Ateleia glazioveana

Ateleia glazioveana, also called timbo, belongs to the pea family, Fabaceae. This deciduous tree comes from South America. Kew places its native range from Brazil to Misiones, Argentina. Plants For A Future also lists sites in Paraguay. It grows in Atlantic rainforest and other broadleaved forests. It favours forest edges, open ground, and areas of new growth. Kew places it within the seasonally dry tropical zone.

The tree forms a crown shaped like a vase. Reference listings give a height and spread of about 43 feet [13 metres]. Useful Tropical Plants gives a wider height range of 26–59 feet [8–18 metres]. The trunk can reach about 1–1.6 feet [0.3–0.5 metres] across. It sheds its leaves rather than keeping them year-round. Growth is fast, even from seed. Young trees can reach 13 feet [4 metres] within two years. Insects pollinate the flowers, and the tree produces large amounts of seed.

Grow it in full sun with moist, well-drained soil. Plants For A Future lists sand, loam, and clay as suitable. It also accepts mildly acid, neutral, and mildly alkaline soils. The same source gives USDA hardiness zones 10–12. Even young seedlings can cope with direct sun. Root nodules house bacteria that take nitrogen from the air. The tree uses some of this nitrogen. Nearby plants may also gain from it.

Its fast growth makes it useful for restoring native woodland. It can also help start a woodland garden within its native range. Yet the same traits can cause problems in open land. It seeds itself freely and has spread into pasture within its home range. The sources warn against planting it beyond that range because it may escape. People gather wild trees chiefly for fuel. The light wood also serves for boxes, laths, and basic indoor work. It does not last well when exposed to weather.

Neither plant-use source records edible or medicinal uses. Safety reports differ: Plants For A Future lists no known hazards. Useful Tropical Plants reports that the plant may poison mammals. That warning means the lack of recorded food uses should not imply safety. Fresh seed can sprout within 10–20 days in a sunny nursery bed. Seedlings may be ready for planting out in under five months.