Andira coriacea aka St. Martin Rouge

Andira coriacea is an evergreen tree in the pea family, Fabaceae. Its common name is red cabbage bark tree. It comes from the Guianas in South America. Sources name French Guiana and Suriname within its range. It grows in rain forests and savannah forests. Kew places it in the wet tropical biome.

The tree forms a broad crown with a rounded, flat top. Garden data gives a height and spread of 66 feet [20 metres]. Forest accounts describe trees reaching 82 feet [25 metres]. Rare trees reach 131 feet [40 metres]. Small buttresses grow at the base of the trunk. The trunk can measure 2–3 feet [0.6–0.9 metres] across. It keeps its leaves year-round. Bees and other insects pollinate its flowers. The supplied sources give no bloom season or detailed fruit description.

This fast-growing tree suits warm conditions with moist soil. PFAF lists USDA hardiness zones 10–12. It accepts full sun or light shade. It grows in sand, loam, and clay, but needs good drainage. It tolerates mildly acid, neutral, and mildly alkaline soil. Seed is the listed means of propagation. Bacteria live in nodules on its roots and fix nitrogen. The tree uses some of that nitrogen. Nearby plants may also gain some benefit from it.

Its main recorded use is timber, often cut from wild trees. The heartwood ranges from pinkish brown to reddish brown. Pale bands give the wood a marked pattern. A clear boundary separates the heartwood from the outer sapwood. The grain may run straight or interlock, and the texture is coarse. The wood is heavy, hard, and elastic. It resists decay fungi, termites, and dry-wood borers. It can serve untreated in salt or brackish water. It dries fairly fast, with a small risk of cracks or warping. Once dry, it may still change shape in use. It also dulls cutting tools strongly.

Neither PFAF nor Useful Tropical Plants records edible or medicinal uses. That absence does not establish that the tree is safe. Useful Tropical Plants warns that its wood smoke may harm the eyes. The supplied evidence gives no species-specific account of garden pests or diseases. The wood's resistance to fungi and insects concerns timber, not living-tree health.