Luetzelburgia auriculata

Luetzelburgia auriculata, known in Portuguese as pau-serrote, is a small to medium tree of the legume family endemic to the Caatinga dry-forest region of semi-arid north-eastern Brazil. It is a deciduous, drought-adapted tree with a spreading crown, shedding its leaves through the long dry season. The leaves are pinnately compound with several leaflets that are often notched or eared (auriculate) at the base, a feature reflected in the epithet. During the dry period it produces showy papilionaceous (pea-type) flowers, typically in shades of yellow to orange, borne in branched clusters. These are followed by distinctive winged, samara-like pods (a characteristic of the genus) adapted for wind dispersal. The seeds are oil-rich. Well suited to the hot, drought-prone Caatinga, the tree develops swollen root tubers that store water and starch, an adaptation that allowed local people to use them as an emergency food during severe droughts.