Neltuma kuntzei
Neltuma kuntzei is a South American leguminous tree species that inhabits the westernmost Gran Chaco forests covering areas of Argentina, Bolivia, and Paraguay. It has also been able to colonize the nearby pasture sabanas. It is commonly referred to as itín, palo mataco, carandá or barba de tigre. It is adapted to arid climate, but can also survive flooded ground for a long time.
Morphology
It is a smooth tree, 4 to 10 meters high. Its trunk measures 40 to 60 cm in diameter and is highly branched and rigid, presenting uncountable spines. Leaves are small, bipinnate, tending to fall very early in spring after young sprouts become spines themselves. Inflorescence consists of lonely appearing racemes 3–7 cm long. Flowers are white-yellowish, scented, and 3 mm long. The fruit is a dehiscent dark violet pod, 10–17 cm long, straight shaped and heavily scented. It contains a starchy paste inside. Seeds are flat, egg-shaped of chestnut colour. They measure 7-1 0 mm long and 5–6 mm wide. Wide new sprouts come out between July and November.This tree flowers between September and November and fructifies between December and January, holding its fruits until early August.
The sapwood is light yellow, while the heartwood is chestnut brown with patches of dark violet. The wood has a fine texture and straight to wavy to interlocked grain. When first chopped it is very scented. This species wood is one of the densest and notably most durable of the genus.