page_title: Mimosa tenuiflora
section_title: Description
hierarchical_section_title: Mimosa tenuiflora / Description
caption_attribution_description: Mimosa tenuiflora, Jurema stem
context_page_description: Mimosa tenuiflora, syn. Mimosa hostilis, also known as jurema preta, calumbi, tepezcohuite, carbonal, cabrera, jurema, black jurema, and binho de jurema, is a perennial tree or shrub native to the northeastern region of Brazil and found as far north as southern Mexico, and the following countries: El Salvador, Honduras, Panama, Colombia and Venezuela. It is most often found in lower altitudes, but it can be found as high as 1,000 m.
context_section_description: The fern-like branches have leaves that are Mimosa like, finely pinnate, growing to 5 cm (2.0 in) long.  Each compound leaf contains 15–33 pairs of bright green leaflets 5–6 mm (0.20–0.24 in) long.  The tree itself grows up to 8 m (26 ft) tall and it can reach 4–5 m (13–16 ft) tall in less than 5 years.  The white, fragrant flowers occur in loosely cylindrical spikes 4–8 cm (1.6–3.1 in) long. In the Northern Hemisphere it blossoms and produces fruit from November to June or July.  In the Southern Hemisphere it blooms primarily from September to January.  The fruit is brittle and averages 2.5–5 cm (0.98–1.97 in) long.  Each pod contains 4–6 seeds that are oval, flat, light brown and 3–4 mm (0.12–0.16 in) in diameter.  There are about 145 seeds/1 g (0.035 oz).  In the Southern Hemisphere, the fruit ripens from February to April.
  The tree's bark is dark brown to gray.  It splits lengthwise and the inside is reddish brown.
  The tree's wood is dark reddish brown with a yellow center.  It is very dense, durable and strong, having a density of about 1.11 g/cm³.
  Mimosa tenuiflora does very well after a forest fire, or other major ecological disturbance.  It is a prolific pioneer plant.  It drops its leaves on the ground, continuously forming a thin layer of mulch and eventually humus.  Along with its ability to fix nitrogen, the tree conditions the soil, making it ready for other plant species to come along.
caption: Small Mimosa tenuiflora stem and roots
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