Helicteres baruensis
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| Helicteres baruensis | |
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Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Malvales |
| Family: | Malvaceae |
| Genus: | Helicteres |
| Species: | H. baruensis |
| Binomial name | |
| Helicteres baruensis | |
Helicteres baruensis, or the tornillo de Venezuela ("Venezuelan screw")[1] is a species of plant belonging to the family Malvaceae.
It is a shrub that reaches a size of 2 metres (7 ft) in height. Leaves ovate, sometimes asymmetric, 9–16 centimetres (4–6 in) long and 6–10 centimetres (2–4 in) wide, apex acute, base cordate; petiole 1–3 centimetres (0.4–1 in) long. Flowers zygomorphic, oblique, with shiny nectaries on the peduncle; calyx tubular-bell-shaped, 2.5–3 centimetres (0.98–1.2 in) long and 1 centimetre (0.4 in) wide, bilabiate; petals ribbon-like, greenish; androgynophore curved, 8–11 centimetres (3–4 in) long, tomentose. Capsule spiraled, sometimes straight towards the apex, 2.3–4 centimetres (0.9–2 in) long and 1–1.3 centimetres (0.4–0.5 in) wide, grayish.[2]
Distribution and habitat
It is native to the West Indies, where it grows in warm climates, from sea level to 30 metres (100 ft) in altitude, associated with tropical deciduous and subdeciduous forests.
