Trees of Panama and Costa Rica by Condit Richard;Daguerre Nefertaris;Perez Rolando;

Author:Condit, Richard;Daguerre, Nefertaris;Perez, Rolando;
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Princeton University Press

Eight more Gustavia species are found in Panama, but they are sparse and seldom seen, and only one of those reaches Costa Rica. Some closely resemble G. superba. But others, such as G. dubia, have much smaller leaves.

Lecythis ampla (olla de mono, coco). A wet-forest giant. The trunk is straight and tall, unbranched until high. The gray bark has deep vertical fissures. Leaves are small, simple, alternate, finely toothed, regularly spaced along the branches, and in a flat plane. Flowers are large, pink, with hundreds of stamens packed in a ring. The fruit is an enormous and very heavy woody capsule with a top that comes free. Distribution: Known in wet forest on the Caribbean slope, but sparse and not common. Recognition: Fruits on the ground are unmistakable, and the huge fissured trunk is a good clue. Toothed, alternate leaves should recall Salicaceae, but this looks more like Humiriastrum diguense (Humiriaceae).

Four more Lecythis species are known in Panama, three of which are restricted to the eastern half of the country; the last is sparse in Panama and Costa Rica.

The only genus of Lecythidaceae we have not yet mentioned is Grias. The one species, G. cauliflora, has leaves very much like those of Gustavia superba, but they lack teeth and have short petioles (almost none at all).

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