General information
Summary description
Ipê-roxo’s botany family, the Bignoniaceae, has a pantropical distribution, accounting for about 120 genres and 80 species. The Ipê-roxo is a species nationally known for its exuberance and beautiful flowers of vibrant color.
Scientific nomenclature
Handroanthus impetiginosus belongs to the Bignoniaceae family (TROPICOS, 2017), its synonyms are: Tecoma impetiginosa, Handroanthus avellanedae, Tabebuia avellanedae, Tabebuia dugandii, Tabebuia ipe, Tacoma avellanedae, and Tabebuia impetiginosa (LOHMANN, 2012).
Local names
Popularly known as ipê-roxo, pau-d’arco-roxo, ipê-roxo-de-bola, ipê-uma, ipê-preto, pau-cachorro, ipê-de-minas, ipê-roxo-do-grande, piúna, and piúna-roxa (LORENZI, 2009).
Cultural and economic importance
Ipê-roxo’s wood is used in furniture, in posts, and thin floorboards (LORENZI; MATOS, 2002). The plant is widely used in landscaping projects due to its flowers. They are also used in reforestation of forest ecosystems. Thus, the use of seeds in these processes has great importance, as it is mainly propagated by seeds (sexual propagation) (GEMAQUE; DAVIDE; FARIA, 2002).
Ecological importance
The species presents flexibility for variation in water and sunlight intake, what benefits its survival or the species’ establishment in environments that provide less than what is required for plantlets to grow, and for good mycorrhizal colonization. H. impetiginosus shows total photosynthetic recovery after severe water stress. Also, it has an instant and inherent efficiency in water use under drought stress (DOMBROSKI et al., 2014).
Phenology
The flowering occurs from May to August in leafless trees. Fruits ripen from mid-September to October (LORENZI, 2009). Handroanthus impetiginosus, H. ochraceus, Plumeria rubra, and Tacoma stans increase the leave fall in the Autumn, until the end of the Winter (SANTOS; FISCH, 2013).
Geographical distribution
From the state of Piauí to Minas Gerais, Goiás and São Paulo, in the Mata Atlântica rainforest and also in the semi-deciduous forest. Occasionally in the Cerrado and Caatinga biomes (LORENZI; MATOS, 2002; LORENZI, 2009). In the Amazonian, Caatinga, Mata Atlântica, Pantanal and Cerrado dominions (LOHMANN, 2012).
Botanic description
Size, crown shape, color, growth habit
An average height of 8-12 m – about 26.2 to 39.7 ft – (20 to 30 m when inside the forest), with a trunk of 60-90 cm (23.6 to 35.4in) of diameter. Wide open crown, irregular in juvenile and high in adults (MAIA, 2012).
Vegetative characteristics
- Trunk and bark
The wood is very heavy (density of .96 g/cm³), hard to cut, fine or medium texture, resistant to the attack of xylophagous organisms. Gray-brown bark, slightly rough, with shallow longitudinal grooves (MAIA, 2012).
- Leaves
Compound leaves; coriaceous leaflets, pubescent on both sides, 9 to 18 cm (3.5 to 7.1in) in length by 4 to 10 cm (1.6 to 3.9in) wide (LORENZI, 2009).
- Flower/inflorescence
Flowers are funnel-shaped in pink or purplish, popping up from large inflorescence (FLORENZI; MATOS, 2002).
- Fruit, seeds and dispersal syndrome
Fruits are long capsules, with 25 to 30 cm in length (7.9 to 11.8in). Winged-seeds disposed along the central membrane (MAIA, 2012).
Seeds are heart-shaped or flat oblong with a lustrous smooth surface in light brown. Membranous wing in transparent light brown of 3 cm (1.18in) in length (REITZ; KLEIN; REIS, 1988).
Seed technology
Germination
Germination occurs in about 6 to 12 days and is generally greater than 80% (LORENZI, 2009). According to Borba Filho and Perez (2009), seeds germination rate was 87% for T. impetiginosa when storage began, with a decrease to 84% when stored in fridge or cold chamber, in cans. Pereira (2011) report values up to 93%, depending on the harvest and storage conditions. The same author also reports that germination begins six days after sowing.
Seed storage
Its storage viability is generally very short, about 90 days (LORENZI, 2009). Seeds are recalcitrant (OLIVEIRA et al., 2016). Pereira (2011) recommends a storage period no longer than 4 months.
Seedling production
Growth capacity
In an experiment for adaptation of species to recover degraded areas of Caatinga, Lima (2012) compare the growth of 20 native and exotic species, in degraded areas of Caatinga. Ipê-roxo presented a very slow growth rate when compared to other species, reaching survival rate between 36 to 75%, and .5 to .7 m (1.6 to 2.3 ft) in height at 660 days.
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REFERENCES
- DOMBROSKI, J. L. D. et al. Ecophysiology of water stressed (Handroanthus impetiginosus (Mart. Ex. DC) Mattos) seedlings. Scientia Forestalis, Piracicaba, v. 42, n. 101, p. 155-163, 2014.
- GEMAQUE, R. C. R.; DAVIDE, A. C.; FARIA, J. M. R. Indicadores de maturidade fisiológica de sementes de ipê-roxo (Tabebuia impetiginosa (Mart.) Standl.). Revista Cerne, Lavras, v. 8, n. 2, p. 84-91, 2002.
- LIMA, K. D. R. Avaliação de espécies arbóreas e técnicas de plantio para recuperação de áreas degradadas por exploração de piçarra na caatinga, RN. 2012. 83f. Dissertation (Masters in Soil Science) – Universidade Federal Rural do Semi-Árido, Mossoró. 2012.
- LOHMANN, L.G. Bignoniaceae in Lista de Espécies da Flora do Brasil. Jardim Botânico do Rio de Janeiro, 2012.
- 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. Árvores Brasileiras: Manual de Identificação e Cultivos de Plantas Arbóreas Nativas do Brasil, vol. 2. 3. ed. Nova Odessa: Instituto Plantarum, 2009. 384p.
- MAIA-SILVA, C.; SILVA, C. I. da; HRNCIR, M. Guia de plantas visitadas por abelhas na Caatinga, 1. ed. Fortaleza, CE: Editora Fundação Brasil Cidadão, 2012.
- SANTOS, C.; FISCH, S. T. V. Fenologia de espécies arbóreas em região urbana, Taubaté, SP. Revista Brasileira de Arborização Urbana, Piracicaba, v. 8, n. 3, p. 01-17, 2013.
- TROPICOS. Mimosa tenuiflora (Willd.) Poir. Available at <http://www.tropicos.org/Name/13036820>. Access 02 may 2017.