Trees, to 12 m, armed. Stems, branches, and twigs with few lenticels, rarely hairy; short shoots present. Leaves: stipules 5+ mm, spiny (on most branches proximal to inflorescences); pet­iole to 1.2–5.5 cm, longer than rachis, strigulose or glabrous; pinnae 2, rachis 8–13(–17) mm; leaflets 2 per pinna, blades obliquely ellip­tic or oblong- to ovate-elliptic, 1.8–3(–5.5) × 0.7–1.7(–3) cm, base oblique to slightly semicordate, margins entire, flat, apex usually acute, rarely ± rounded and slightly emarginate, brochidodromous venation more conspicuous adaxially, main vein subcentral, surfaces gla­brous, abaxially rarely glabrescent. Peduncles: primary peduncle terete, axis to 10 cm, pubescent, secondary peduncles to 2 cm, pubescent; glandular bract present at base. Heads spherical capitula, 15–30-flowered. Bracteoles triangular, 0.8 mm, puberulous abaxially. Flowers: calyx campanulate, 1.5–2 mm, lobes 0.5 mm, strigulose; corolla campanulate, to 3–4.5 mm, lobes 5 or 6; stamens white or dirty cream, tube to 2–3.5 mm; ovary to 2 mm, pubescent, stipe to 1.8 mm. Legumes recurved to coiled (especially at dehiscence), margin constricted between seeds, 10–20 × 1–1.5 cm, base attenuate, apex cuspidate, without a beak, puberulous, veins reticulate; stipe less than 1 cm. Seeds 8–12, slightly pendulous, 7–11 × 6–12 mm; aril white or pinkish, covering nearly all of seed. 2n = 26.

Phenology: Flowering year-round.
Habitat: introduced also in West Indies (Bahamas, Greater Antilles, Lesser Antilles), Asia (Bangladesh, China), Africa, Pacific Islands (Guam, Hawaii, Philippines)..
Elevation: 0–100 m.

Distribution

• Generated Map
• Legacy Map

Introduced; Fla., Tex., Mexico (Baja California, Guerrero, Jalisco, Michoacán, Morelos, Nayarit, Oaxaca, Puebla, Quintana Roo, Sinaloa, Sonora, Yucatán), Central America, South America (Brazil, Colombia, Guyana, Venezuela), introduced also in West Indies (Bahamas, Greater Antilles, Lesser Antilles), Asia (Bangladesh, China), Africa, Pacific Islands (Guam, Hawaii, Philippines).

Discussion

Pithecellobium dulce is introduced and naturalized widely in the tropics, where it is planted as a source of dye, food, and forage.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.