Copaifera langsdorffii

Copaifera langsdorfii in a park in São Paulo, Brazil.

Copaifera langsdorffii is a species in the subfamily of carob plants ( Caesalpinioideae ) within the legume family ( Fabaceae ). This native to the Brazilian rain forest tree, in English also known as diesel tree, is considered one of the richest plant species for the production of renewable fuels.

Description

Copaifera langsdorffii grows as evergreen tree reaching heights of growth from 20 to 35 meters and a trunk diameter of 1 meter. The paired pinnate leaves are 5-10 cm long and consist of two to four pair more or less against permanent leaflets. The stalked leaflets are 2-6 cm long, dotted 1.2 to 2.5 cm wide and glandular.

In terminal racemose or paniculate inflorescences many composite flowers are borne. The short- stalked flowers are whitish. The four concave sepals are glabrous outside and inside hairy fluffy. Petals absent. The rare to eight, usually ten stamens are free.

It formed small, yellow to dark red, oily fruits are ovoid and 2 × 3 cm in size and contained only one seed. The large, black seeds are partially covered by a thick aril.

Use as fuel

The wood is very light due to its porosity. The pores of the timber are filled with oil. For tapping of the oil, a hole is cut into the wood, where the oil collects and can be included there. Fall per year per tree at about 50 liters of oil. When the oil is not about triglycerides, but mixtures of terpenes. The storage stability of the fuel thus obtained is described as poor.

Income of about 10,000 liters per hectare per year are possible. However, the tree grows only slowly outside the tropics and is sensitive. In Australia, the first plantations were created. The wood is usually burned.

Swell

• Data sheet of the Center for New Crops & Plant Products, Purdue University.
• Sheet at AgroForestryTree Database.
• Copaifera langsdorffii. www.catbull.com. Retrieved on 29 October 2009.