Eperua is a genus of leguminous trees in the family Fabaceae, subfamily Detarioideae (order Fabales), first described by Jean Baptiste Christophore Fusée Aublet in 1775. GBIF's backbone taxonomy recognizes about 27 taxa under the genus, and Wikipedia lists 16 accepted species.
Eperua trees are native to the rainforests of northern South America, occurring in Colombia, Venezuela, the Guianas, and northern Brazil, typically growing in jungle habitats along rivers and streams. Several species reach around 30 m in height, with grey-brown bark and pinnately compound leaves bearing smooth-margined, obovate leaflets. Flowers are bell-shaped and borne in terminal or subterminal clusters; petals are red, or red and white, and flowers combine fertile stamens (commonly 5 or 10, depending on species) with sterile ones in some species. The fruits are long, flattened pods — up to 20-30 cm long and several centimetres wide — containing a small number of flat seeds.
Well-known members include Eperua falcata and Eperua grandiflora, both known locally as "wallaba" (or bijlhout) in Suriname, Guyana, and French Guiana, and Eperua rubiginosa and Eperua schomburgkiana, which share the tall, single-trunked rainforest tree habit typical of the genus. The durable timber of E. falcata, marketed as wallaba wood, is widely used in construction in the Guianas.
Distribution
Species of Eperua are native to northern South America, found in Colombia, Venezuela, the Guianas (Suriname, Guyana, French Guiana), and northern Brazil.
Ecology
Eperua trees grow in rainforest ("jungle") habitats, often along rivers or streams.
Cultural Uses
The timber of Eperua falcata, known locally as wallaba (or bijlhout), is widely used in construction in Suriname, Guyana, and French Guiana.
Taxonomy Notes
Eperua belongs to the legume family Fabaceae, subfamily Detarioideae, order Fabales. The genus was published by Aublet in Histoire des plantes de la Guiane françoise, vol. 1, p. 369 (1775).
