Amphitecna latifolia (Mill.) A.H.Gentry

Black calabash (en)

Species

Angiosperms > Lamiales > Bignoniaceae > Amphitecna

Characteristics

An upright tree. It is small and evergreen. It can grow 10 m high. The trunk often forks near the ground. The leaves are dark green and 18 cm long. They are alternate and simple. The flowers are tube shaped and 5 cm long. They are purplish white. The fruit are smooth and shiny green. They are 10 cm long. They have several 1.5 cm long black seeds in white pulp. The seeds are edible.
Life form perennial
Growth form tree
Growth support free-standing
Foliage retention evergreen
Sexuality hermaphrodite
Pollination entomogamy
Spread -
Mature width (meter) -
Mature height (meter) 10.0
Root system -
Rooting depth (meter) -
Root diameter (meter) -
Flower color -
Blooming months -
Fruit color -
Fruiting months -
Nitrogen fixer -
Photosynthetic pathway c3

Environment

It is a tropical plant. It suits hardiness zones 10-11. It can grow in part shade or full sun. It is tolerant to drought and also to some salt. It often grows near mangroves.
More
An understorey tree of open, well-lit areas, found exclusively within the narrow strip of extreme coastal vegetation.
Light -
Soil humidity -
Soil texture -
Soil acidity -
Soil nutriment -
Hardiness (USDA) 10-11

Usage

The seeds are eaten. They are also made into a drink like cocoa.
Uses material medicinal wood
Edible fruits seeds
Therapeutic use Headache (unspecified), Dysentery (unspecified), Fever (unspecified), Swelling (unspecified), Dropsy (unspecified), Anodyne (unspecified), Intestine (unspecified)
Human toxicity -
Animal toxicity -

Cultivation

Plants are grown by seed, cuttings or air-layering.
Mode seedlings
Germination duration (days) -
Germination temperacture (C°) -
Germination luminosity -
Germination treatment -
Minimum temperature (C°) -
Optimum temperature (C°) -
Size -
Vigor -
Productivity -

Images

Amphitecna latifolia unspecified picture

Distribution

Amphitecna latifolia world distribution map, present in Panama and United States of America

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:108218-1
WFO ID wfo-0000780941
COL ID 99G83
BDTFX ID -
INPN ID 629067
Wikipedia (EN) Link
Wikipedia (FR)

Synonyms

Amphitecna latifolia Crescentia cuspidata Crescentia coriacea Crescentia toxicaria Dendrosicus saxatilis Enallagma obovata Crescentia elongata Crescentia lethifera Crescentia obovata Amphitecna obovata Crescentia cucurbitifera Crescentia cucurbitina Enallagma latifolia Crescentia latifolia Crescentia cucurbitina var. heterophylla Crescentia ovata Crescentia palustris Enallagma cucurbitina Dendrosicus latifolius