Tropical Plant Database - Plant Details

A partially deciduous, wide crowned tree reaching heights of up to 15 m. The trunk is 10-20 cm diam., with grey or dark brown, furrowed bark. The leaves are comprised of 1-21 oblong leaflets 2.5 to 4 cm long. Flowers grow in clusters at the point where the leaf meets the twig. Flowers are yellow,about 1.5 cm across, with the flower shape typical of its relatives in the pea family. The fruit is a dry pod about 5 cm long with a single wing at the end and contains 1-3 seeds.

(http://www.lacity.org/BOSS/streettree/TipuanaTipu.htm)

This tree is native to temperate South America, and has been planted as an ornamental and street tree throughout the world.
http://www.lacity.org/BOSS/streettree/TipuanaTipu.htm

Although mainly planted as an ornamental tree, it is also used throughout the world as fodder for animals. The wood can be used for carpentry.

(http://www.fao.org/AG/AGp/agpc/doc/GBASE/data/pf000407.htm)

(Mabberley, D. J., 1997. The Plant-Book: A portable dictionary of the vascular plants. Second edition. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, England.)

That Tipuana tipu is a hardy tree, extremely drought resistant, and a high seed producer makes it a potentially invasive plant, although there is no evidence that it has become naturalized in Hawai’i. In Australia, the many fruits and leaves have been know to clog drains where it is planted as a street tree.

(http://www.hear.org/pier/wra/pacific/tipuana_tipu_htmlwra.htm)
(http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/invasive/weeds/weeds-alert/t-tipu.html)

We currently have 6 herbarium specimens for Tipuana tipu in our collection. Click on any specimen below to view the herbarium sheet data.

• 006655 - collected by Derral Herbst in 1989
• 011447 - collected by Tim Flynn in 1991
• 014579 - collected by Tim Flynn in 1993
• 044267 - collected by Tim Flynn in 2005
• Unassigned - collected by Tim Flynn in 2005
• 082261 - collected by Tim Flynn in 2020