Tipuana


Tipuana tipu, also known as tipa, rosewood and pride of Bolivia, is a South American tree. It is the only member of the genus Tipuana. It was recently assigned to the informal monophyletic Pterocarpus clade within the Dalbergieae.

Physical characteristics

Growing up to thirty metres in height and twenty metres wide, Tipuana tipu is well known for its use as a shade tree. The leaves of the tree are pinnately compound, 10" long; the pinnules typically are 1 to 3 inches long, and are variably paripinnate or imparipinnate on the same tree. The flowers are bright yellow in color and bloom only briefly in the late summer. The fruit is a hard, pod with the seed at one end, resembling a samara.
Depending on where it is grown, Tipuana is largely a deciduous tree, annually shedding all or most of its leaves and large "helicopter" pods from midwinter to spring. It produces masses of seeds, most of which succeed in germinating, and it can withstand a very wide range of growing conditions, from –4 °C to salty soils to drought. Timber is whitish in colour, strong and fibrous. Cut logs ooze blood-red resin.

Invasiveness

Tipuana tipu is viewed as an invasive weed in some countries and is known for having a very aggressive root system. The tree roots can easily lift up concrete and asphalt. Precautions should be taken when planting near buildings, homes, or pools, as they are likely to be damaged. Damage may sometimes be averted by trenching near the structure to a depth of about 1 metre and filling the trench with building rubble or lining the trench with thick plastic sheeting or corrugated roofing sheets.
Listed as a Category 3 Invasive species in South Africa.

Insects

The species is a food plant for spittlebugs such as Ptyelus grossus. In Southern California, an insect called tipu psyllid Platycorypha nigrivirga has invaded several trees.