''Coccoloba caracasana'' (from Greek ''kokkolobis'', the ancient name given to a vine by the appearance of its fruit) is a tree in the family
Polygonaceae
The Polygonaceae are a family of flowering plants known informally as the knotweed family or smartweed—buckwheat family in the United States. The name is based on the genus ''Polygonum'', and was first used by Antoine Laurent de Jussieu in 1789 ...
.
It is known by the common name papaturro.
General description
Vegetative
This is a small to medium tree, often with multiple
trunks, puberulent to glabrescent
stems. The leaves are broadly oblong or suborbicular, rounded to truncate to subcordate at the base.
Reproductive
The flowers are small, greenish and fragrant, arranged in
racemose inflorescences clustered in terminal and lateral spikes. The fruit is an
achene
An achene (; ), also sometimes called akene and occasionally achenium or achenocarp, is a type of simple dry fruit produced by many species of flowering plants. Achenes are monocarpellate (formed from one carpel) and indehiscent (they do not ope ...
with a semipulpous edible flesh.
Economic and ecological aspects
The distribution of this tree ranges from
El Salvador
El Salvador (; , meaning " The Saviour"), officially the Republic of El Salvador ( es, República de El Salvador), is a country in Central America. It is bordered on the northeast by Honduras, on the northwest by Guatemala, and on the south b ...
to
Panama
Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Cos ...
and northern
South America
South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...
, where it is most common in the Pacific regions. It prefers sandy, loose and wet soil; it may be found along rivers. Economically, the species is useful for its edible fruit. The wood is used as firewood and for poles. The foliage is
ornamental and hung for shade.
External links
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References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q5139189
caracasana