General information
Scientific nomenclature
Mulungu (Erythrina velutina Willd.): Division Angiospermae; Clade Eurosideas I; Order Fabales (Cronquist classifies as Rosales); Family Fabaceae (Crnquist classifies as Leguminosae); Subfamily Faboideae (Papilionoideae); Genre: Erythrina; Sub genre: Erythraster Barneby & Krukoff (RAMALHO, 2008).
Local names
Different popular names, depending on the location, such as: in the state of Ceará is known as bucaré, mulungú, mulunhú-da-flor-vermelha, and mulungú-da-flor-amarela; in the state of Minas Gerais as muchôco and munlungá; in Paraíba, Pernambuco, Rio Grande do Norte, São Paulo, and Sergipe as mulungú (RAMALHO, 2008).
Cultural and economic importance
Its wood is used to make sabot and jangadas (kind of wooden raft), toys and boxes. It is an ornamental tree used for landscaping in streets, gardens and avenues. It is used to shadow other trees and as living-fences. Its flowers are frequently visited by birds (LORENZI, 2002). Its bark has sweat properties, sedative, and emollient. Its dried fruit has local anesthetic action (RAMALHO, 2008).
Ecological importance
Mulungu is a tree highly resistant to droughts, showing rusticity and fast growth. It may be used for the recovery of degraded areas. In the blooming season (September to October) trees are totally defoliated in the semiarid, but full of flowers (LORENZI; MATOS, 2002).
Geographical distribution
Natural occurrence in Brazil: states of Bahia, Ceará, Maranhão, Minas Gerais, Paraíba, Pernambuco, Piauí, Rio Grande do Norte, and Sergipe (RAMALHO, 2008).
Botanic description
Size, crown shape, color, growth habit
It is a deciduous tree, showing aculeus. The biggest trees reach up to 15 m (49.2ft) height and 80 cm (31.5in) in diameter at breast height (measured at 1.3 m from the soil surface) when adult.
Vegetative characteristics
- Trunk and bark
Straight trunk (slightly tortuous). Trunk and branches present aculeus. The stem is generally short (up to 5 m). Dichotomous branching, with wide, open and round crown (RAMALHO, 2008). Bark thickness may reach 25 mm.
- Leaves
Trifoliate leaves, hanging on a 6-cm to 14-cm petiole; leaflets are orbicular-shaped, with a paper-consistency, light green color, covered with hair, 6 to 12 cm (2.4 to 4.7in) in length by 5 to 14 cm (1.9 to 5.5in) wide.
- Flower/inflorescence
Inflorescence: 12 to 20 cm (4.7 to 7.9in) in length with three flowers (RAMALHO, 2008).
- Fruit, seeds and dispersal syndrome
Curved legume with acute top and base, presenting 1 to 3 seeds. Seeds have two colors: dark red and red-orange (RAMALHO, 2008).
Seed technology
Germination
Germination starts between 7 and 16 days after sowing, with 19 to 87% of germination rate (CARVALHO, 2008). Pereira reports 88% of germination, starting on the third day. Mulungu seeds present low soaking rate. Regardless of its color, seeds present dormancy caused by the waterproofing tegument and, probably, by the presence of germination inhibitors (CARVALHO, 2008).
Seed storage
The viability of seeds from this species is greater than 10 months.
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REFERENCES
- LORENZI, H. Árvores brasileiras: manual de identificação e cultivo de plantas arbóreas nativas do Brasil. 2. ed. v.1. Nova Odessa: Instituto Plantarum. 2002. 368p.
- LORENZI, H.; MATOS, F. J. A. Plantas medicinais no Brasil: nativas e exóticas. São Paulo: Instituto Plantarum de Estudos da Flora Ltda., 2002. 512 p.
- RAMALHO, P. E. C. Espécies arbóreas brasileiras. Brasília, DF: Embrapa Informação Tecnológica; Colombo: Embrapa Florestas, 2008. v. 3.