Cavanillesia platanifolia (Bonpl.) Kunth

Tree up to 40-45 m. high, the trunk straight, generally somewhat swollen near the base, attaining 2.40 m. in diam., the crown rather small, loose and more or less rounded, the bark grayish, smooth and porous. Leaves grouped toward the tip of the branchlets, the petiole terete, enlarged at the base, 1.0-25 cm. long; blade ovate-cordate, 3-to 5-to 7-palmatilobate, seldom entire (young leaves?), up to 30 cm. long, the lobes ovate and shortly acuminate, glabrous or nearly so above, more or less densely puberulous and mostly with simple hairs on the lower surface, the nerves prominent especially beneath. Flowers precocious, the pedicel ca. 0.7-1.3 cm. long, shortly ferruginous-tomentellous; calyx campanulate, shortly 5-lobate, the lobes triangular and acute, ca 0.9 cm. long and I cm. wide, shortly ferruginous-tomentellous outside, silky-villous inside; petals linear-spatulate, long-adnate to the base of the staminal column and appendiculate just above, obtuse and some-what asymmetric at the apex, ca. 2-2.5 cm. long and 0.6 cm. wide, reddish, ferru-ginous-tomentellous near the apex especially without; stamens reddish, the staminal column about half as long as the petals, glabrous, the filaments slender, the anthers ca. 1.5 mm. long; ovary subrotund-obovoid, 5-costate, ferruginous-tomen-tellous, 5-celled; style straight; stigma 5-lobulate. Capsule linear-fusiform, acute at both ends, 10-1.2 cm. long, the wings semicircular, 10-15 cm. high, 5.5-8 cm. wide, membranous and reticulate-veined, 5-celled; seeds large, oblong-linear and acute at both ends.

Lowland moist and dry forest.

The seeds are eaten. The root has potable water.

Can be grown by seedlings.