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Haematoxylem brasiletto
Fabaceae-pea family
Growing to over 20 feet in Sonora, braisil wood is striking as an older plant with its fluted trunk. With a reddish-brown, zig-zag structured branches this plant is often a shrub for a while before it attains tree size. When it does, it makes quite an unusual and striking tree. Though the natural habitat distribution suggests that brasil wood cannot tolerate low temperatures, plants in cultivation in Tucson have not sustained any frost damage. Plants are wide spread naturally thoughout dry tropic forests of the new world. Rain seems to make plants bloom, which can occur at any time of year with popcorn-like yellow flowers. Seed pods follow. Plants may drop leaves in response to cold or drought. Plants are rare in cultivation only because nobody knows these wonderful plants, or if they do, assume they are too tender for the SW. Plants can probably take temperatures down to about 25 degrees at least. In Sonora the wood is used as fuel, for construction, to make a dye. For the greenhouse grower brasil wood is useful to mount orchids and other epiphytic plants, live or dead.
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