Cariniana legalis

Cariniana legalis
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Ericales
Family: Lecythidaceae
Genus: Cariniana
Species:
C. legalis
Binomial name
Cariniana legalis
(Martius) Kuntze

Cariniana legalis is a species of emergent rainforest tree in the Monkeypot family Lecythidaceae. It is found in the Atlantic forest of south-eastern Brazil, where is known as jequitibá-branco or jequitibá-rosa, and possibly found in Colombia, and Venezuela. These trees can be very large. A C. legalis measured by botanical explorer David Fairchild was 62 feet (19 meters) in circumference with no buttresses at six feet (two meters) above ground.[2]

One of the biggest trees in the Atlantic Forest, there are some old trees in Santa Rita do Passa Quatro and near Petrópolis. One of these trees is more than 3 000 years old.

It is threatened by habitat loss.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference iucn was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Fairchild, David G. (May 1901). "Coffee Growing in Brazil and the Giant Jequitiba Trees". Botanical Gazette. 31 (5): 353–354.