Tabebuia rosea
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| Roble Sabana | ||||||||||||||
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| Tabebuia rosea DC |
Tabebuia rosea (Amapa, amapa rosa, amapola, apamate, cachahua, cul, hokab, ícotl, kokab, li-ma-ña, macuelis de bajo, macuelizo, macuil, macuilís, macuilixuatl, maculigua, maculís, maculishuate, maculiz, maculiz prieto, mano de león, maqueliz, maquile, maquilicua, maquilís, matilisquate, mayflower, orumo, palo blanco, palo de rosa, palo yugo, primavera, roble, roble blanco, roble colorado, roble de sabana, roble de San Luis, roble de yugo, roble del río, roble macuelizo, roble morado, roble prieto, roble sabanero, rosa morada, satanicua, tural, yaxté) is a neotropical tree that grows up to 30 m (1,181 in) and can reach a diameter at breast height of up to 100 cm (3 ft). The name Roble Sabana is widely used in Costa Rica meaning "savannah oak" in spanish, probably because it often remains in heavily deforested areas, where people price its intense flowering periods and because of the resemblance of its wood with the oak wood.
This species is distributed from southern México, to Venezuela and Ecuador. It has been found growing from sealevel to 1,200 m (3,937 ft), in temperatures ranging from 20°C to 30°C on average, with anual rainfall above 500 mm, and on soils with very variable pH.
The tree crown is wide, with irregular, stratified ramification and only few thick branches. The bark can be gray to brown, in varying darkness and may be vertically fissured. Leaves are compound, digitate and deciduous. Each leaf has 5 leaflets, of variable size, the middle one being the largest. Flowering occurs mainly in January and February, and is generally associated to dry periods; flowering has also been observed in August, September, April and May. Flowers are large, in various tones of pink and appear while the tree has none, or very few leaves. Pollination occurs probably by insects, although the flowers are visited by many birds like tanagers, hummingbirds and orioles. The long and slender fruit capsules can measure up to 35 cm (14 in) and appear from February through April. After drying fruit dehisce, releasing the anemochorus, hyaline-membrane-winged seeds. There is an average of 45,000 seeds per kg with up to 13% water content. Germination of seeds is extremely easy, efficient and easy, reaching almost 100%.
This tree is often seen in Neotropical cities, where it is often planted in parks and gradens. In the rainy season it offers great shade and in the dry season abundant flowers.
