Swartzia ingifolia

Swartzia ingifolia is an evergreen tree in the pea family, Fabaceae. It grows in the wet tropics of South America, in rainforest. Kew gives its native range as Amazonas in Brazil. Other sources give a wider range: northern Brazil and Bolivia. Useful Tropical Plants lists it as a wild tree. People cut its wood for local use and export. Its main known use is timber, not food.

Reference tables give a height of about 66 feet [20 metres]. PFAF gives the same spread: 66 feet [20 metres]. Both garden sources report trees reaching 98 feet [30 metres]. These sizes make it a large tree, not a small garden plant. Its trunk grows straight and is round in cross-section. It can reach 1.3–2 feet [0.4–0.6 metres] across. PFAF says the tree grows fast. The accounts give no details on leaves, bark, flowers, or fruit.

PFAF lists this tree for USDA zones 10–12. It needs an open site with no shade. It prefers moist soil that drains well. It can grow in sand, loam, or clay. The stated soil range is from mildly acid to mildly alkaline. The sources list seed as the way to grow new trees. They give no more details on seed treatment or sowing. Many pea-family trees pair with soil bacteria that fix nitrogen. This tree is said to lack those links.

The heartwood is dark brown, with fine, paler streaks. A clear line marks it off from the light yellow sapwood. The grain can be straight or interlock a little. The wood is very heavy, hard, strong, and elastic. It strongly resists fungi, dry-wood borers, and termites. These reports concern how well the wood lasts. They do not describe the health of live trees. People use the wood for furniture, cabinets, and musical instruments. Other uses include floors, panels, carvings, and veneer.

The timber has limits when people work with it. It dries at a slow rate and may split as it dries. Once dry, it can still change shape in use. The hard wood dulls cutting tools. The sources advise using tools made for such work. Nails and screws need holes drilled first. Glue does not bond well. Small yields of heartwood also limit its use. Neither garden source lists uses as food or medicine. This lack of records does not mean it is safe to eat. The evidence gives no toxicity review for this species.