Description: A tall tree with a straight, cylindrical trunk. Large individuals are moderately buttressed at the base. The bark has deep fissures and horizontal fissures that create rectangular plates of a regular size, hence it is referred to as "alligator bark". Leaves are simple, alternate, held at many angles from branches. They are long, narrow, and with conspicuous and fine teeth. On the petiole just below the leaf base, there are two stalked glands, sometimes long enough that they can seen with binoculars in the canopy. In young plants, the petiole is reddish. Broken leaves or cut bark produce rapidly flowing white latex.

Reproduction: Large trees are completely deciduous during the second half of the dry season. Flowers are reddish-purple, on stalks at the end of branches, produced from May to July. The fruit is a capsule with three sections, green then maturing purple from July to October. There are three seeds within, each covered with a hard red pulp.

Distribution: Widespread throughout the area, but mostly uncommon. Fairly common in woods around Gamboa and along roads and in yards in the town, and can be seen elsewhere along roads. Mostly a tree of secondary forest and open areas, sarce in mature forest where juveniles are restricted to natural clearings.

Similar Species: The leaves are quite fig like in shape and the way they are held, and large trees might be confused with LK ficuin Ficus inspida LK2 or LK ficuyo F. yoponensis. LK2 But figs have smooth bark completely unlike Sapium's alligator bark, and fig leaves never have teeth and have no glands. LK tet5go (Tertrorchidium gorgonae LK2 has glands like Sapium's but lacks latex, and its leaves have far less conspicuous teeth.

Uses: The latex is used in rural areas for making rubber and glue.

Descripción: Árbol de 10 a 25 m de alto. Tronco con raíces tablares pequeñas en la base. Corteza exterior gris y con fisuras superficiales que forman placas de tamaño y forma regulares, principalmente en los individuos adultos. El desprendimiento de cualquier parte de la planta produce el flujo de una savia lechosa. Hojas simples y alternas, de 3-20 x 2-7 cm, elípticas a obovadas, con ápice acuminado y arqueado en la punta, bordes finamente aserrados y con glándulas diminutas, base obtusa o redondeada. Las plantas juveniles presentan hojas de mayor tamaño en comparación con los adultos. Pecíolo rojizo y de 1-3 cm de largo, ligeramente acanalado en la parte superior y con dos glándulas en el extremo apical. Estípulas deciduas. La especie es monoica. Flores rojas en espigas terminales. Frutos en cápsulas ovoides, de 0.8-1.3 cm de diámetro, verdes, tornándose morados al madurar. Semillas con sarcotesta roja.

Datos Ecológicos: La especie crece a bajas y medianas elevaciones, en lugares secos, húmedos o muy húmedos. En Panamá se encuentra en todo el país. Crece en bosques secundarios y lugares abiertos, también dentro de claros que se originan en el bosque maduro. Deja caer sus hojas totalmente durante la estación seca, pero las repone a inicios de la estación lluviosa. Florece y fructifica de mayo a octubre.

Especies Parecidas: A menudo se confunde con LK ficuyo Ficus yoponensis LK2 , pero en F. yoponensis las hojas tienen los bordes enteros y el pecíolo no presenta glándulas. También se puede confundir con LK tet5go Tertrorchidium robledoanum LK2 , pero T. robledoanum no tiene savia lechosa.

Usos: La madera es empleada en la fabricación de cajas y postes de cercas vivas. La savia lechosa se puede usar para elaborar caucho, en muchas áreas del interior del país se hierve para hacer una goma que se emplea para atrapar aves, el preparado se coloca sobre una rama y cuando el ave se posa sobre ella queda adherida y no puede escapar. Es un árbol de crecimiento rápido que puede utilizarse en plantaciones mixtas para la recuperación de áreas degradadas.

Glabrous, monoecious tree, to 20 m tall; bark minutely, shallowly fissured. Leaves alternate, simple, membranaceous; stipules obsolete; petioles 2-4 cm long, with 2 stipitate glands at apex; blades elliptic to obovate, acuminate (the acumen sometimes cucullate), obtuse to rounded at base, 9-12 cm long, 3-5 cm wide, subentire to finely serrate. Spikes in clusters of 3-5 (rarely fewer), to 10 cm long, bisexual; flowers with corolla and disk lacking; staminate flowers in groups of 2 or 3 (5), the subtending bracts deltoid, to 3 mm long, bearing 2 large glands at base, the apical part caducous; calyx to ca 1 mm long, 2-lipped; stamens 2; pistillate flowers 8-15, solitary at basal nodes of spike, the basal bracts like staminate bracts but with smaller glands; calyx cupular, bilobed, the lobes unequal, free almost to base; ovary orbicular; styles 3, simple, caducous, to 2 mm long, connate for about half their length, the apical half uncinate. Capsules ovoid, to 8 mm long; seeds usually 3, flattened-ovoid, the outer seed coat red. Kenoyer 661. in Chiriqui.

Monoecious tree, to 30 m tall and 90 cm dbh, glabrous all over. Trunk weakly buttressed; younger trunks and branches bearing short, stout, branched spines; outer bark thin, hard, in +/- rectangular patches, easily peeling, with horizontal scars 6-20 cm long staggered on trunk; inner bark very granular; sap copious, milky, especially in branches. Leaves alternate, simple, somewhat coriaceous; stipules ca 1 mm long, triangular, subpersistent; petioles 2-5.5 cm long, with 2 stipitate glands near apex; blades oblong-elliptic to obovate, with a hooded acumen, obtuse at base, (9) 13-18 (27) cm long, 3-5 (8) cm wide, the margins revolute, irregularly and minutely toothed; juvenile leaves thinner, the teeth much longer and gland-tipped. Spikes solitary, terminal or in uppermost axils, bisexual, to 25 cm long; corolla and disk lacking; staminate flowers globular to pyriform, to 1.3 mm long, in groups of 7-14, inserted on axis above a minute bract, the bract bearing a pair of flattened glands ca 3 mm long, the flowers and glands violet-purple; calyx 4-lobed, ca 0.5 mm long, the pairs of lobes unequal; stamens 2, included; anthers extrorse; pollen orange, tacky; pistillate flowers 5-10, solitary at basal nodes, the bract as in staminate flowers but usually larger; calyx (2) 3-5-lobed, sometimes obscurely so; ovary orbicular; styles 3, simple, ca 2 mm long, united only at base, in part deciduous. Capsules ovoid, to 1 cm long, short-stipitate, with 6 longitudinal grooves, splitting into 3 segments; seeds 1 per segment, compressed-ovoid, ca 6 mm long, minutely warty, covered most of its length at maturity with a bright red, thin, pulpy layer. Croat 14998, Foster 1787.