Plate 071 · knobby trunk, flowers and pods IdentificationFive marks on the plate
- 1Conical knobs on the trunk.
- 2Bipinnate leaves with tiny leaflets.
- 3Flowers in round heads creamy white.
- 4Long flat pod, reddish brown.
- 5Flat seeds glossy, like coins.
Easily confused with PacaráEnterolobium contortisiliquumSmooth bark and a black, ear-shaped pod. JacarandaJacaranda mimosifoliaSimilar leaves, but lilac tubular flowers and a round flat fruit. 071 / 100 · PLANTS · FABACEAELEAST CONCERN Cebil
Anadenanthera colubrina var. cebil
Cebil colorado · Angico
Its trunk is covered in conical knobs that make it easy to recognise. Its seeds, thin as coins, were ground into the cebil or vilca snuff that Andean peoples used in rituals. Its tannin-rich bark was used to tan hides.
- Tree height
- up to c. 25 m
- Altitude
- c. 400 – 1,000 m
- Flowering
- spring
- Fruit
- long flat pod
- Foothill forest
- Legume
- Knobby bark
- Ritual plant
Altitude rangeTree of the drier foothills
Foothill forest In Tucumán it grows in the foothill forest and on drier lower slopes, up to c. 1,000 m. It is common in secondary forest.
EcologyFlowers for bees, seeds for the wind
- Beesvisit the flower heads
- Pods that splitrelease flat, light seeds
- Plenty of lightcolonises clearings and edges
- Tannin-rich barkprotects it from insects and fungi
It grows fast on open ground, so it is common in forests recovering after clearing.
Life cycleFrom pompom to pod
- Deciduous. It drops its leaves in the dry season and leafs out in spring.
- White flower heads. Its tiny flowers gather in creamy, scented balls.
- Coin-like seeds. The ripe pod splits along one side and drops flat, glossy seeds.
Where to look in Tucumán- Sierra de San Javier
- Reserva Experimental Horco Molle
- Quebrada de Lules
- Río Los Sosa
- Parque Provincial La Florida