Haematoxylon campechianum

 

Family: Belongs to the Caesalpiniaceae family, which includes Golden Shower (Cassia fistula), Flamboyant (Delonix regia) and Barbados Pride (Caesalpinia pulcherrima); but genus is a small one with only two species, both native to Central America.

Description: Slow growing, small, spiny tree with a broad crown; up to 10 m tall (33 ft); tree trunk and branches thorned, becoming fluted and gnarled with age; wood heavy and extremely hard; leaves usually pinnately compound, 5-10 cm long (2-4 in), with 2-4 pairs of inversely heart-shaped leaflets, 1-3 cm long (0.4-1.2 in); flowers borne in showy axillary racemes, 5-12 cm long (2-5 in), yellow, numerous, quite fragrant and very small, with petals 6-7 mm long (about 0.3 in); blooming December-March; pods are thin, flat and light brown, 3-5 cm long (1-2 in); two varieties - red heartwood and white.

 

Natural Habitat: Thrives in a hot, rather dry climate; in Dominica, a dominant of dry scrub on west coast to 200 m altitude (650 ft); propagation by seed.

 

Origin and Distribution: Native to Central America; introduced and widely naturalized in Jamaica and other Caribbean islands, and many South American countries.