Anadenanthera peregrina var. falcata is a timber tree native to Paraguay and Cerrado vegetation in Brazil, specially in Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, Minas Gerais, and São Paulo. A pioneer species of relative high establishment and growth rates, this plant is also used as an ornamental.
A 2024 molecular marker study of few hundred specimens sampled across Brazil and lowland Bolivia supports a four-species hypothesis (A. colubrina (Vell.) Brenan, A. macrocarpa (Benth.) Brenan, A. peregrina (L.) Speg., and A. falcata (Benth.) Speg) for the Anadenanthera genus as opposed to a two-species, four-variety hypothesis.