''Xylopia benthamii'' is a species of

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...

of the genus ''

Xylopia ''Xylopia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Annonaceae. They are mostly trees and some shrubs. There are about 160 species distributed in Asia, Africa, and the Americas.Moreira, I. C., Lago, J. H. G., Young, M. C. M., & Roque, N. F. ...

'', described by

Robert Elias Fries (Klas) Robert Elias Fries (11 July 1876, Uppsala – 29 January 1966, Stockholm), the youngest son of Theodor Magnus Fries (1832–1913) and grandson of Elias Magnus Fries(1794–1878) and an expert on mushrooms. A Swedish botanist who was a mem ...

in 1900. It contains one subspecies: ''Xylopia benthamii dolichopetala''. The species is native to Venezuela, Peru, Brazil and Bolivia.

Description

''Xylopia benthamii'' is

evergreen In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has foliage that remains green and functional through more than one growing season. This also pertains to plants that retain their foliage only in warm climates, and contrasts with deciduous plants, which ...

, growing up to 25 cm in height. The branches are hairy. The leaves are

lanceolate The following is a list of terms which are used to describe leaf morphology in the description and taxonomy of plants. Leaves may be simple (a single leaf blade or lamina) or compound (with several leaflets). The edge of the leaf may be regular o ...

in shape and measure 8 to 11 cm in length and 2.5 to 3 cm in width with hairs underneath when young then become hairless. The flowers are cup shaped and grow in clusters. They are up to 5mm in length and 8mm in diameter, with the outer lance-shaped petal growing from 2.8 to 4 cm in length. The fruit are an oblong shape and measure 3 to 3.5 cm long, 1.3 cm wide and 0.8 cm thick. They contain up to 8 oval seeds measuring 1 cm in diameter.

Uses

The fruit of the plant is used to relief stomach ache. The bark is used to make ropes and the wood is used for construction.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15367496 Flora of Brazil Flora of Bolivia Flora of Venezuela Flora of Peru benthamii Plants described in 1900