Pau D'Arco
Tabebuia impetiginosa
Family: Bignoniaceae
Tropical tree native to South America. Increasingly rare. The
flowers are exotic, bright pink and catching. The wood is easily bent and
shaped for shelter making, garden fencing and trellis work. The inner
bark, occurring in thin flakes, is made into a tea, decoction or tincture,
used for blood purification and as a folk anticancer agent. Cultivation:
Large, flat, complex and fragile seeds must be protected from breakage.
Fill a gallon pot nearly full with potting soil, place the seed flat on
the surface, cover with 1/4 inch of sifted soil and tamp. Keep warm
and evenly moist. Germination is in one or two weeks. Keep
plants in pots for at least a year before transplanting. This tree
is not frost hardy, and may be grown in cold winter areas only indoors
or in greenhouses.
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