''Cariniana legalis'' is a species of emergent

rainforest Rainforests are characterized by a closed and continuous tree canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforest can be classified as tropical rainforest or temperate rainfores ...

tree in the Monkeypot family

Lecythidaceae The Lecythidaceae comprise a family (biology), family of about 20 genera and 250–300 species of woody plants native to tropical South America, Africa (including Madagascar), Asia and Australia. The most important member of the family in wor ...

. It is found in the

Atlantic forest The Atlantic Forest ( pt, Mata Atlântica) is a South American forest that extends along the Atlantic coast of Brazil from Rio Grande do Norte state in the northeast to Rio Grande do Sul state in the south and inland as far as Paraguay and th ...

of south-eastern

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

, where is known as jequitibá-branco or jequitibá-rosa, and possibly found in

Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...

, and

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

. These trees can be very large. A C. legalis measured by botanical explorer

David Fairchild David Grandison Fairchild (April 7, 1869 – August 6, 1954) was an American botanist and plant explorer. Fairchild was responsible for the introduction of more than 200,000 exotic plants and varieties of established crops into the United State ...

was in circumference with no buttresses at six feet (two meters) above ground. One of the biggest trees in the

Atlantic Forest The Atlantic Forest ( pt, Mata Atlântica) is a South American forest that extends along the Atlantic coast of Brazil from Rio Grande do Norte state in the northeast to Rio Grande do Sul state in the south and inland as far as Paraguay and th ...

, there are some old trees in

Santa Rita do Passa Quatro Santa Rita do Passa Quatro is a municipality in the state of São Paulo (state), São Paulo in Brazil. Elevation is . The population is 27,600 (2020 estimate) in an area of . The municipality holds the Cerrado Pé de Gigante Area of Relevant Eco ...

and near

Petrópolis Petrópolis (; ), also known as The Imperial City, is a Municipalities of Brazil, municipality in the Southeast Region, Brazil, Southeast Region of Brazil. It is located in the state of Rio de Janeiro (state), Rio de Janeiro, northeast of the ci ...

. One of these trees is more than 3 000 years old. It is threatened by

habitat loss Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss and habitat reduction) is the process by which a natural habitat becomes incapable of supporting its native species. The organisms that previously inhabited the site are displaced or dead, thereby ...

References

Gallery

File:Jequitibá-rosa.jpg, Jequitibá-rosa in the

Botanical Garden of São Paulo The Botanical Garden of São Paulo () is a botanical garden in São Paulo, Brazil. The park spans a area in the Fontes do Ipiranga State Park, in the district of Água Funda, in São Paulo's South zone, next to São Paulo Zoo. It houses the sta ...

. File:Jequitibabotanico.jpg, Same tree, from another angle. File:Jequitibaaclimacao.jpg, Jequitibá-rosa in the

Aclimação Park Aclimação is a prosperous neighborhood in the central region of the city of São Paulo, Brazil. It is located in the municipal district of Liberdade, in the Sé Subprefecture. History Despite its central location, Aclimação is one of the ...

São Paulo São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for 'Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the GaWC a ...

. File:Mauroejequitiba.jpg, Giant Jequitibá-rosa estimated to be 3000 years old, in the

Vassununga State Park The Vassununga State Park ( pt, Parque Estadual Vassununga) is a state park in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. It preserves an area of interior Atlantic Forest and ''cerrado'', including a huge ''jequitibá-rosa'' ('' Cariniana legalis'') tree th ...

. File:Jequitiba.jpg, Canopy of the same tree in Vassununga State Park. legalis Flora of Brazil Vulnerable plants Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{Lecythidaceae-stub