Tabebuia rosea

Distribution and habitat

This species is distributed from southern Mexico to Venezuela and Ecuador. It has been found growing from sea level to 1200 m, in temperatures ranging from 20 °C to 30 °C on average, with annual rainfall above 500 mm, and on soils with very variable pH.

This tree is often seen in Neotropical cities, where it is often planted in parks and gardens. In the rainy season it offers shade and, in the dry season, abundant flowers are present on the defoliated trees.

Description

The tree is short, with irregular, stratified ramification and only a few, thick branches. The bark can be gray to brown, in varying darkness and may be vertically fissured. Leaves are compound, digitate and deciduous. Each leaf has five leaflets of variable size, the middle one being the largest. Flowering occurs mainly in January and February, and is generally associated with dry periods; although flowering has also been observed in August, September, April and May. Flowers are large, in various tones of pink to purple, and appear while the tree has few or no leaves. Pollination occurs probably by insects, although the flowers are visited by many birds such as tanagers, hummingbirds and orioles. The long and slender fruit capsules can measure up to 35 cm and appear from February through April. After the drying fruit dehisces, the anemochorous, hyaline-membrane-winged seeds are released. There are an average of 45,000 seeds per kg with up to 13% water content. Germination of seeds is extremely easy and efficient, reaching almost 100%. It is a fairly fast growing tree.

|Roble Sabana (Tabebuia rosea).jpg|Tree in bloom |紅花風鈴木 20190217173304.jpg|Inflorescence |TabebuiaRoseaSeedsAndPod (cropped).jpg|A pod and its winged seeds

Medicinal uses

Preparations of the bark of the tree are consumed to eliminate intestinal parasites, malaria and uterine cancer. A decoction of the bark is recommended for anemia and constipation. A decoction of the flowers, leaves and roots has been used to reduce fevers and pain, cause sweating, to treat tonsil inflammation and various other disorders.

Among the various active phytochemicals in the tree is lapachol, a natural organic compound isolated from various other Tabebuia species. Chemically, it is a derivative of naphthoquinone, related to vitamin K.

Once studied as a possible treatment for some types of cancer, lapachol's potential is now considered low due to its toxic side effects. Lapachol also has antimalarial and antitrypanosomal effects.

References

References

1. "The Plant List: A Working List of All Plant Species".
2. {{GRIN
3. Hernan Rodriguez Navas. 2007. La Utilidad de las Plantas Medicinales en Costa Rica. EUNA, Heredia, Costa Rica. 213pp.
4. Record, Samuel J. Lapachol. Tropical Woods (1925), 1 7-9.
5. (October 2002). "Fetal growth in rats treated with lapachol". Contraception.
6. Oral toxicology studies with lapachol. Morrison, Robert K.; Brown, Donald Emerson; Oleson, Jerome J.; Cooney, David A. [[Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology]] (1970), 17(1), 1-11.
7. (February 2001). "Toxicology of Lapachol in rats: embryolethality". Brazilian Journal of Biology.
8. (July 2007). "Reproductive toxicity of lapachol in adult male Wistar rats submitted to short-term treatment". Phytotherapy Research.
9. Gupta, M. 1995. 270 Plantas Medicinales Iberoamericanas. Santa Fe de Bogota. Convenio Andres Bello.