Brosimum rubescens

Primary tabs

Brosimum rubescens

Description

Tree up to 40 m tall, usually monoecious. Branchlets sparsely to densely yellowish to greyish puberulous. Stipules connate, fully amplexicaul, 1-2.5(-3.5) cm long, puberulous to subvelutinous; petiole 0.2-1.3 cm long, when dry its periderm persisting; blade coriaceous to subcoriaceous, elliptic to narrowly elliptic or obovate to narrowly obovate, 2-13 x 1-6.5 cm, apex short to long-acuminate, base acute to obtuse, margin entire, glabrous above, glabrous to sparsely pubescent beneath, sometimes densely pubescent on the primary veins; primary vein almost plane above, veins slightly prominent to plane beneath, secondary veins 10-22 pairs, tertiary venation reticulate. Inflorescences usually bisexual, subglobose, subturbinate to hemispherical, 0.2-0.8 cm in diam.; peduncle 0.2-1.2 cm long. Staminate flowers few to numerous; perianth 0.1-0.5 mm high, 3-5 parted; stamens 1-3. Pistillate flowers 1 to several; stigmas 0.1-0.8 mm long. Infructescences (sub)globose, up to 1.5 cm in diam., at maturity reddish.

Distribution

Southern America: Panamá (Panamá present), tropical South America present
Wide-spread in tropical South America, also in Panama.

Common Name

Creole: bois d'arc, bois de lettre, bois satine, doekaliballi ibiberoebaria, lettre ravane, lettres rouges, pairi seine, satijnhout, satine gris, satine rubane, siton-paya

Uses

Valuable timber for furniture construction. Wood used to make bows.

Citation

Aubl. 1775: 4.: t. 372