''Libidibia coriaria'', synonym ''Caesalpinia coriaria'', is a

leguminous A legume () is a plant in the family Fabaceae (or Leguminosae), or the fruit or seed of such a plant. When used as a dry grain, the seed is also called a pulse. Legumes are grown agriculturally, primarily for human consumption, for livestock for ...

tree In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants with secondary growth, plants that are ...

or large shrub native to the Caribbean,

Central America Central America ( es, América Central or ) is a subregion of the Americas. Its boundaries are defined as bordering the United States to the north, Colombia to the south, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. ...

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

, and northern and western

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the sout ...

. Common names include divi-divi, cascalote, guaracabuya, guatapana, nacascol, tan yong, and ''watapana'' ( Aruba).

Description

''L. coriaria'' rarely reaches its maximum height of because its growth is contorted by the

trade wind The trade winds or easterlies are the permanent east-to-west prevailing winds that flow in the Earth's equatorial region. The trade winds blow mainly from the northeast in the Northern Hemisphere and from the southeast in the Southern Hemisph ...

s that batter the exposed

coast The coast, also known as the coastline or seashore, is defined as the area where land meets the ocean, or as a line that forms the boundary between the land and the coastline. The Earth has around of coastline. Coasts are important zones in ...

al sites where it often grows. In other environments it grows into a low dome shape with a clear sub canopy space. Leaves are bipinnate, with 5–10 pairs of pinnae, each pinna with 15–25 pairs of leaflets; the individual leaflets are 7 mm long and 2 mm broad. The

fruit In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which flowering plants (also known as angiosperms) disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particu ...

is a twisted pod long.

Taxonomy

The species was first described by Nikolaus Joseph von Jacquin in 1763, as ''Poinciana coriaria''. In 1799,

Carl Ludwig Willdenow Carl Ludwig Willdenow (22 August 1765 – 10 July 1812) was a German botanist, pharmacist, and plant taxonomist. He is considered one of the founders of phytogeography, the study of the geographic distribution of plants. Willdenow was al ...

transferred it to the genus ''

Caesalpinia ''Caesalpinia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Fabaceae. Historically, membership within the genus has been highly variable, with different publications including anywhere from 70 to 165 species, depending largely on the inclusion o ...

'', and in 1830, Diederich von Schlechtendal transferred it to his newly created genus ''

Libidibia ''Libidibia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Fabaceae. It belongs to the subfamily Caesalpinioideae. Species ''Libidibia'' comprises the following species: * ''Libidibia coriaria'' (Jacq.) Schltdl.—divi-divi (Mexico, Central Amer ...

''. The genus ''Libidibia'' was not always accepted and the species was usually placed in ''Caesalpinia'', until molecular phylogenetic studies led to the reinstatement of ''Libidibia''.

Chemistry

Tannin Tannins (or tannoids) are a class of astringent, polyphenolic biomolecules that bind to and precipitate proteins and various other organic compounds including amino acids and alkaloids. The term ''tannin'' (from Anglo-Norman ''tanner'' ...

s are extracted from divi-divi pods for use in leather production. Among the molecules isolated is

corilagin Corilagin is an ellagitannin. Corilagin was first isolated in 1951 from Dividivi extract and from ''Caesalpinia coriaria'', hence the name of the molecule. It can also be found in '' Alchornea glandulosa'' and in the leaves of ''Punica granatum'' ( ...

, whose name comes from the specific epithet of the plant.

In culture

Divi-divi is the

national tree This is a list of national trees, most official, but some unofficial. National trees See also * National emblem * Floral emblem * List of U.S. State and territory trees References {{DEFAULTSORT:List Of National Trees N Trees In ...

of Curaçao. It is also very common and popular on Aruba.

Uses

According to the

FAO The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)french: link=no, Organisation des Nations unies pour l'alimentation et l'agriculture; it, Organizzazione delle Nazioni Unite per l'Alimentazione e l'Agricoltura is an intern ...

Ecocrop Ecocrop was a database used to determine the suitability of a crop for a specified environment. Developed by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) it provided information predicting crop viability in different locations ...

database, the pods provide tannin and a black dye used in the tanning industry and for ink. The pods also have medicinal properties. The hard, dark colored wood is used for carpentry. The tree can be planted for shade. Yields of pods may be 45–135 kg per tree per year.

References

External links

* * {{Tannin source Caesalpinieae Plants described in 1799 Symbols of La Guajira Department National symbols of Curaçao Trees of the Caribbean Trees of Central America Trees of Mexico Trees of Venezuela Trees of Guatemala Trees of Colombia Flora without expected TNC conservation status