Alchornea latifolia
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| Alchornea latifolia | |
|---|---|
 | |
| In Mexico | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Malpighiales |
| Family: | Euphorbiaceae |
| Genus: | Alchornea |
| Species: | A. latifolia |
| Binomial name | |
| Alchornea latifolia | |
Alchornea latifolia is a species of tree in the family Euphorbiaceae.[2] It is native to Central and South America, as well as the Caribbean, where its common names include aguacatillo, baconá and chote.
Alchornea latifolia is a little evergreen tree that can reach a height of approximately 20 metres (66 feet), occasionally having a trunk buttressed. The leaves have thick stalks and are ovate to elliptic, with a rounded base and a short pointed apex. They have three veins radiating from the base and are 12 to 25 centimetres (5 to 10 in) long and 6 to 18 centimetres (2 to 7 in) wide. The leaf margins have a small number of short, blunt teeth and the lower side of the leaf blade is downy. The male flowering spike is slender, up to 20 centimetres (8 in) long. The individual flowers are stalkless and have two sepals and eight stamens. The female flowering spike sometimes branches and is a similar length. The individual flowers have four ovate sepals, a two or three part ovary, and styles up to 2 centimetres (0.8 in) long. The fruits are reddish capsules about 7 millimetres (0.3 in) in diameter.[3]