''Lecythis ampla'' is a species of
woody plant in the family
Lecythidaceae, which also includes the
Brazil nut (''Bertholletia excelsa''). Common names include ''coco, olla de mono, jicaro'' and ''salero''.
It is found in Central and South America. It has been considered an endangered species in Costa Rica (IUCN, 1988).
Description
''Lecythis ampla'' is a large tree growing to in height with no branches on its lower part. It is
deciduous with most of the leaves dropping before it blooms and new leaves appearing in flushes with the flowers. The
bark
Bark may refer to:
* Bark (botany), an outer layer of a woody plant such as a tree or stick
* Bark (sound), a vocalization of some animals (which is commonly the dog)
Places
* Bark, Germany
* Bark, Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, Poland
Arts, ...
is greyish brown and vertically furrowed. The glossy leaves are alternate and elliptical with wavy edges. The flowers appear between May and July and are pollinated by bees. They have six petals that are either pink or pale mauve, but fade to white as the flower ages. The fruit is a woody
capsule up to that hangs from the branch. It resembles a little pot and when it is ripe, after about ten months, the lid comes off and the nuts fall to the forest floor.
Distribution
''Lecythis ampla'' is
endemic to Central America, extending from Nicaragua to Ecuador
[ and Brazil.][ It is common in wet forests on the Atlantic slope in Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama, and is found near the Pacific coast in Ecuador and in Colombia's Cauca and Magdalena valleys.
]
Ecology
In Costa Rica, this tree grows at low densities in the forest, but the seedlings are shade tolerant, and natural regeneration rates are high. It often grows in association with the oil tree ''Pentaclethra macroloba
''Pentaclethra macroloba'' is a large and common leguminous tree in the genus ''Pentaclethra'' native to the wet tropical areas of the northern Neotropics, which can form monoculture, monocultural stands in some seasonally flooded habitats. It ha ...
'', the almond ''Dipteryx panamensis
''Dipteryx oleifera'' (syns. ''Dipteryx panamensis'' and ''Coumarouna panamensis''), the eboe, choibá or almendro (almond in Spanish), is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae, native to Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Co ...
'' and the mahogany '' Carapa guianensis''. The seeds are eaten by pacas, agoutis and