In the dry season the fence lines bloom pink. That is madero negro, a fast legume that farmers cut and plant as posts, and that repays them with flowers, shade, firewood and leaf litter that feeds the pasture.
Where you’ll see it
Fence lines, pasture, gardens and roadsides across the province. Look for the pea-shaped pink and white flowers on leafless branches from December on.
What to know
A nitrogen-fixing legume, so it improves the soil it grows in, and the leaves make a rich green manure and cattle fodder. The name means black wood for the dark heartwood. The Spanish common name in some places is mata ratón, rat killer, because the seeds and bark ground with corn have been used as a rodent poison for centuries. It is a useful, generous tree, and one to keep chewing puppies away from.
