''Handroanthus serratifolius'' is a species of tree, commonly known as yellow lapacho, pau d'arco, yellow poui, yellow ipe, pau d'arco amarelo, or ''ipê-amarelo''.

Description

It is a tree native to forests throughout

Central Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...

and South America. This plant grows in the cerrado vegetation of Brazil, reaching up to French Guiana,

Bolivia , image_flag = Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg , flag_alt = Horizontal tricolor (red, yellow, and green from top to bottom) with the coat of arms of Bolivia in the center , flag_alt2 = 7 × 7 square p ...

, Paraguay and Northern Argentina. It is one of the largest and strongest of tropical forest trees, growing up to tall while the base can be in diameter.

Uses

It is a commercially farmed

hardwood Hardwood is wood from dicot trees. These are usually found in broad-leaved temperate and tropical forests. In temperate and boreal latitudes they are mostly deciduous, but in tropics and subtropics mostly evergreen. Hardwood (which comes from ...

notable for its extreme hardness and resistance to fire and pests. It is sometimes traded as an " ironwood", or just as "

ipê ''Handroanthus'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Bignoniaceae.David J. Mabberley. 2008. ''Mabberley's Plant-Book'' third edition (2008). Cambridge University Press: UK. It consists of 30 species of trees, known in Latin America by ...

" (the entire genus ''Tabebuia''), or as

lapacho Lapacho or taheebo is herbal tea made from the inner bark of the pau d'arco tree ''Handroanthus impetiginosus''. Lapacho is used in the herbal medicine of several South and Central American indigenous peoples to treat a number of ailments inclu ...

(properly ''Handroanthus serratifolius'')

Chemistry

The

bark Bark may refer to: * Bark (botany), an outer layer of a woody plant such as a tree or stick * Bark (sound), a vocalization of some animals (which is commonly the dog) Places * Bark, Germany * Bark, Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, Poland Arts, ...

of ''Handroanthus serratifolius'' contains chemical compounds including

lapachol Lapachol is a natural phenolic compound isolated from the bark of the lapacho tree.Record, Samuel J.. "Lapachol" pages 17-19. In: ''Tropical Woods'' (1925). This tree is known botanically as ''Handroanthus impetiginosus'', but was formerly known ...

, quercetin, and other

flavonoid Flavonoids (or bioflavonoids; from the Latin word ''flavus'', meaning yellow, their color in nature) are a class of polyphenolic secondary metabolites found in plants, and thus commonly consumed in the diets of humans. Chemically, flavonoids ...

National Flower of Brazil

The national flower of Brazil is the ipe-amarelo. The ipe-amarelo is actually a flowering tree that blooms in bright yellow flowers during the months of September and October. Blooms only last about a week.

References

External links

serratifolius Trees of Central America Trees of South America Trees of Brazil Trees of Bolivia Trees of Colombia Trees of Ecuador Trees of Peru Trees of Guyana Trees of Suriname Trees of Venezuela Trees of Trinidad and Tobago Trees of French Guiana Flora of the Cerrado Medicinal plants of South America Trees of Panama {{tree-stub