Pleodendron macranthum
(Baill.) Tiegh.
Chupacallos, Acetillo
(c) Elix Hernandez, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Elix Hernandez
(c) Mario, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
What to Eat
Edible parts: Fruit
The fruit is eaten.
Where to Find It
It is a tropical plant. It grows in lowland limestone regions in Puerto Rico.
Puerto Rico, West Indies,
How to Identify
A tree. It grows about 12 m tall. The trunk is about 25 cm across. The twigs are brown, slender and without hairs. The leaves are narrowly oval and up to 12 cm long by 5 cm wide. The upper surface is shiny and the lower surface is dull green. The flowers are large and yellowish-white and occur singly at the base of the leaves. The fruit are green and turn purplish black. They have a smell like oranges.
Wikipedia
Source ↗Pleodendron macranthum (chupacallos) is a rare species of tree in the family Canellaceae. It is endemic to Puerto Rico, where there are only three tiny populations remaining. Two individual plants are located in El Yunque and 8 to 10 plants remain in Río Abajo State Forest. This tree is a federally listed endangered species of the United States. This evergreen tree grows up to 10 meters tall and 20 centimeters in diameter. The wood is hard and white in color. The leathery leaves are up to 12.5 centimeters long by 5 wide. The blades are dark green, shiny, and smooth on the edges. Flowers occur singly in the leaf axils. The flower is 2 centimeters wide and has 12 petals. The fruit ripens purple-black and is about 2 centimeters wide. This tree is rare and limited in distribution because of deforestation and habitat modification in the forests of Puerto Rico.
Notes
It is a rare species.
Names & Synonyms
References (2)
- J. Bot. (Morot) 13:272. 1899
- Little, E. L., et al, 1974, Trees of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. USDA Handbook 449. Forestry Service. p 570
