Sterculia apetala

''Sterculia apetala'', commonly known as the Panama tree, camoruco, manduvi tree or anacagüita, is a species of flowering plants in the family Malvaceae. It is found in Central and South America, as well as the Caribbean islands. ''Sterculia apetala'' is recognized as the national tree of the Republic of Panama.

Description

''Sterculia apetala'' is perennial and deciduous. Trunks are straight, cylindrical, and have large buttresses at the base. Height ranges from 20–40 meters.

Leaves are alternate, palmate with five lobes, and cluster densely at the end of branches. Including the petiole, leaf length ranges from 15-50 centimeters.

Flowers are purple and yellow, and have five sepals. ''S. apetala'' flowers have no petals; structures that resemble them are in fact sepals. Flower diameter ranges between 2.5-3.5 centimeters. These flowers are unisexual, meaning there are distinct male and female individuals used for reproduction.

Fruit are compounds of up to five follicles, stemming from peduncles that can reach as long as 30 centimeters. Inside the follicles are seeds, as well as orange urticating hairs that may cause pain when touched. Naturally, the tree typically flowers and bears fruit between December and March.

Seeds are black ellipsoids, typically with the dimensions 2.5 x 1.5 centimeters. These seeds contain sterculic acid and malvalic acid, two types of cyclopropene fatty acids. Antioxidant compounds can be obtained from the seeds via continuous or batch extractions using water or ethanol as solvents.

Taxonomy and nomenclature

''Sterculia apetala'' belongs to the genus '' Sterculia'', classified under the mallow family Malvaceae. Apetala is one of 150 known species of ''Sterculia''.

The generic name ''Sterculia'' is derived from the Latin word "stercus", which translates to "excrement". This is because of the strong odor characteristic of flowers and leaves within this genus.

Distribution

''Sterculia apetala'' is found in the tropical regions of Bermuda, Mexico, Barbados, Belize, Cuba, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Montserrat, Panama, Puerto Rico, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Trinidad and Tobago, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela.

Uses

Wood from ''Sterculia apetala'' is used to produce cases, crates, industrial and domestic woodware, canoes, and tool handles. The tree is often grown for shade, resulting from its large leaves. In some regions, seeds are consumed after being boiled or roasted, used to flavor chocolate, or given to animals as fodder. The flowers are used as antitussive.

Conservation

In the Pantanal wetlands of Central Brazil, the endangered hyacinth macaw (''Anodorhynchus hyacinthinus'') makes its nest almost exclusively in the natural hollows of ''S. apetala''.

Gallery

File:Árbol Panamá - Sterculia apetala - Árbol Nacional de Panamá 10.JPG, ''Sterculia apetala'' tree and leaves
File:Sterculia apetala fruits - Frutas de Sterculia apetala, árbol Panamá G.JPG, ''S. apetala'' fruit
File:Sterculia apetala fruit.JPG, ''S. apetala'' follicle and seeds
File:Sterculia apetala 002 Anacagüita.jpg, ''S. apetala'' fruit and flowers
File:Arbol Panama (Sterculia apetala) en flor.JPG, ''S. apetala'' flower cluster
File:Sterculia Apetala Flowers; Ala Moana Park; Wendy Cutler.jpg, ''S. apetala'' individual flowers
File:Sterculia apetala 001 Anacagüita.jpg, ''S. apetala'' old trees
File:Sterculia apetala 005 Anacagüita.jpg, ''S. apetala'' trunk and bark

References

External links

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{{Taxonbar, from=Q5436961

apetala
Trees of Peru