Plathymenia
| Plathymenia reticulata | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Mature tree | |
 |
|
| Seed pods | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Rosids |
| Order: | Fabales |
| Family: | Fabaceae / Leguminosae |
| Subfamily: | Mimosoideae |
| Genus: |
Plathymenia Benth. |
| Species: | P. reticulata |
| Binomial name | |
|
Plathymenia reticulata Benth. |
|
| Synonyms | |
|
Echyrospermum Schott [nom. rej.] |
|
Echyrospermum Schott [nom. rej.]
Plathymenia reticulata (Portuguese: vinhático) is a species of legume native to much of eastern South America. It is placed in its own genus, Platyhymenia, although other species have previously been recognised in that genus. It grows up to 30 m (98 ft) tall, and has distinctive flattened seed pods. Its wood is rot-resistant, and is widely used as a structural timber.
Plathymenia reticulata grows up to 30 metres (100 ft) tall, with a diameter at breast height (d.b.h.) of up to 1.5 m (4.9 ft); in cerrado or savannah habitats, it is smaller, reaching a height of only 5 m (16 ft) and a d.b.h. of 30 cm (12 in). The leaves are alternately arranged, 15–20 cm (6–8 in) long, and bipinnate. The hermaphroditic flowers are held in cymes on short peduncles among the foliage; each flower is 5–7 mm (0.20–0.28 in) long, with five tiny white petals and numerous stamens. The seed pod is flat, 10–25 cm (3.9–9.8 in) long and 1.5–4.5 cm (0.6–1.8 in) wide, and contains 7–12 seeds, each of which is surrounded by a winged papery envelope.
Plathymenia reticulata is a widespread tree in the cerrado and Atlantic Forest biomes of South America, but is not found in the more xeric caatinga biome. It occurs in Suriname, Bolivia, Paraguay, the Misiones Province of Argentina and 14 states of Brazil, at altitudes of 30–1,300 metres (100–4,300 ft).
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