Tiputree

Tipuana tipu, known as tipa, tipu tree or pride of Bolivia, is a large, fast-growing, semi-deciduous tree of the legume family (Fabaceae) native to the lowland and lower montane regions of Bolivia, northern Argentina and adjacent South America. It commonly reaches 10-25 m or more in height, with a broad, spreading, dome-shaped crown and a stout trunk bearing rough, furrowed, greyish bark. The leaves are alternate and pinnately compound, with many oblong, rounded-tipped leaflets giving a feathery appearance. In late spring and summer the tree produces abundant showy, pea-like flowers in apricot to golden-yellow racemes. The distinctive fruit is a one-seeded, winged samara resembling that of a maple, which spins as it falls and is carried by the wind. Widely planted as a street and shade tree in warm climates around the world, it favours deep, well-drained soils in subtropical and warm-temperate regions and tolerates drought once established.