Description: A small tree, usually no more than 7 meters tall, usually with a leaning trunk and irregular branching. Crown is small, irregular, often with few leaves. The leaves are star-shaped, with pointed lobes, like the sweetgum Liquidambar) of North America, and toothed. Petioles are usually reddish, at least in part.

Reproduction: Flowers are large, bright yellow, with many yellow or orange stamen, very conspicuous during the December-January flowering period. Many trees are leafless when flowers are produced, but others have some leaves. Individual trees produce few flowers, and small plants no more than 2 meters tall can produce one or two flowers. Fruits are green pods filled with tiny seeds that have light fluff for wind transport.

Distribution: A widespread and common tree of pastures, farms, towns, and roadsides, throughout Panama. Never in the forest, even in natural tree-fall clearings, so it seldom appears in tree plots (which are nearly always in the forest). Apparently resistant to fire, because it is common in fields that burn regularly.

Similar Species: Most often noticed when it produces the spectacular yellow flowers, but even without, the star-shaped, lobed leaves should be easy to learn. The leaves resemble those of LK ceibpe Ceiba pentandra, LK2 or of the genus LK pochse Pachira, LK2 both species in the family Bombacaceae, but the Bombacaceae leaves are made up of separate leaflets, whereas Cochlospermum leaves are simple, with pointed lobes. Fruits of Cochlopermum also resemble the fruits of those Bombacaceae, and indeed the two familes are closely related.

Uses: The poro-poro grows readily from cut branches stuck in the ground, and it is sometimes planted as an ornamental.