PITHECELLOBIUM DULCE: CHARACTERISTICS, HABITAT, PROPERTIES - BIOLOGY - 2024

Pithecellobium dulce or guamúchil is an arboreal growing plant that belongs to the Leguminosae family. It is a native tree of Mexico and is distributed from Central America to northern South America.

P. dulce trees can grow 10 to 15 meters tall, and have scattered, rounded crowns with multiple thorny branches. In addition, the stem can average 100 cm in diameter.

Source: pixabay.com

Pithecellobium dulce or guamúchil, as this fabaceae is popularly known, has bipinnate leaves and develops axillary inflorescences. Each inflorescence contains very showy gray-whitish flowers.

The fruits of P. dulce are thin and twisted pods, this characteristic being the one that refers to the genus of this species. Pithecellobium derives from the Greek pithekos which means monkey and lobium which means ear or pinna. The twisted shape is somewhat reminiscent of the ears of apes. Instead, the specific epithet (sweet) comes from the Latin dulcis, which means pleasant to the palate.

All parts of the guamúchil are used by traditional medicine, as they are rich in different active components. Compounds like triterpenes, flavonoids, phenolic compounds, organic acids, proteins, etc; they can be isolated from the leaves, flowers and bark of this tree.

Pithecellobium dulce is an easily adaptable plant and being a legume, it can associate with nitrogen fixing bacteria in the soil. It is also a plant that tolerates any type of soil, and also tolerates cutting and pruning. Specifically, guamúchil has been designated as a multi-use species.

characteristics

Tree

The guamúchil tree measures between 10 and 15 meters in height, although some individuals can even reach 20 meters in height. This evergreen tree develops a wide, pyramidal or elongated crown, extending over a diameter of approximately 30 meters.

Sweet pithecellobium. I, JMGarg

Stem and bark

The stem is slightly twisted with an average diameter of 100 cm. The branches that emerge from the stem are ascending, thin and with thorns. On the other hand, the bark is very smooth or slightly fissured, gray with horizontal bands.

In addition, the bark has a grainy appearance due to the presence of abundant reddish-brown lenticels grouped in longitudinal lines.

Stem of Pithecellobium dulce. I, JMGarg

The wood has a light yellow color with reddish tones in the sapwood and brown in the heartwood. In turn, it has a characteristic smell and a slightly bitter taste.

Leaves

The leaves of P. dulce are compound, petiolate, bipinnate, and arranged in a spiral. Each leaf is composed of a pair of primary leaflets, which are made up of a pair of secondary leaflets. In addition, the leaves have an average length of 4.5 cm, and have green coloration on the upper side.

Guamúchil leaves. I, JMGarg

flowers

Guamúchil flowers are arranged in axillary or terminal inflorescences, between 5 and 30 cm long. The inflorescences have hairs and are pendulous panicles with heads.

On the other hand, the flowers are hermaphrodite, small, actinomorphic, slightly scented, and with a color that varies from white to green.

Inflorescences of Pithecellobium dulce. JMGarg

Fruit

The fruit of P. dulce is a pendulous pod that can measure 16 cm long, reddish-green, curled, dehiscent, and with several black seeds covered by a leathery aril.

Sweet Pithecellobium pods. No machine-readable author provided. B.navez assumed (based on copyright claims).

Seeds

The seeds measure an average of 8.5 cm long, are ovoid, flattened, black, and surrounded by a sweet aril.

Habitat and distribution

Distribution

Pithecellobium dulce is a native Mexican plant that spreads wildly throughout Central America, to much of northern South America. It is a tree with a wide distribution, especially in tropical lands.

Likewise, it was introduced to India, from the Philippines, and later spread to the rest of the world. It is currently geographically distributed in several tropical and subtropical regions of Southeast Asia and Latin America.

In the Latin American region it is popularly known as manilla tamarind, madras thorn, sweet tamarind, or chiminango, among others.

Floors

The guamúchil grows frequently in deep soils, with a clay loam and sandy clay texture. It also prefers well-drained and stony soils. Soil pH ranges from neutral to moderately alkaline.

This fabaceae is a plant that thrives on flat or semi-hilly terrain. However, it is common to find it on the banks of temporary streams and trails.

In general, this legume grows in leptosols, regosols, fluvisols, vertisols, lixosols, ferrasols, nitisols, and andosols. However, P. dulce thrives in various soils, ranging from mineral-rich to organic-poor.

Weather

P. dulce is a tree that grows in a wide variety of climatic conditions, which can vary from tropical to subtropical; with annual rainfall in the range of 450 and 1650 mm.

Pithecellobium dulce grows in areas where the climate varies from 20 to 30 ° C, being restricted in regions with strong frosts.

Ecology

From the ecological point of view, P. dulce is a species of the secondary succession, demanding of light. In addition, this tree is frequently related to the types of vegetation oak forest, thorn forest, deciduous tropical forest, evergreen tropical forest, subdeciduous tropical forest, sub-evergreen tropical forest, ecotone between low forest and mangrove, xerophytic scrub, secondary savanna, and coastal vegetation.

Likewise, Pithecellobium dulce is a tree that is associated with high frequency with the species Erythroxylon sp., Hura polyandra, Haematoxylon brasiletto, Gliricidia sepium, Guaiacum sp., Ficus sp., Annona sp., Prosopis sp., Celtis iguanaea, Bursera sp.., Swietenia humilis, Byrsonima crassifolia, Enterolobium cyclocarpum, Caesapinia sp., I pomoea sp., Etc.

In addition, the guamúchil is a tree that provides multiple services to ecosystems, among which the high rate of CO ₂ fixation stands out. Therefore, it results from a high carbon incorporation into ecosystems.

In turn, being a legume, this plant is associated with soil bacteria that fixes atmospheric nitrogen, and consequently is a bridge for nitrogen entry into ecosystems. This also helps to increase the microbial community of the soil and of course to an increase in the health of the same.

Taxonomy

Pithecellobium dulce (Roxb.) Benth is a fabaceae belonging to the Leguminosae family, and to the Mimosoideae subfamily.

- Kingdom: Plantae.

- Subkingdom: Viridiplantae.

- Infra kingdom: Streptophyte.

- Super division: Embriofita.

- Division: Tracheophyte.

- Subdivision: Eufilofitina.

- Infra division: Lignofita.

- Class: Spermatophyte.

- Subclass: Magnoliofita.

- Superorder: Rosanae.

- Order: Fabales.

- Family: Leguminosae.

- Subfamily: Mimosoideae.

- Tribe: Ingeae.

- Genus: Pithecellobium.

- Species: Pithecellobium dulce.

Genre to which it belongs

Pithecellobium dulce is one of the 500 species of the genus Pithecellobium. This is an endemic neo tropical genus, and monophyletic.

The genus Pithecellobium differs considerably from the other species of the Ingeae tribe, by presenting the modified funiculus in a spongy aril that covers a third or almost half of the seed. While in dehiscent pods, the seeds are suspended on this funiculum in the form of a red, pink or white aril, which is edible.

From the cytological point of view, Pithecellobium dulce has a diploid chromosome number 2n = 26. It also shows a chromosomal complement with low order asymmetry, a characteristic that is generally attributed to the presence of a subtelocentric pair.

Likewise, subtelocentric chromosomes are considered scarce in legumes and are basically associated with the genera of the subfamily Papilionoideae. However, recently they have also been found in species of the Caesalpinioideae and Mimosoideae subfamilies.

Medicinal properties

In general, all parts of Pithecellobium dulce are sources of a variety of phytochemicals with ethnobotanical properties. An example of this is the bark of P. dulce, where you can find components with antioxidant qualities, mainly due to compounds with functional groups of 30-carbon terpenes (triterpenes).

On the other hand, various phenolic components such as flavonoids and their derivatives, such as flavonoid glycosides, are synthesized in the leaves and flowers. Meanwhile, the seeds yield different fatty acids like tetradecanoid acid, hexadecanoic acid, octadecanoic acid, cis-9-octadecanoic acid, actadecadieneic acid, and fatty acids that are part of the omega 3 family.

Chemical structure of afzelin. Source: wikimedia commons

In addition, the seeds contain various polysaccharides of arabinose, ß-sitosterol, and ß-amyrin. While the fruits are rich in phenolic compounds such as hydrolyzable tannins, hydroxycinnamic acids, polyphenolic acids, and aromatic hydrocarbons. In addition, the fruits contain different flavonoids such as those of the type O-glucosides, rutoside, kaempferol, glycosylated flavanones, and isoflavones, etc.

Due to its high content of components with active properties, various parts of P. dulce are used in traditional medicine to treat different ailments. For example, the bark is astringent and hemostatic, and therefore it is used to treat pain in the gums, toothaches, and for bleeding.

Likewise, the bark infusion is used to treat watery diarrhea, dysentery, constipation, and respiratory infections.

Meanwhile, the infusion of leaves is used as a home remedy for dyspepsia, to prevent spontaneous abortions, to reduce gallbladder pain, and as a healing agent.

While the crushed seed is used to treat ulcers, type I and type II diabetes, fever, cold, acne, abscesses, conjunctivitis, etc.

Gardening care

Pithecellobium dulce is a plant that is easily established and grows quickly in any condition. Generally, the propagation of this fabaceae is by seeds, and the optimal time for transplanting it to the ground is 4 months.

In addition, the guamúchil tolerates drought, pruning, can grow in poor soils, and is resistant to pests. However, P. dulce is susceptible to defoliating insects and fungi that cause necrotic spots.

It is important to note that this tree can behave as an invasive species, so it is recommended to carry out little intense pruning, because after this occurs it tends to sprout more vigorously.

The guamúchil is a tree that does not tolerate strong winds, as it has brittle branches. In turn, it is a plant that does not withstand low temperatures.

References

1. Aguirre-Olivas, F., González-Aguilar, GA, Wall-Medrano, A. 2018. Guamúchil. In: Underutilized Ibero-American indigenous plant foods. Sáyago, S., Álvarez, E. (eds.) CYTED.
2. Ávila-Ramírez, NA, Ayala-Burgos, A., Gutiérrez Vázquez, E., Herrera-Camacho, J., Madrigal-Sánchez, X., Ontiveros-Alvarado, S. 2007: Taxonomy and chemical composition of foliar necromass of the arboreal and shrub species consumed during the dry season in the low deciduous forest in the municipality of La Huacana, Michoacán Mexico. Livestock Research for Rural Development, 19 (73). Taken from: lrrd.cipav.org.co
3. Cassens, DL 1980. Vestured pits in the new world Pithecellobium (sensu lato). IAWA Journal, 1 (1-2): 59-64.
4. Virtual catalog of flora of the Aburrá Valley by UEIA (2014). Fabaceae: Pithecellobium dulce. Taken from: catalogofloravalleaburra.eia.edu.co
5. Conabio (2017). Pithecellobium dulce (Roxb.) Benth. 1844. Taken from: conabio.gob.mx.
6. Hernández, GS, Pedraza, PE, Benaouda, M., Palma, JM, Alivés, F., Molina, L., Castelán, OA 2018. Pithecellobium dulce, Tagetes erecta and Cosmos bipinnatus on reducing enteric methane emission by dairy cows. Ciência Rural, Santa Maria, 48 (10): 1-7.
7. Home, J., Ocampo, A., Jiménez, A. 2012. Palynological characterization of Tabebuia rosea, Jacaranda caucana, Pithecellobium dulce and Samanea saman at the Universidad del Valle Meléndez headquarters. Science Magazine, 17 (1): 11-21.
8. Monroy, R., Colín, H. 2004. The guamúchil Pithecellobium dulce (Roxb.) Benth, an example of multiple use. Wood and Forests, 10 (1): 35-53.
9. Tapia-Pastrana, F., Gómez-Acevedo, SL 2005. The karyotype of Pithecellobium dulce (Mimosoideae-Leguminosae). Darwiniana, 43 (1-4): 52-56.
10. The Taxonomicon (2004-2019). Taxon: Genus Pithecellobium CFP Martius, 1837, nom. cons. (plant). Taken from: taxonomicon.taxonomy.nl