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Swartzia grandifolia - Bong. ex Benth.

Common Name Big leafed Swartzia, Coracao-de-Negro
Family Fabaceae
USDA hardiness 10-12
Known Hazards The sawdust from wood of plants in this genus can be irritating to mill workers[316 ].
Habitats Rain forests[422 ].
Range S. America - northern Brazil, Venezuela, the Guyanas.
Edibility Rating    (0 of 5)
Other Uses    (4 of 5)
Weed Potential No
Medicinal Rating    (0 of 5)
Care (info)
Tender Moist Soil Full sun
Swartzia grandifolia Big leafed Swartzia, Coracao-de-Negro


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Swartzia grandifolia Big leafed Swartzia, Coracao-de-Negro

 

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Summary

Swartzia grandifolia is a tree commonly found in South America that grows up to 18 m tall with a straight and cylindrical bole that can be up to 60 cm in diameter. It has a symbiotic relationship with certain soil bacteria that form nodules on the roots and fix atmospheric nitrogen. It is not edible and has no medicinal value. The wood is used for high class furniture, cabinet making, musical instruments, turnery, sculpture, flooring, panelling, etc.


Physical Characteristics

 icon of manicon of cone
Swartzia grandifolia is an evergreen Tree growing to 15 m (49ft) by 15 m (49ft) at a medium rate.
See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 10.
It can fix Nitrogen.
Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers moist soil.

UK Hardiness Map US Hardiness Map

Synonyms

Tounatea grandifolia (Bong. ex Benth.) Taub. Tunatea grandifolia (Bong. ex Benth.) Kuntze

Plant Habitats

Edible Uses

None known

References   More on Edible Uses

Medicinal Uses

Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.


None known

References   More on Medicinal Uses

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Other Uses

Furniture  Wood

Other Uses: The heartwood is a deep, dark brown with lighter, thin streaks; it is clearly demarcated from the 3 - 8cm wide band of light yellow sapwood. The texture is medium; the grain straight or slightly interlocked. The wood is very heavy; very hard; very strong; very elastic; very durable, being very resistant to fungi, dry wood borers and termites. It seasons slowly, with a high risk of checking but only a slight risk of distortion; once dry it is poorly to moderately stable in service. It is a very hard wood and has a fairly high blunting effect - stellite-tipped and tungsten carbide tools are recommended; nailing and screwing are good, but require pre-boring; gluing is poor. A high quality, very strong, durable and attractive timber, its use is limited mainly by the small size of heartwood obtained from the logs. It is used for purposes such as high class furniture, cabinet making, musical instruments of various types, turnery, sculpture, flooring, panelling, wooded goods, items such as arches that require forming; veneer etc[848 ].

Special Uses

Nitrogen Fixer

References   More on Other Uses

Cultivation details

This species has a symbiotic relationship with certain soil bacteria; these bacteria form nodules on the roots and fix atmospheric nitrogen. Some of this nitrogen is utilized by the growing plant but some can also be used by other plants growing nearby[755 ].

References   Carbon Farming Information and Carbon Sequestration Information

Temperature Converter

Type a value in the Celsius field to convert the value to Fahrenheit:

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Plants For A Future have a number of books available in paperback and digital form. Book titles include Edible Plants, Edible Perennials, Edible Trees,Edible Shrubs, Woodland Gardening, and Temperate Food Forest Plants. Our new book is Food Forest Plants For Hotter Conditions (Tropical and Sub-Tropical).

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Plant Propagation

Seed -

Other Names

If available other names are mentioned here

Native Range

SOUTHERN AMERICA: French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname, Venezuela (Amazonas, Bolívar), Brazil (Amazonas, Pará, Roraima)

Weed Potential

Right plant wrong place. We are currently updating this section. Please note that a plant may be invasive in one area but may not in your area so it’s worth checking.

Conservation Status

IUCN Red List of Threatened Plants Status : This taxon has not yet been assessed

Related Plants
Latin NameCommon NameHabitHeightHardinessGrowthSoilShadeMoistureEdibleMedicinalOther
Swartzia banniaBannia, BanyaTree12.0 10-12 MLMNM024
Swartzia benthamianaWamaraTree20.0 10-12 MLMHSNM024
Swartzia ingifoliaSwartziaTree20.0 10-12 FLMHNM004
Swartzia leiocalycinaWamaraTree28.0 10-12 MLMNM004
Swartzia panacocoCoracao-de-Negro, panococo, Brazilian ebonyTree25.0 10-12 MLMNM024

Growth: S = slow M = medium F = fast. Soil: L = light (sandy) M = medium H = heavy (clay). pH: A = acid N = neutral B = basic (alkaline). Shade: F = full shade S = semi-shade N = no shade. Moisture: D = dry M = Moist We = wet Wa = water.

 

Expert comment

Author

Bong. ex Benth.

Botanical References

Links / References

For a list of references used on this page please go here
A special thanks to Ken Fern for some of the information used on this page.

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Subject : Swartzia grandifolia  
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