Parapiptadenia rigida is a perennial shrub or tree. It is not a threatened species. It is native to Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay. Common names include angico, angico-cedro, angico-do-banhado, angico-dos-montes, angico-verdadeiro, angico-vermelho (in Spanish angico is changed for anchico), guarucaia and paric.International Legume Database & Information Service (ILDIS)
Parapiptadenia rigida grows from about in height and it has a straight trunk which has slightly furrowed bark. The foliage is dark green and the flowers are greenish-yellow long. It blooms in the spring. The seed pods grow in length. The seeds are flat, oval and brown. It is found along the lengths of rivers.
Uses
Essential oils Essential oils from the tree are becoming more widely recognized in industrial fragrance production.Perfumer and Flavorist Magazine
Gum Gum from the tree can be used in the same way as gum arabic.Anadenanthera: Visionary Plant of Ancient South America By Constantino Manuel Torres, David B. Repke, p. 98
Traditional uses Extracts from the tree have astringent, expectorant, anti-diarrheal, and hemorrhage-arresting properties. PDF Múltiplos Usos de Espécies Vegetais Pela Farmacologia Guarani Através De Iinformações Històricas It is used for its antiseptic properties in southern Brazil.Bionews Online The bark has a high tannin content of 15.0%Google Books Anadenanthera: Visionary Plant of Ancient South America By Constantino Manuel Torres, David B. Repke p. 96 and it is used in folk medicine as a bitter-tasting tonic and body cleanser. It is used to treat rickets, lack of appetite and muscle weakness. Parapiptadenia rigida is psychoactive.Index of Rätsch, Christian. Enzyklopädie der psychoaktiven Pflanzen, Botanik, Ethnopharmakologie und Anwendungen, 7. Auflage. AT Verlag, 2004, 941 Seiten. at
Tannin The tree's bark contains 15.0% tannin.Anadenanthera: Visionary Plant of Ancient South America By Constantino Manuel Torres, David B. Repke
Wood Its dense, wood is resistant to the elements and is used for construction,Florestar Estatístico carpentry, beams for bridges, poles and firewood.Bericht ueber die Exkursion des Lehrstuhls fuer Vegetationsoekologie durch Suedamerika 2005 The wood is said to be unaffected by insects including termites and it can last more than 20 years unpainted.
Mechanical properties It has a "Janka Hardness" of 2300–3700 lb., a parallel "bending strength" of 16900 psi, a parallel "compression strength" of 8500 psi and a density of 720–1199 kg/m3 at a moisture content of 12–15%. Its modulus of elasticity is 157 801 kg/cm2.Ficha Técnica: Anchico Colorado (Spanish)
For hardwood flooring it is called "pepperwood".
References
External links Parapiptadenia rigida Photos