Leptolobium tenuifolium
Overview
A detailed profile for this species is sourced from the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species as assessments become available.
Leptolobium tenuifolium faces severe pressure from agricultural expansion and cattle ranching across its limited range in Brazil's Cerrado savanna. Habitat fragmentation has isolated remaining populations, reducing genetic diversity and limiting natural regeneration. Urban development and infrastructure projects continue to encroach on the species' remaining strongholds, while altered fire regimes disrupt the natural ecological processes this leguminous tree depends upon.
Habitat
This endemic Brazilian tree inhabits the Cerrado savanna ecosystem, particularly favoring well-drained soils in gallery forests and woodland margins. It occurs in transitional zones between open grassland and denser forest formations, where it benefits from the region's distinct wet and dry seasonal patterns.