Caesalpinia Species, Brazil Wood

This is the tree that gave Brazil its name. "Brazil" in portuguese means "burning" - Brazil Wood is red, looks like it´s burning. The ab...Read Moreundance of this species in the coastal rainforests in the new found land made the portuguese colonists call it Brazil.

It´s a slow growing tree, not getting very tall. The largest tree I´ve seen is 10m tall, but in the native habitat it can reach up to 15m tall or more. It preffers shaded places when young. After a few years, when it´s well stabilished, it can be moved to a sunny site. The soil must be organic, well drained, and constantly moist.

It has spines on the newer branches and a characteristic red wood that can be seen if you remove the bark on the main trunk. It has shiny leaflets denselly distributed.

The flowers come in erect spikes, yellow with a red spot in the middle. Extremely scented! The fruits are also spiny, so be careful when collecting seeds.

This is a deranged species, extremely rare on its original habitat