Mimosa tenuiflora, syn. Mimosa hostilis · Caatinga, north-east Brazil
A guide to jurema preta (Mimosa hostilis): how to recognise the tree, grow it from seed in Europe, its Caatinga seasons, tradition, bark dye and the law.
April in Santa Terezinha, Paraíba: every tree in the sample in full green leaf, the first flower buds showing.August in Santa Terezinha, Paraíba: 20 % of crowns green, 40 % in flower, 60 % carrying ripe pods. Azevêdo et al. 2014
Share of jurema preta trees with each feature at Santa Terezinha, Paraíba, sampled every three months. The highlighted months belong to the season you have switched on.
Source: Azevêdo, Paes, Calegari and Nascimento, Revista Brasileira de Ciências Agrárias 9(1), 2014, table 1. Ten trees per sampling date.
Five stages, with the timings measured in Brazil and Mexico. Scroll to grow the tree.
Day 0
Oval, flat and light brown, about 110,000 to the kilo. The coat keeps water out: in one trial only 5 % of untreated seeds came up.
Embrapa; Benedito et al. 2017
1 minute
One minute in boiling water, or a nick in the coat. After 72 hours in water, 60 % of treated seeds showed a root tip, against 8 % of untreated seeds.
Embrapa; Benedito et al. 2017
5 to 10 days
Treated seed sown in warmth emerges in 5 to 10 days. Prick out after one to two weeks, or at 3 to 5 cm, into a deep pot: the taproot forms early.
Embrapa
12 to 14 weeks
The first fully adult, twice-divided leaf appears in weeks 12 to 14. In a nursery the plant is ready to plant out about three months after sowing.
Camargo-Ricalde and Grether 1998; Embrapa
5 years
In the wild the tree reaches about 4.5 m at five years; the largest trees approach 7 m with a trunk of 30 cm. In a pot it stays far smaller.
Azevêdo et al. 2014, citing Maia 2004; Embrapa
Jurema preta is Mimosa tenuiflora, a thorny tree of the legume family from the Caatinga, the dry forest of north-east Brazil. Older books and most shops call it Mimosa hostilis. It grows to about 7 metres, fixes nitrogen through bacteria in its root nodules, and is one of the first trees to colonise cleared or eroded ground (Embrapa).
This site covers the tree as a tree. You can read how to recognise it, what it does through the Caatinga year, how to raise it from seed on a European windowsill, the place of jurema in north-east Brazil, and why the bark has long been used for dye and leather. The root bark also contains DMT, a controlled substance almost everywhere, which is why the legal page matters before you order anything.
A packet of seeds is the simplest way to get to know the tree. The seeds are 3 to 4 mm long and have a hard coat that keeps water out, so untreated seed germinates poorly. In a Brazilian trial only 5 % of untreated seeds produced a seedling (Benedito et al. 2017); in a Mexican trial nicking the seed coat raised germination from 24 to 36 % to 84 to 89 % (Camargo-Ricalde and Grether 1998). Treated seed sown in warmth emerges in 5 to 10 days.
| If you want to | Choose | Why |
|---|---|---|
| try one or two plants on a windowsill | Mimosa hostilis seeds, 10 per packet | enough for a few attempts; the shop describes the tree as drought resistant, nitrogen fixing and rich in tannin |
| sow in a cool room or in early spring | seeds plus the small heating mat | germination is fastest around 25 °C; at 20 °C it is slower |
| raise a tray of seedlings | seeds plus the large heating mat | room for several pots at once |
| dye wool or cotton, in the Netherlands | inner root bark | tannin-rich bark, sold by the shop as a dye material and botanical specimen, not for consumption, 18+ |
Seeds and heating mats can be ordered from Avalon Magic Plants in the Netherlands. The root bark is offered here only for readers in the Netherlands, where the plant is not on any drug list; it is not for readers in the UK, the US, France or Germany. The legal page explains why, country by country.
Avalon Magic Plants
Mimosa Hostilis (Jurema Preta) 10 Seeds
€8.50View in shop
Avalon Magic Plants
Avalon Heating Mat Small - 14x15 cm
€14.95View in shop
Avalon Magic Plants
Avalon Heating Mat Large - 15x28 cm
€19.95View in shop
The tree's year is the thread through this site. Use the switch at the top to see the same forest in the dry season and the rainy season. The seasons page explains what changes and when, with the measurements behind it, and the growing guide turns that rhythm into a care plan for a pot in a European house.
