Schizolobium parahyba

Hi
Since I can't get any info. from other sources maybe you people will know of where to find some info.
Very few people seem to be growing this plant within the US and these have very limited experience. It seems to be quite common and is being used in several tropical locations for commercial as well as reforestaion projects.
I got seeds last Oct and my one remaining seedling is now 2 feet high.It is showing some very remarkable characteristics that have piqued my interest.
It grows at an astounding rate
Photo and touch sensitive
Incredibly sticky leaves.This is the quality that interests me most.I'm talking major adhesive here not just "sticky" At 2 feet tall it is catching small lizards!!
The condition is being caused by a resin secreted at the leaf axils and held on the stem in droplets.Very water resistant and will return to globe shape when spread.It does not refract light and has no perceivale odor nor skin reaction. My cat reacts neutrally nether pleasant or offensive. It also seems to have insect repellant qualities.
I spread a small amount on an anthill and they went berserk.
In the info I can find there is not one mention of any of these qualities.
I found an article on them in Ingenta but the first 3 sentences contained 5 words I didn't know the meaning of lol. "Chymotrypsin inhibitors"
Anyone know about this or where I can find some info??
Must be in English............Thanks
Gary

Gary, here is the best I can do translating (I'm not a chemist or molecular biologist).....

In animals (and insects) the enzymes Trypsin and Chymotrypsin are released from the pancreas during normal digestion. They react together and with other enzymes and break protiens to small pieces where they can enter the bloodstream. They are known as proteinases and are responsible for blood clotting (think snake venom), activation of hormones and a wide array of mechanisms essential to proper biological function (also think metabolism errors like cyctic fibosis). These enzymes have been found and isolated in the plant kindom.

Ok, so apparently this tree and it's seeds contain enzymes that inhibit protesses and their process in the body with one of them being Chymotrypsin.

Back to your question, Schizolobium parahyba is regionally know as guapuruvu as well as quamweed, Brazilian Fern Tree, Brazilian Fire-Tree, Tower Tree, Yellow Jacaranda. It is indeed a pioneer species used for reforestation but the wood is soft and used for pulp, boxes, pallets.
I can find nothing, even in translated pages giving botanical descriptions, on what you mention.
Botanically speaking, it raises a pretty big red flag. Trees from another region that have extremely rapid growth rates? Hmm....weeds?
Will look further for you when I get more time...

Hi
Thanks very much for that info.You've quadrupled my knowledge lol.Please don't go to a lot of trouble to find out.I just thought it curious that such an outstanding
characteristic to not even be mentioned. Particularly with so much interest in tropical regions.
Red flag.
While it grows in sub tropical climes it seldom flowers
and viable seed is almost non existant. The maturation period for the seed is months long and even in tropical climes many fail. I soaked mine for 6 weeks in water,hydrogen peroxide along with scarifying. All 5 germinated but 4 have aborted. I had read something to the
effect that it may be necessary for the seed to pass through a digestive tract in order for the case to soften.
Obviously not true but it was incredibly hard much like a Brazil nut. I wanted to split a seed to see if there was an embryo like palm seeds but decided against sacrificing any seed. So I would say the odds of it becoming a weed are practicly nil. At least in the temperate climes.
It seems to be extensively"farmed" in Africa Asia and S, America.
When looking for information I was amazed at all the synonyms not only the common but latin names.
My seeds were labeled Schizolobium amazonicum not parahyba. They are both listed as synonyms and have been told by GW's that they are the same.
Thank you very much for your input. My interest in the plant is puely esthetic. I was attracted by the description.
"The leaves of a treefern with growth habit of a palm and orchid like flowers" lol
Gary

Gary
Red flag.
While it grows in sub tropical climes it seldom flowers
and viable seed is almost non existant.

Excellant to know, thanks (makes feel a little better).
It is clonal??

I am curious too why the resin isn't mentioned in any botanical description or research if it's a prominant feature.

Hi
Clonal I have no idea I have been unable to locate a
mature tree within Palm Beach county. There are some in Broward but also immature. There are some pics of some large specimans growing in S, Cal. in the tropicals forum.
He reported noticing the photo sensitive nature by shining a flashlight into the crown.The leaves fold at night. He also noted that it is diciduous . He has also noted that the limbs snap off with very little pressure.
As to the stickiness Peltophorum dubium has a similar habit but is much more limited in degree and contained on new growth only. It reminds me a lot of Sundews ,Drosera
but is located on the undersides. I feel certain the plant is not carniverous.
GW's have told me it increases with size and mentioned that is was strong enough to hold small birds.
Does seem odd that such a remarkable trait is not mentioned....Thanks Gary

Gary says.."I feel certain the plant is not carniverous.
GW's have told me it increases with size and mentioned that is was strong enough to hold small birds."

Are you sure it's not carniverous, LOL???

"He has also noted that the limbs snap off with very little pressure" Yes, typical with the rapid growth!!

Hi
While I can't be sure it's not carniverous it is not doing so in the manner of any CP that I'm aware of. In Drosera the resin is very attractive to insects while in the S it seems to repel them.Yesterday I noticed a butterfly attempting to settle on it .Took a split second for it to move on lol.
In all the CP that I know the adhesion is limited for the obvious reason that large prey are useless. The Venus flytrap for example seems to hold only things the leaf can completely encircle.If any part sticks out it will relax.
Of course the VFT is in a class by itself.Active rather than passive trap.It doesn't rely on adhesion at all.
Carniverous plants are extremely rare though I suspect
there is more than 1 specie of Bromeliad but most seem to be be in areas of low fertility sites.
Gary

Could it be a passive canivour (like the sundews) in the sense that the prey is captured then dies. Once it start to decompose it falls to the foot of the tree to continue decomposition hence feed the root system? A simple dig around the base of the native trees would prove this theory with presence of bones.

Sci-fi writers would have a field day with this.

allotrope
While i grow several types of CP's I'm not really familiar with how the digest the prey. Sundews are only mildly adhesive.Any large insect can easily get through it.
In fact many insects find the resin delicious lol.They turn the tables on the CP. The most effective of these are the Nepenthes which produce digestive fluids within highly specialized leaves. I have seen captured insects actually chew through the trap.Some of these specie produce very large traps but I find it difficult to believe thay could
hold any animal.Certainly not a bird or mammal.
If the S. is a selective carnivore wouldn't this be causing a stir among botanist?? Certainly doesn't appear on any list of known carnivores. And it's doing it in an entirely different way.
As to Sci-fi writers Hasn't that already been exolored in Day of the Trifids"or "Invasion of the body snatchers" lol I can't help but think of "Little shop of Horrors" I've even started calling it Audry lol. If it starts saying "Feed me". I'm opening an admission garden lol
Gary

Yes, it would definitely cause quite a stir with Botanist probably a bigger stir with the general population but someone has to notice the process. Are you certain that this leaking resin is observed on all plants of this species? It could be that you have a mutation.

My idea of nutrients from decomposing animals is not so far fetch. There was a paper that was published a couple of years back about cedar trees that grew near salmon bearing rivers with large bear populations were always significantly bigger and grew faster then elsewhere. It turned out that it was because of decomposing salmon provided higher levels of phospates, potassium and nitrogen (if my memory serves me, which it hasn't been doing so well lately ;-).The salmon came from bears feeding and leaving the carcasses in the forest. The decomposing bones made excellent fertilizer.

If your plant is not a mutation, it would mean that this species could be going one step further where it is actively capturing its own prey. If it is a mutation, it would probably become a dominant trait since it would give plants who have this mutation an additional source of nutrients not available to those who do not. This of course is highly speculative but with a few choice (and simple) experiments, it could be proven or rejected.

Allotrope.
Among the many thing that strike me as unusal about this plant The available info that I can find doesn't even mention these habits let alone explain them. There are several GW's who are growing them strickly for ornamental use were the first to point out these features to me. Mine given it's age seems to be identical to theirs.
The plant seems to be extremely common in tropical countries.Even being farmed for commercial use.It is being used to produce chemicals for medical research
I'm not a botanist or even a biologist but even as a gardener I see some very remakable qualities to this plant.
If this plant is carniverous it's very remarkable as it's doing so in a completely unknown way.At least to my knowledge.
Us humble gardeners can't be the only ones who noticed this lol Wouldn't the explanation most likely be in that the characteristics were noted long ago and discarded as not nearly remarkable as when first noted?? Obviously this plant is not only well known to science but gardeners,farmers even ecologists. This would explain why there are so many common as well as scientific names.??
Sure has piqued my interest though lol
Gary

You would be amazed at what can be missed because it is so obvious. It just takes someone to notice it AND ask questions. It was probably noticed by very many people but they never associated the behaviour with a form of canivorism since the prey simply died and fell to the ground. The trees in BC have been seen by many loggers but they only saw that they were bigger and didn't ask why. They probably also saw the remains of dead salmon at the base during the runs but no one until these guys put 2 and 2 together. Now they all say duh of course...

We need someone that lives where the plant grows wild (preferably) and see if there are remains at the base of the tree. Then measure the nutrients levels around the tree versus around trees of other species in the vicinity.

Cheers,

Lou

Lou
So far have been unable to pinpoint where it originated.
It is listed in every tropical area of all the continents. I suspect lowland S.America.
No way to touch the plant without noticing the stickiness lol We have been having daily heavy rain and it has not diminished the property one bit. It is rather difficult to wash off the fingers but I find no shin reaction. So far I have not noticed the stickiness on the trunk as noted by others. I have tried to collect some of the resin on toothpicks to test out the insect repeelant qualities but the rain has been interferring.
The plant is a member of that gigatic tribe Caesalpinae.
And looks very similar to other members that I'm aware of.
There are some photos of specimans in the Tropical forum
archives.
Gary

Here's a trick that might be useful ;-)
when I'm searching for a plant that I KNOW exists, and come up with search results that don,t meet my expectations, I go back to the search engine and type in the genus name ONLY.
Here's your plant:0

Here is a link that might be useful: S. parahybUM

Yes and none of them mention (that I could find) what gary posts..."The condition is being caused by a resin secreted at the leaf axils and held on the stem in droplets." Still most curious.

I'm following this with interest...I love a mystery. I found some nice closeup photos of flowers. josh

Here is a link that might be useful: Flowers

And here's a map. Are these always natural stands or could some have been planted? I guess there's no way to know for certain. You may already have found this, Gary, but I get such a kick of wandering around these sites. josh

Here is a link that might be useful: Map

Hi
Thanks for those sites. As is often the case, at least for me,when I research a particular plant I end up more confused than when I started lol.
The plant is definitely not rare in fact quite common within it's range.It is being extensively farmed from what I get for cheap wood products.Can't find any other uses.
I have found sites where apparently the seeds have some medicinal value that is being extensively researched. Can't begin to understand what they're talking aboutlol.
It is certainly not being used much as a "garden" plant.
I have found it on the inventory of several Botanic gardens.Hardly any comment on it.
I still have been unable to determine how many specie are within the genus S. Many sites refer to S. parahyba with several spellings.One forestry site referred to the different values of parahyba as compared to amazonicum in hillside plantings.Other sites call these syonyms of the same specie. I have seen S.parahbum var,amazonicum.Which suggests to me that there are differences but not enough to be a separate specie or maybe even just a cultivar.??
GW as provided me with my best source of info from my point of view. By far the best pics and descriptions and the only culture info at all. My seed supplier insists that
I have S amazonicum a distinctly different specie than
S.parahyba.But can't tell me the difference!! lol.
I'm having a similar problem with a palm.Johannesteijsmannia perekensis. I want the seeds of this particular specie not J.altifrons ,J magnifica or J alata. Got to be very careful when buying the seeds as it takes at least 15 years to see the differences lol
Thanks to everone for the help.
Gary

Gary, on the site that Josh provides us with (Flowers) , at the bottom you see '18 sysnonyms'.
Here are other names of your plant.

Here is a link that might be useful: synonyms

Hi
Thanks to everyone for the help with this plant.
There is only one member in the genus Schizolobium??
All the names are referring to a single specie??
If there is more than one specie what are the differences?? Were you able to determine the natural range
and where it's native to ???
I'm keeping it in a pot at the present time and it seems to be doing very well. I decided to keep it in full sun even though it appears to be a forest plant .I am somewhat concerned about cold tolerance.As it's definitely tropical
I have some Cassia roxbrghii seedlings growing in the same area. They have very similar growth habits but mabe 1 percent of the speed of S. None of the other members of the Caesalpinia are not even slightly sticky.At least those I've been able to locate.
Gary

....None of the other members of the Caesalpinia are not even slightly sticky...

Perhaps not in your area but you just reminded me that one of our natives here does have conspicuous orange, resinous glands (turn black when dried) on the back of the leaves. It's diagnostic for the plant and is C. jamesii.

Rosa
At first I thought you were saying this to confuse ne more lol So what you're saying is that while Caesalpinia are not sticky in my area perhaps in the native habitat they are?? The reverse being true for Schizy.?? That would explain why it's not mentioned in any writeups. Because they aren't sticky Good idea!! Hadn't even crossed my mind!!
To test this I have some contacts in Costa Rica,Venezuela and Brazil and maybe one in Malaysia.
I've asked them to go out and touch a speciman to see if it is sticky and anything else they notice about it.
This may prove interesting unless of course they touch the wrong plant lol. None are familiar with it.
The one in Malaysia is not even sure it exists in his area.lol Thanks to the internet they have pix of both small and large specimans.
I might ask your conclusions on your reading.Is there only one specie in the genus?? If so this is unusual in itself particularly among tropical trees. There must be some but they're certainly in the minority...Thanks
Gary

No, just that I remembered that out native here (a shortgrass prairie species) is indeed very glandular-and only marginally sticky-and it is a diagnostic feature.
Only thought of it cuz you mentioned not knowing any other in the genus that were sticky...
Can't seem to link to the sites posted-any of them. I try again cuz I am interested in seeing the species and syns.
I searched elwhere and found only one species listed (yours) and no accepted synonyms but this is for north american only

The Agroforestree database lists syns=
Cassia parahyba
Schizolobium excelsum
Schyzolobium parahyba
And claims it is native to Brazil, Columbia and Mexico.

The Global Compendium of Weeds lists one species (yours)and no accepted syns

The world agroforestry Org lists what looks to be this species as S. amazonican with the syn=
Schizolobium parahyba var. amazonicum (Huber ex Ducke) Barneby.

Another publication (in spanish) syns=
Caesalpinia parahyba (Vell.) Allemao
Cassia parahyba Vell.
Schizolobium amazonicum Huber ex Ducke
Schizolobium excelsum Vogel
Schizolobium glutinosum Tul.
Schizolobium kellermanii Pittier

Another (also in spanish) lists syns=
Caesalpinia parahyba (Vell.Conc.)Allemao
Cassia parahyba Vell.Conc.
Schizolobium excelsum Vogel
Schizolobium glutinosum Tul.
Schizolobium kellermanii Pittier

B & T World seeds list
Schizolobium excelsum=Schizolobium parahybum

arbolesornamentales.com says, "2 native species from the South from Mexico to Brazil." But only actually list one species (yours)

NY Botanic Garden lists 2 species in their collection: (the specimens were collected in the 1940Тs)
Schizolobium parahyba (Vell.) Blake
Schizolobium parahyba (Vell.) Blake var. parahyba

At this point I would probably say that there is only the one species.

Hi
While surfing the internet I found reference to an Australasian tree called a Parapara in N.Zealand.Known as the bird catcher tree.Pisonia brunoniana. Actually uses sticky seed pods to capture birds which are utilized by the seeds as fertilizer. So this habit is definitely not unknown.To my mind that would not be a carniverous plant though
Gary

The first one of these I ever saw was 16 years ago across the street from the beach in Naples,Fl. It was 15', maybee 18'.Had to find out more about it! So I knocked on the door and met two very interesting gentlemen.They told me they had grown their tree from seed in 2 1/2 years and gave me the address to Brudys Seeds,where they had gotten theirs.I quickly contacted Mr.Brudy and bought seed from him. These 10 seed all sprouted( after hot water treatment ) and in a year had reached between 7 and 12 feet. I kept three and gave the rest away to friends. Over the next several years all except one succumed to cold,and I believe that it too is gone now,evem in Sarasota,Fl. In 1988 there was a blooming tree in St.Petersburg,at the old Palmers Nursery,planted between the street and the sidewalk.It bloomed every year, the Palmers said. Mike

Several years ago I bought a potted Pisonia mainly for its variegated leaves (and the fact I'd never heard of it lol) I asked for info on a thread on House Plants Forum here and an Australian nurseryman emailed me. If I remember correctly, he said the natives used the sticky substance from the seeds to catch birds by smearing it on branches. Would get on birds' feathers and they couldn't fly properly.

I got the impression that it was the natives' intervention not the tree itself which caused it to be called the Bird Catcher tree. Anyway, my little tree wasn't that attractive and I gave it away after a few months. josh

Mike
I assume you're talking about the S,parahyba?? Do you know of any specimans in your area now ?? The only ones I've located so far are immature. I found a mention of it in a garden club newsletter in Zimbabwe.Not much info though mostly about the drought and how it was affecting the bloom period.No mention of the sticiness and it was from 1968 lol
Josh
In the newsletter of a N.Zealand garden club there is a writeup on Pisonia. They actually call the tree carniverous.
and state that the captured birds are used as fertilizer by the seeds. The stickiness is so intense that not only does it catch birds it actually also catches animals that prey upon the carcases.Mainly birds of prey.
In the Native plants of Hawaii there is a similar writeup
mostly about how the natives used this tendancy to catch birds for those elaborate feathered cloaks worn by royalty.
Not much mention of it's habits.though there were several pix. To my mind this would not be "carniverous"
Certainly not in the same catagory as Venus flytrap ,Nepenthes or Sundews but definitely a form of it.
Gary

Just a thought : could this resine be to attract insects (especially ants) that defend the tree in return? A couple of Accacia members do this , so I thought maybe this one might be like that as well?

Nazanine
There are many tropical plants that have very close sybiotic relationships with insects particularly ants.
I have several but can't think of a single latin name.
One of the most interesting is an epiphyte called appropriately an "Ant plant" It provides chambers within the stems to house the ants while the plant gets fertilizer as well as protection from predators. Another is Cecropia trees which provide a resin for the ants in return the ant
prunes neighboring plants to limt competition for space.
I thought of this right away with Schizy but so far find the resin actually repels insects. Unfortuneately it's the middle of the rainy season so ant activeity is limited.
I did put some ants on the leaves and they couldn't get away fast enough!! A butterfly landed on a leaf and the reaction was immediate and negative. I've also tried 3 types of caterpillar which immediately dropped off . Can't wait for the rains to stop so I can continue observations.
Going to get some of the resin on toothpicks and place directly on the hills.
There are also many tropical plants that produce resins to prevent predation by herbivores. When I get enough plant material going to try it on a pygmy goat. The only plant material I've seen them reject was poinsttia but even that was tasted.lol
I can detect no odor and no skin reaction. My cat was completely neutral had no reaction at all. I would say she found it interesting but definitely not either pleasant or the reverse. Going to try a dog also. Would love to have ebnough material to try my parrots. They will chew on anything but at the same time seem to able to detect poisons.
That's about all the tests I can think of at the moment.
Gary

I am learning so much...thanks, Gary, for the additional info on Pisonia. You stated that your Parrot seems to be able to detect poisonous or harmful foliage. (I never dared test this theory with my Yellownape Amazon). But I wondered why the native birds in areas where the Pisonia was native didn't learn to avoid this tree. Any thoughts?

Just a sidenote...with Parrots and a Pygmy goat, cats and dogs, you've got quite a menagerie there...I'm jealous! josh

Gary before risking any more of your pets ;o) (I doubt that it is poisonous but you never know) why don't you simply send a sample to be analyzed. It shouldn't be very expensive, try your local university they might do it for free or expenses. You can then research the various molecules for their properties (odds are they would be able to tell you on the spot).

Josh
You and me are both learning lol.I just happened to stumble on a site that mentioned "bird catcher tree" Upon further reading I find that this specie is quite well known.
And well documented. 2 weeks ago I would have said there aint no such plant.lol
Have you ever studied the distribution of the yellow nape?? There must be hundreds of poisonous plants within the range. Wouldn't they have to have an instinctual knowledge of what things not to chew on?? Over the years I've noticed this with my lorikeets. They have avoided all the poisonous plants I placed within their aviary through my ignorance. Besides being the most intelligent birds I think they have a highly developed sense of taste. They are far more intelligent than we give them credit for.
I would just like to see the immediate reaction to the resin and whether they find it attractive or repellant I certainly wouldn't let them eat it!! Same is true of the goat.They appear to eat any and everything but actually are very selective as to what is actually consumed. Contrary to the old wives tale they will not eat tin cans lol They will eat the label and every scrap of glue which gives the appearence they are chewing the can.Hence the folklore.
Again with the goat and dog I merely want to see the first reaction.If they are repelled I'm onto something.
Allotrope A chemical analysis would tell me what it is
but not a clue as to why the plant is producing it or what its used for. I figure since these animals have such highly developed senses their first reaction,attratice or repellant
will be a great clue as to why the plant is putting so much energy into it's production. Insects are definitely repelled. The surprising one is ants.They love everything lol Anoles do not find it repellant don't know about attractive. It caught 2 yesterday the largest of which I removed. The plants reaction has been really surprising in many ways. I started a notebook to write done the observations. Still have been unable to find any mention of this condition except from GW's
Gary

Gary, You mentioned the 'Schizy' not often blooming. San Diego Zoo has one which bloomed this summer. Tiny photo. But I wondered if you might email the staff horticulturist there and pose your questions. josh

Here is a link that might be useful: Schizy at San Diego Zoo

Josh
Thanks for the idea.I've contacted several gardens and people in Brazil,Venezuela Costa Rica.Zimbabwe Tanzania and
Malaysia. So far not a single answer lol.
Gary

Gary--Not sure if you did already, but if you need someone to contact them in Spanish, then feel free to email me. If you do speak Spanish yourself, then just ignore me.

Catalina
All the people I've contacted use english as their primary language.Not sure about those in Africa particularly Zimbabwe. The web pages are in english.
I know they speak english at Fairchild lol
Thanks for the offer
Gary

I actually saw the bird catching tree in action on one of those nature series on PBS. I believe it was one of the David Attenborough shows such as "trails of life" but I don't think that was it. It might have been the special series he did on birds.

Anyway it was quite horrific!!! I felt very sorry for the poor birds. As I recall they were migratory birds and stopped off on the island to rest and were attracted to the plant for some reason. Then the seeds would stick in their feathers and there would be large clumps holding down these birds. They would exhaust themselves trying to escape and hop around all over the place...spreading the seeds farther. Pretty amazing stuff.

Mr. Breeze
Would assume you're referring to Pisonia the "bird catcher tree"?? Since becoming interested in Schizolobium
I've found several species of tropical plants that use this method primarily for seed dispersal.Pisonia is runaway the most highly developed. A N.Zealand site went so far as to call the tree "carniverous" I know you are CP fan have you ever seen it listed among them??
If you are interested the N.Zealand site has the most info.While the native plants of Hawaii site writeup is centered around the early polynesians use of this plant to capture birds.Not much on the plant itself.
I have read that Pisonia is not only using the birds to spread the seeds but actually goes a step further and uses the body as fertilizer for the seedling.
To my mind this is not "Carniverous" certainly not in the same sense as other known CP'S. I can find no reference to any CP using prey as seed dispersal mechanisms.
Gary

I live in Culver City, a few miles from the beach in the west Los Angeles area. I planted my S.p. about 6 years ago from probably a 15 gal container. It's gotten huge and it bloomed this year. Yippee! We did have record rains in So Cal so that may have had something to do with it.

A branch fell off the other day. It was stickey but there were no animals stuck to it!

Maybe I am dreaming but I think I might have a volunteer seedling in the garden beneath will add more information when the thing gets bigger.

Hi
Seeems to be many more of them in Cal than here in Florida. Mine survived both hurricanes but sure set it back.
Seems to be recovering now ,just in time for the new season lol. Interewsting how it was completely stripped of leaves but still managed to hang on to the lizards that it captured. i still see no evidense of actually digesting the animals it captures, They are stuck there until they rot off.It's also interesting that no other animal or insect tries to carry the body away.Seems to have a built in bug repellant.
Good luck with yours ,fascinating plant
gary

I have just germinated two seeds and have started 5 more. In my instructions you make a hole in the seed and soak in hand-hot water for 4 hours then plant after you see some fine fibrous material emerging from the "hole" in the seed. One seedling has roots and is about 7 inches tall with two true leaves (as well as seed leaves) all in ONE week!! The other has root only at the moment. the others I planted yesterday. Does anyone know if its ok to grow in a large pot for say, 6 mths or so before planting out? Thanks Tessy

Hi
Mine is going to stay permanently in a pot as they get very tall. Hoping to keep it around 15 to 20 feet.
Has developed a very elegant palm like growth with limbs only on top. The growth rate is phenominal isn't it??
Mine is around ten feet in less than 2 years and it's in a
20 gallon pot!! I suspect it won't flower in a pot but who knows??
gary

I'm afraid I can't help shed any light on some of the tree's more perplexing characteristics but I have some ideas regarding both the greater number of trees and their floriferousness in California. It's deciduous which indicates it goes dormant in response to some stressor in its native habitat, most likely drought. In California, we have a distinctly cool season, cool enough that growth of tropicals slows or even stops. In most species, this is a disadvantage since they typically rot in the cold, wet soil; however, it's a distinct advantage when it comes to those species that can tolerate the conditions. Because we usually have cool night temperatures for at least several weeks preceding a frost, the trees will often tolerate temperatures in parts of California that would kill a tree outright in Orlando (think Eucalypts). The cool temperature stress also promote better flowering with some species (think Jacarandas, which bloom much better in central Florida than they do in south Florida).

Ryan

Hi
Well, so far mine has not been diciduous unless you count having all the leaves removed by the hurricanes lol.
We were hit yet again this year right after I'd decided to move the SP to a permanent spot in the ground .
It had just started to get leaves when they were ripped off yet again lol It has completely re foliated and is developing two new limbs. The recoverery rate is astounding.
The stickiness is not nearly as obvious noe nor does it seem to be catching as many lizards. Seems to be continuing it's palm -like growth with limbs only at the top.
It is almost the only thing in my yard with leaves lol.
So far this year it has been incredibly warm so haven't been able to observe reactions to cold.. Last yera was very warm also with a low of 42 so nothing there either.
Certainly has proven to be a fascinating plant!!
gary

Hey Gary, any more news on your tree? (I was looking for seeds online and came across your thread again)

Hi
Haven't learned anything more about it. Still has very sticky limbs but is now about eight feet tall with a very thin trunk and long slender limbs in a four sided arrangement. Looks much like a palm except for the compound leaves. Doesn't seem to be catching as many lizards but insects seem to be avoiding it as in the past. No sign of flowers but growth rate has increased with the warm nights.
I underplanted it yesterday with some Blue Daze and moved some heliconia back to give it more room.
gary

hi gary i live in san diego ca i grow schizolobiums from seeed from a local source that do flower email back i know alot about these cool trees thanks kevin@socalpalms.com

Hello
Always interested in learning more!!! lol I tried posting directly to you but was returned thanks gary

Hello Gary,
Came across this thread. It's 2008 now and was wondering if you received anymore information about Schizolobium parahyba. I bought some seeds off the internet as it advertised fast growing Shade tree.
Living here in Texas makes shade a necessity and a fast growing shade tree is welcomed. I saw a picture of a young Schizolobium parahyba aka Brazilian tree fern and it was handsome so now I have several seedlings growing.
I read on one site that you can cut the tree down to the ground if you don't want it to get too tall. Is this true? Also, have you found any hazardous characteristics with this tree that I should be cautious about? How tall can this tree get?
By the way how is your tree doing these days?
Thnx Sarah

Hi
Don't think I'd recommend it as a shade tree .lol First it only has a thin canopy only at the top . Much like a tree fern or palm. Second it is incredibly brittle Even high winds cause it to break. I t has a series of scars from all the hurrivcanes. So far has only resprouted from the very top. Now has four crowns . It is pushing 20 feet
in spite of all the abuse . I'm so hoping it will flower this summer as I don't have a prayer getting it through a major hurricane. The trunk is very smooth light brown and very dense. Straight up except for the bend caused bY H. Jeanne. Has begun to develop buttress roots to a small extent. If it is still catching animals I can't tell too far above the ground . Birds don't seem to be in danger at least. It was deciduous this spring shedding first the leaflets then the stems. They pop off all at once and are thrown a considerable distance.
Though it's certainly an interesting tree. Don't think I'd recommend as a yard plant especially for shade.
gary

Just purchased these seeds from 'Jungle seeds' and followed instructions. File edge of seed (used a tile saw) and pop into jug of hot water for about 5-6 hours. Little mass of roots have appeared from the side so now have to plant into gritty soil in propagator and tap root is supposed to appear after a couple of days. Can't wait, although not sure it will appreciate the UK!

Here is a link that might be useful: Jungle seeds

Annie
Given the area where native I suspect it's rather cold sensitive though it's made it through 4 winters here with lows in the mid 30's. I understand it can get 40 feet tall.
gary

I live on the Australian Great Dividing Range at an altitude of around 260 metres on the tropic of Capricorn line. I germinated a couple of seeds in January (late summer here) as per instructions. They were planted out in mid February at 6 inches tall (3 weeks after germination). By June (beginning of winter) one was 4ft tall and the other about 2ft.6in tall. The larger one dropped all its leaves after the first frost (6th July -2C) but the smaller one appears to be unaffected by the frost and still has its leaves. The info I was given locally was that being tropical and deciduous pioneers they should cope with mild frost, drought, high temps, reach 40ft in 2 years and eventually grow over 100ft at which stage they should make a canopy. I hope so 'cos I want them to help start my little private forest.

Progress! 3 of them about 6 inches tall, going to donate one to Hampton Court as they have lovely hot house for exotic plants - so one might make it.

One had seed 'coat' stuck on it's growing tip and had to 'operate' but it survived my wire cutters.

Annie

Fascinating thread! Good work, Gary, with all your own experimentation and internet research. I found some more images, including a good one of a gland, you might be interested in seeing. The page at the link below has a picture of the tree crown and another of some leaves. But most interesting are the links provided on the page, including one for the gland. Unfortunately, there is no additional information here, just the images, but they are really good images - high resolution.

As far as using the bird corpses for fertilizer, my first thought was that since the Caesalpinioideae are part of the Fabaceae, or Legume, family, that they would not need this extra nitrogen source, since they have root nodules of bacteria that produce nitrogen. But when I looked it up, I saw that nodulation is rare in the Caesalpinioideae, so maybe you guys are on to something.

Here is a link that might be useful: Images of Schizolobium parahyba

Hi
Thanks for that website . seen pic of node but no info on what it does. Mine has not branched at all like the flowering plant in the pic. Does have four heads but only at the top. It was deciduous in the spring and dispenses the stems quite a ways from the plant. Old stems seem to be dropped all year around now . I can now see it from the highway about half mile away above the house . Would swear it was a tree fern except fot the multiple head and the hard very woody trunk.
I think it's stopped lizard catching lol but head is too far up to observe and my tallest ladder is on 6 feet .
Hoping to get some of those flowers as I'm sure a hurricane will do it in lol Even broke in a thunderstorm with less than 30 mph winds lol Thanks again for the site!!! gary

Hey guys

I've got one seed that I found from S. parahyba. I'm in Pretoria, South Africa, and down here they're known as Yellow Jacaranda, "Reach-for-the-Sky" tree, or Brazillian Fern Tree.

My one seed is germinating nicely, but the seed-coat is stuck on the shoot and appears to be damaging it. DO I OPERATE??

Also, should anybody want any more seeds, I have a relatively good supply at this time of year, as a friend has a regularly flowering adult tree in his garden. The only problem I see with that is that you guys seem to be in the US while I'm down here in SA.

Gary I found your observation of the resin fascinating. I can't wait for my tree to grow a bit more to see if it has the same characteristic... :)

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