Sloanea caribaea
Species of flowering plant
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sloanea caribaea is a tree native to the eastern Caribbean and northern South America.[1] Its local names include acomat boucan (in Guadeloupe and Martinique),[2][3] chataignier (in Saint Lucia and Saint Vincent),[2] and chatannyé ti-fèy or chataignier 'ti feuille (in Dominica).[4][5][2]
| Sloanea caribaea | |
|---|---|
| |
| In Guadeloupe | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Embryophytes |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Oxalidales |
| Family: | Elaeocarpaceae |
| Genus: | Sloanea |
| Species: | S. caribaea |
| Binomial name | |
| Sloanea caribaea Krub & Urban ex Duss | |
Description
Sloanea caribaea is a very large tree, reaching heights of over 40 m (131 ft) tall.[6][7] Its trunk's diameter can reach up to 2–4.9 m (6.5–16 ft).[citation needed] It has tall and broad buttress roots.[6][8] Its bark is relatively smooth and brownish in color, and starts to peel off into thin strips over time.[6][2]
Sloanea caribaea is native to the Leeward Islands, the Windward Islands, Trinidad and Tobago, Colombia, Venezuela, and northern Brazil.[9] It is the most common Sloanea species on Dominica, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, and Grenada.[10][11]
Taxonomy
The first species description was provided in 1896 (published 1897) by Antoine Duss in Annales de l'Institut Colonial de Marseille, following Karl Wilhelm Leopold Krug and Ignatz Urban.[12] A synonym is Sloanea larensis Steyerm. The genus name Sloanea honors the Irish physician and botanist Hans Sloane.[13]
Ecology
On St. Lucia, Sloanea caribaea are habitats for wildlife such as Antillean fruit-eating bats and other Brachyphylla.[14] On Dominica, the trees provide nesting areas for the Sisserou Parrot (Amazona imperialis) and Jaco Parrot (Amazona arausiaca).[15]
