to 550 metres.

S. America - Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Venezuela, the Guyanas; Caribbean - Trinidad.

Conservation Status:

Countries/locations it is found in

Brazil; Bolivia, Plurinational State of; Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of; Guyana; French Guiana; Suriname; Trinidad and Tobago

How it is used

Food

Rating: 0

Medicine

Rating: 2

The fresh leaves are used as a poultice to treat headaches.

Poultice: A moist, usually warm or hot, mass of plant material applied to the skin in the treatment of burns etc.

Other

Rating: 4

Agroforestry Uses: The flowers are very sweetly scented and very attractive to bees. Other Uses The heartwood is rose-brown with irregular veins; it is clearly demarcated from the 5 - 10cm wide band of white sapwood. The texture is medium; the grain straight or interlocked, sometimes wavy. The wood is moderately heavy to heavy; hard to very hard; elastic; durable, being resistant to fungi, dry wood borers and termites. It seasons somewhat slowly, with only a slight risk of checking or distortio; once dry it is stable in service. It works well with ordinary tools; takes a good polish; nailing and screwing are good, but require pre-boring; gluing is correct. A beautiful and expensive timber usually reserved for first class end uses, it is used in construction, high class furniture and cabinet making, billiard cues, turnery, sculpture, musical instruments, panelling, flooring veneer 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.

Nitrogen Fixer: Plants that fix nitrogen in the soil

How it is grown

This species has a symbiotic relationship with certain soil bacteria; these bacteria form nodules on the roots and fix atmospheric nitrogen. Some of this nitrogen is utilized by the growing plant but some can also be used by other plants growing nearby. The hollow internodes on the branches are inhabited by ants.

Propagating it: Seed

Best place to grow:

Habit: Tree

Hardiness: 10-12

Growth: Medium

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

Shade: No shade

Moisture: Moist

Things to keep in mind

Its other names

Local names

Macacauba, Macawood, Hormigo, Orange Agate

Synonyms

Platymiscium duckei Huber Platymiscium nigrum Ducke