Schinopsis balansae

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Schinopsis balansae
Source: Libro del Árbol, Tome II, Celulosa Argentina S. A., Buenos Aires, Argentina. Credit: Mr. Jorge Vallmitjana
Conservation status
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Eudicots
(unranked): Rosids
Order: Sapindales
Family: Anacardiaceae
Genus: Schinopsis
Species: S. balansae
Binomial name
Schinopsis balansae
Engl.

Schinopsis balansae is a hardwood tree which forms forests in the subtropical Gran Chaco ecoregion of north-eastern Argentina, and Paraguay. It is also found in the wild Pantanal vegetation in Brazil. Some of its common names are quebracho colorado chaqueño and quebracho santafesino. Other species, like Schinopsis lorentzii, bear the general name quebracho and have similar properties and uses. S. balansae shares its habitat with a species of the same genus, S. heterophylla, and the two are often confused.

This tree can reach 24 metres in height and more than one metre in diameter. Its trunk is elegant, straight, with a brownish-gray bark. Its wood is extremely heavy (relative density = 1.2). Its main use is the extraction of quebracho extract, which is 63% pure tannin.

The tree was declared Argentina's "National Forest Tree" in 1956.[1]

Chemistry

Leuco-fisetinidin, a flavan-3,4-diol (leucoanthocyanidin) and a monomer of the condensed tannins called profisetinidins, can be extracted from the heartwoods of S. balansae.[2]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Declárase "Arbol Forestal Nacional" al (Schinopsis Balansea Engl) "Quebracho colorado chaqueño"" (in Spanish). Secretaría de Ambiente y Desarrollo Sustentable de la Nación. 1956-08-21. Retrieved 2012-02-25. 
  2. ↑ Condensed Tannins - The isolation and distribution of interrelated heartwood components of Schinopsis spp.. D.G. Roux and E. Paulus, Biochem. J. (1961) 78, 785, 1961
  • Americas Regional Workshop (Conservation & Sustainable Management of Trees, Costa Rica, November 1996) (1998). Schinopsis balansae. 2006. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. www.iucnredlist.org. Retrieved on 12 May 2006.
  • (Portuguese) Pott, A.; Pott, V.J. (1994). Plantas do Pantanal. (Plants of Pantanal). EMBRAPA.  ISBN 85-85007-36-2
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