Caesalpinia spinosa

Caesalpinia spinosa subsp. var.	Tara
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Caesalpinia spinosa (Molina) Kuntze, commonly known as tara, is a small leguminous tree or thorny shrub native to Peru. C. spinosa is cultivated as a source of tannins and also grown as an ornamental plant because of its large colorful flowers and pods.

C. spinosa typically grows 2-5 m tall; its bark is dark gray with scattered prickles and hairy twigs. Leaves are alternate, evergreen, lacking stipules, bipinnate, and lacking petiolar and rachis glands. Leaves consist of 3-10 pairs of primary leaflets under 8cm in length, and 5-7 pairs of subsessile elliptic secondary leaflets, each about 1.5-4cm long. Inflorescences are 15-20cm long terminal racemes, many flowered and covered in tiny hairs. Flowers are yellow to orange with 6-7mm petals; the lowest sepal is boat-shaped with many long marginal teeth; stamens are yellow, irregular in length and barely protruding. The fruit is a flat, oblong indehiscent pod, about 6-12cm long and 2.5cm wide, containing 4-7 round black seeds, and will redden when mature.

C. spinosa is native to Peru and can be found growing throughout northern, western and southern South America, from Venezuela to Argentina. It has been introduced in drier parts of Asia, the Middle East and Africa and has become naturalized in California.

Cultivation

It will grow between 0 and 3,000 meters above sea level, tolerates dry climates and poor soils including those high in sand and rocks. To propagate, seeds must be scarified (pre-treated to break physical dormancy), and young plants should be transplanted to the field at 40cm in height; trees begin to produce after 4-5 years. Mature pods are usually harvested by hand and typically sun dried before processing. If well irrigated, trees can continue to produce for another 80 years, though their highest production is between 15 and 65 years of age.

Pests and diseases

Generally resistant to most pathogens and pests.

Gallery

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References

• Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture, by L. H. Bailey, MacMillan Co., 1963

External links

• w:Caesalpinia spinosa. Some of the material on this page may be from Wikipedia, under the Creative Commons license.
• Caesalpinia spinosa QR Code (Size 50, 100, 200, 500)