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Luehea speciosa Willd.
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Family: Tiliaceae
Guácimo molenillo, more...guácimo tortugo
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Description: A small tree, usually no more than 10 m tall. Leaves are alternate, regularly spaced only branches, and have three principle veins emerging from the leaf base. Underside of the leaf is conspicuously white, due to fine white hairs. Reproduction: Produces large, white, Hibiscus-like flowers in December, usually finished by early January, with few flowers on a tree. The flowers are 10 or more cm across, with many stamen. Fruits?? Distribution: Never very common, only occurs from Gamboa south to the Pacific coast. There are a few individuals along the forest edge in Gamboa, and some along the road near Summit Garden and the Summit Golf Course. Occurs widely in the secondary forests around Panama City, but never common. Similar Species: The white leaf undersides with palmate venation are distinctive, unlike any other tree of the area. In December, the large white flowers are easy to spot, even from a distance, once they are learned. The other Luehea, LK luehse L. seemannii, LK2 has leaves just like L. speciosa, but brown underneath rather than white; be careful in small saplings, though, since L. seemanni leaves can be whitish then, and the two species hard to separate. The contrast in flowers between L. speciosa and L. seemanni is striking -- the latter much smaller with tiny petals. Tree, 5-20 (25) m tall, to 70 cm dbh, the pubescence stellate, ferruginous, dense except on upper leaf surface, the older stems +/- glabrous. Leaves deciduous; stipules ovate-lanceolate, 10-20 mm long, subpersistent; petioles 8-12 mm long; blades broadly elliptic to ovate, abruptly acuminate at apex, truncate, rounded or subcordate and sometimes inequilateral at base, 8-24 cm long, 6-12 cm wide, serrate. Panicles open, terminal or upper-axillary, to 12 cm long; pedicels 1-3.5 cm long; bracteoles 9 or 10, deciduous, lanceolate-linear, to 2 cm long and 4 mm wide, stellate-pubescent on both sides; flowers 5-parted; sepals lanceolate-oblong, 3-4 cm long, to 9 mm wide, glabrous inside; petals light yellow, obovate, to 3.5 cm long and 1.5 cm wide, glabrous but with villous base inside, the margin irregular; stamens many, in 5 or 10 clusters, densely white-hirsute at base, l-2 cm long; style 1.5-2.5 cm long; stigma capitate. Capsules oblong-obovate, to 4.5 cm long and 1.5 cm wide, obtusely 5-angled, rounded at apex, woody, ferruginous-tomentose; seeds very numerous, winged, flattened, oblique, ca 10 mm long and 4 mm wide, overlapping in 2 rows in each of 5 carpels, the valves opening slightly at maturity. Croat 4222, 7871. Mexico to Colombia and Brazil (as far south as Saõ Paulo fide Rizzini, 1971); Cuba. In Panama, known from tropical moist forest in the Canal Zone, Colón, San Blas, Herrera, Panama, and Darien, from tropical dry forest in Coclé and Panama (Taboga Island), from premontane moist forest in the Canal Zone and Panama, from premontane wet forest in Coclé and Panama, and from tropical wet forest in Panama and Darien. Descripción: Árbol de 5 a 20 m de alto. Tronco con raíces tablares pequeñas en la base. Corteza exterior gris. Ramitas terminales con pelos ferruginosos. Hojas simples y alternas, de 9-22 x 5-14 cm, oblongas a obovadas, con ápice acuminado, bordes dentados, a veces revolutos por el envés, base redondeada o subcordada y ligeramente asimétrica. Las hojas son verdes en el haz y blancas o grises por el envés, presentan tres nervaduras que salen a partir de la base y numerosas nervaduras secundarias que salen perpendiculares a estas, formando un patrón tipo escalera. Estípulas persistentes en los extremos apicales de las ramitas. Pecíolo de 0.5-1 cm de largo. Flores blancas. Frutos en cápsulas leñosas, de 2.5-4.5 cm de largo, con cinco surcos longitudinales profundos, verdes o marrón, tornándose negros y dehiscentes al madurar. Semillas aladas. Datos Ecológicos: La especie crece a bajas y medianas elevaciones, en lugares secos o húmedos. Común y ampliamente distribuida en bosques secundarios secos de Panamá. Deja caer sus hojas parcialmente durante la estación seca, pero las repone a inicios de la estación lluviosa. Florece y fructifica de noviembre a junio. Las flores son visitadas por abejas y otros insectos. Las semillas son dispersadas por el viento. Especies Parecidas: A menudo se confunde con LK luehse Luehea seemannii LK2 , pero en L. seemannii las hojas tienen el envés marrón castaño y las flores y los frutos son más pequeños. Usos: La madera es empleada en la elaboración de cajones, tableros, aglomerados, leña y pulpa para papel. La fibra de la corteza es fuerte y se usa como cuerda para amarrar. |
