Trees · Fabaceae
Tipu tree
Tipuana tipu
Spanish TipuanaCatalan TipuanaIntroduced10–20 mDeciduous
A big street tree with compound leaves of oval leaflets and a shower of yellow flowers in early summer.
- LeafBroad and flat
- LeafLeaflets in two rows
- ShapeOval
- EdgeSmooth
- On the twigOne at a time, staggered
- In winterNo, it loses them
- BarkFurrowed
- FruitWinged
The leaf
A compound leaf of 11 to 25 oval, elongated leaflets, with a rounded or slightly notched tip and a smooth edge. It is bare only very briefly, at the end of winter.
The bark
Dark brown and thick, with deep lengthwise fissures.
The fruit
A samara about 5 cm long with the seed at the base and a wing on one side, rather like a maple's.
The flower
Orange-yellow, butterfly-shaped flowers in clusters. They open at the start of summer and carpet the pavements.
- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul
- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec
Habit
A large, fast-growing tree with a very broad crown and long, slightly drooping branches.
Where it grows
Widely planted in the streets of Barcelona and other towns along the Catalan coast. It comes from Bolivia and northern Argentina and does not cope well with hard frosts.
What it can be mistaken for
The black locust has spines, white flowers and pods. The Japanese pagoda tree has pointed leaflets, creamy white flowers at the end of summer and pods like a string of beads.
A story
In Argentina it is known as the tipa and is one of the commonest street trees in Buenos Aires. Its winged fruit spins like a propeller as it falls, just like a maple's.