Erythrina Poeppigiana - Walp. - O.F. Cook

Erythrina poeppigiana (Walp.) O.F.
Cook
CRISTINA GARIBALDI
Department of Botany, University of Panamá, Panamá
E
FABACEAE (BEAN FAMILY)
Erythrina micropteryx
Amasisa, elequeme, gallito, helequeme, poró extranjero, poró gigante, (Geilfus 1994, Gentry 1993,
Holdridge 1970, Holdridge and Poveda 1975, León 1987, Salas 1993)
Erythrina poeppigiana, a tree native to the Tropics of America sium at 15 percent). The yields of perennial plantings and pas-
(from Panama to Bolivia), Africa, and Asia, has been planted tures may be notably improved in association with Erythrina
in many parts of Central America and the Caribbean (Geilfus species. The species is also used as posts in hedges, wind
1994, Holdridge 1970, Holdridge and Poveda 1975, León 1987). breaking curtains, props for vegetables, and forage (Geilfus
Erythrina poeppigiana is a fast-growing tree, reaching 30 1994, León 1987). Because the wood is light and lacks dura-
to 35 m in height and more than 1 m d.b.h. The gray bark has bility, its use is limited to general carpentry and the manufac-
conical thorns, primarily on the branches and young twigs. turing of tools, chairs, toys, decorative objects, and kitchen
The leaves are made up of three wide folioles gathered in long utensils. The bark, seeds, and roots have medicinal properties
petioles, with two prominent glands among the leaflets; the because they contain some alkaloids. They are also used in
petiole of the terminal leaf is widened near the lamina. The insecticides. The roots and parts of the tree are macerated and
species grows well in tropical and subtropical zones, in wet used to stun fish so they can be caught easily. The trees are
and dry forests (Gentry 1993). Erythrina poeppigiana is not planted as ornamentals and the seeds are used in necklaces
demanding of soils, growing very well in heavy soils poor in and ornaments. The flowers are used in apiculture and as a
nutrients and adapting to acid soils. It grows in wet and dry condiment (Gentry 1993, Salas 1993).
areas with a range of precipitation of 800 to 1880 mm, tem- Flowers cover the crown during the dry season in Feb-
peratures from 22 to 24° C and elevations from 300 to 1150 m ruary and March, before the tree leafs out. The red or orange
in Nicaragua (Salas 1993). flowers are in erect racemes and the upper petal is wide and
Erythrina poeppigiana is a species with multiple uses. It open. The fruits are pods 10 to 25 cm long, generally twisted,
is widely used as a shade tree for perennial plantings. It pro- with orange-gray to coffee-colored seeds (Geilfus 1994, Gen-
duces a great amount of foliage and when pruned at 4 or 5 m, try 1993, Holdridge 1970, Holdridge and Poveda 1975, León
provides excellent shade for coffee and cacao plantings. Gen- 1987, Salas 1993).
erally, the species is very important in the development of Erythrina poeppigiana is commonly propagated through
agroforestry systems. The trees grow very quickly, producing a the stem cuttings from pruning management in agroforestry
great amount of biomass. Because the roots develop abundant systems. The stem cuttings must come from branches no less
nodulation that allows them to better fix nitrogen, the trees are than 2 years old, in trees 5 to 8 years old. Fortunately, the trees
used in soil conservation and recovery programs (Russo 1984). can withstand periodic pruning, sprout quickly, and develop
Used as green manure, they yield abundant foliage (Nygren vigorous shoots. Stem cuttings 0.5 to 2 m long are used, and
1995, Nygren and Ramírez 1995). The species is also used fre- branches that grow vertically or the apex of the main stem are
quently to drain very wet soils (Geilfus 1994). In Costa Rica, preferred. When propagated through seeds, which may be
up to 20 tons of leaves and stems per ha per year of Erythrina stored for a long time, the species germinates easily without
spp. have been collected, which is close to 450 kg of nitrogen pretreatment; the seeds may be planted directly in the field
(approximately 60 sacks of nitrogen, phosphorous, and potas- (Geilfus 1994, Russo 1984). Seeds number 200 to 7000 per kg.
Part II—Species Descriptions • Erythrina poeppigiana (Walp.) O.F. Cook 461

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION Ramírez 1995). Its nodules are restored by pruning and appar-
ently, branch pruning influences the economy of nitrogen in
The genus Erythrina has been located in the subtribe Ery- the whole system. A large reserve of carbohydrates encourages
thrininae of the Phaseolaceae tribe (Fabaceae - Faboideae), vigorous sprouting after pruning. If the interval between each
along with eight other genera: Strongylodon, Mucuna, Butea, pruning is too short to restore this reserve the trees lose vigor.
Sphatolobus, Apios, Cochliantus, Rhodopis, and Neorudol- The dependency of E. poeppigiana on mineral nitrogen
phia (Lackey 1981). from the soil during the weeks after pruning indicates that
E Its value as a nitrogen-fixing plant, its rapid growth, its competition for nitrogen is a potential disadvantage of the
ability to sprout, and its adaptability to relatively acid soils species. Nygren (1995) found that E. poeppigiana and the cof-
make this a useful alternative in wet tropical areas. Esnaola fee bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) compete for nitrogen at the
and Ríos (1994) obtained weight increases of 326 to 820 g per beginning of the cultivation cycle. However, the yield of the
animal per day as they increased the amount of E. poeppigiana bean has been excellent during 10 years of testing. The initial
in the diet of goats raised in stables. They conclude that E. competition may favor the nodulation of the bean, resulting in
poeppigiana leaves are a valuable resource in the nourishment a good supply of nitrogen in the pod-filling stage, when there
of nursing goats. The studies showed good increases in the is more demand for it. The apparent intolerance of the species
weight of milk goats, young goats, and growing kids without to frequent pruning justifies the tradition of pruning only
the animals showing any signs of toxicity. Rodríguez and oth- twice per year in coffee plantations.
ers (1984) recommend comparative tests at different locations A smaller biomass of underbrush has been reported grow-
to establish possible consumption tendencies. Erythrina poep- ing under the shade of E. poeppigiana in contrast to other species,
pigiana foliage has a raw protein content of more than 100 per- such as the Gliricidia sepium (Jacq.) Kunth ex Walp. This
cent compared to the grasses commonly used in Central Amer- smaller biomass can be attributed to a decomposition rate of
ica (Benavides 1994, Benavides and Alarcon 1990). Excellent E. poeppigiana leaves that is lower than that of the Gliricidia.
results are obtained when the foliage is combined with high Using E. poeppigiana to shade coffee and cacao plants is
energy foods, such as bananas, because it increases animal questionable for three reasons. First, the trees lose their leaves
weight faster when it is combined with sources of starch rather during the dry season; second, the tree’s system of superficial
than simple sugars. roots does not withstand strong winds; and third, the branch-
When E. poeppigiana is well nodulated with Bradyrhizo- es are brittle (Geilfus 1994, Salas 1993). If used to shade plan-
bium spp. it is one of the most efficient nitrogen fixers of all tations, pruned trees should be spaced at 6 by 6 m; if they are
species used in agroforestry (Nygren 1995, Nygren and allowed to grow unpruned, the spacing should be 12 by 12 m.
462 Part II—Species Descriptions • Erythrina poeppigiana (Walp.) O.F. Cook

E
Part II—Species Descriptions • Erythrina poeppigiana (Walp.) O.F. Cook 463

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Erythrina poeppigiana (Walp.) O.F.

Part II—Species Descriptions • Erythrina poeppigiana (Walp.) O.F. Cook 461

462 Part II—Species Descriptions • Erythrina poeppigiana (Walp.) O.F. Cook

Part II—Species Descriptions • Erythrina poeppigiana (Walp.) O.F. Cook 463

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