Cenostigma eriostachys - Iguano
Family:
Native to:
Habitat:
Fabaceae
Central America and parts of the Caribbean.
Tropical forests. Up to 1500 meters above sea level. 8 meter tall tree.
Ecological value:
Often fast growing. Prefers well-drained soils but tolerates poor soils as well. This species, although a member of the Fabaceae family, does not fix nitrogen. Controls erosion. Used as a live fence or hedge between fields.
Material uses:
Wood, dark brown and yellow, coarse textured. Another species in same genus, Caesalpinia echinata was once the source of a red dye.
Edible uses:
No record on this species.
Medicinal use:
No record on this species.
Other details:
Belongs to a genus of 15 species in the tropical Americas.
Research:
Hyejung Moon/Christine Facella
Sources:
“Cenostigma Eriostachys (Benth.) Gagnon & G.P.Lewis | Plants of the World Online | Kew Science.” n.d. Plants of the World Online. Accessed December 1, 2023. https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:77158074-1.
“Cenostigma Eriostachys - Useful Tropical Plants.” n.d. Tropical.theferns.info. Accessed December 1, 2023. https://tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Cenostigma+eriostachys.
Image source: Izamoi Nam (pictured here is C. macrophyllum).