Shrubby varieties are also found which are 4 - 7 m in height with a dense crown. Ecology Native to the cool, subtropical plateaus of southeastern Brazil, bracatinga thrives in low temperatures ranging from 12-18 C and tolerates infrequent frosts. It rarely occurs in areas with mean annual temperatures above 23 C. Bracatinga prefers an annual rainfall. To obtain rapid and uniform germaination, seeds are scarified by puring boiling water over them and stirring gently for 3 minutes. Seeds can then be soaked in tap water for 24-48 hours to accelerate germaination.
Successful establishment is also possible with bare-root seedlings.
Variation in growth and thickness of bark were detected between six seed sources collected in its native range. It has been suggested that M. scabrella is cross-pollinating. Fuelwood plantations in Brazil are commonly planted at spacings of 2 x 2 or 3 x 3 m and harvested on 3-7 yr. Sapwood is pinkish. The wood is used for lumlber and is straight-grained and medium textured with a moderately rough surface without luster.