Lacmellea panamensis
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| Lacmellea panamensis | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Gentianales |
| Family: | Apocynaceae |
| Genus: | Lacmellea |
| Species: | L. panamensis |
| Binomial name | |
| Lacmellea panamensis | |
Lacmellea panamensis is a species of tree in the family Apocynaceae native to Costa Rica, Panama, Nicaragua, Colombia, and Ecuador.[1] It is a medium-sized tree, with a straight trunk, that is scattered with conical spines that are rather blunt, a distinctive feature of the species. Its leaves are around 10 centimetres (3.9 in) long, spaced evenly along branches, simple in shape, dark green and if damaged produce a white latex. Their flowers are white and around 3 centimetres (1.2 in) long thin tubes and develop into yellow berries of 3 cm in diameter.[2][3]
Its seeds weigh around 0.25 grams (0.0088 oz) and when they germinate the cotyledons remains underground, acting as an energy store. In an artificial experiment, 80% of seedlings were able to survive having their leaves removed, or being placed in deep shade (0.08% of full sunlight), making them relatively shade tolerant.[4]