Family: Fabaceae

A flowering tree with an open, spreading crown.

Similar to the monkeypod tree, tipu grows wider than tall. It is a nitrogen fixer that grows at a fast pace. Tipa requires full sun, making it an excellent shade tree. It is both wind and salt tolerant. It features fissured bark on the trunk, an attractive feature. Flowering occurs in the Spring and Summer. Butterflies and pollinators are attracted to the profuse yellow flowers. A golden carpet of spent flowers will litter the ground. Tipu is considered a low maintenance tree. Elegant winged pods are adapted for wind dispersal.

Plant Uses:

• Nitrogen fixer
• Ornamental
• Privacy / screening
• Shade
• Specimen
• Windbreak

Plant Dangers:

• No dangers

High Risk Traits:

• Broad climate suitability (tropical to warm temperate)
  
• Widely planted by people as an ornamental
  
• Wind-dispersed seeds (winged samaras)
  
• Tolerates cutting and regrows readily
  
• Nitrogen-fixing (can alter soil nutrients)

Low Risk Traits:

• Not naturalized
  
• No agricultural or horticultural weed status
  
• Lacks spines, thorns, or burrs
  
• Palatable to livestock
  
• Non-toxic to animals and humans
  
• Not allelopathic or parasitic
  
• Prefers full sun (not shade-tolerant)
  
• No persistent seed bank (non-dormant seeds)
  
• Large seeds, not prolifically produced
  
• Long generation time (8–10 years to seed)