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Evaluation of the mutagenic effects of plant compounds is fundamental for limiting the risks of exposure to these agents, and it is a requirement of the pharmaceutical industries for release and approval of new therapeutic agents. Erythrina velutina, popularly known as Mulungu, is an endemic plant of the semi-arid region of the Brazilian Northeast, and is used in popular medicine as a tranquilizing agent. In order to evaluate the genotoxic effects of the alcoholic extract of Mulungu's leaves, we used the in vivo micronucleus test in hematopoietic cells of adult Wistar rats. Fifty rats were treated with different concentrations of alcoholic extract (25, 50, and 100 mg kg(-1)) and with positive and negative controls (cyclofosfamide and distilled water, respectively), via oral gavage during 12 consecutive days (except the positive control). No significant differences were found in the incidence of micronucleated polychromatic erythrocytes (PCEMN), which indicates that the ingestion of the Mulungu leaf extract is not genotoxic at the concentrations tested.