Cordia panamensis L.Riley

Shrubs or trees to 1 5 m, functionally dioecious, strigose. Leaves alternate or subopposite, dimorphic, the larger ovate to ovate-elliptic, acute, + entire to rarely finely dentate, the bases rounded, ? oblique or rarely obtuse, to 30 cm long and 1 5 cm wide, the smaller fewer in number, subopposite the larger, ovate-orbicular, acute, entire, the bases rounded and less than half the size of the larger, scabrous or strigose on the upper surface, tomentose or strigose beneath; petioles, ca 5-1 5 mm long, strigose. Inflorescences cymes, paniculate, mostly terminal or borne in the dichotomous axils of the branches, to ca 15 cm long and wide. Flowers function-ally unisexual, + sessile. Staminate flowers subglobose in bud; calyx campanulate, ca 4 mm long, 5-dentate, faintly ribbed, pubescent on both surfaces; corolla + campanulate, white, the tube ca 3 mm long, the lobes oblong, ca 2 mm long and ca 1.2 mm wide; stamens conspicuously exserted, the filaments ca 3-4 mm long, pubescent basally, the anthers ca 1 mm long; ovary reduced and abortive, the style somewhat developed, included, branched, each branch bifid near the apex. Pistillate flowers clavate-cylindric in bud; calyx tubular-campanulate, ca 4 mm long, 5-dentate, 5-ribbed, pubescent on both surfaces, becoming saucer-shaped in fruit; corolla salverform, white, the tube ca 2.5-3 mm long, the lobes oblong, ca 1 mm long and 1 mm wide; stamens 4-5, reduced and abortive, subsessile to fila-ments ca 1 mm long, glabrous, the anthers ca 0.4-0.5 mm long; ovary ovoid-oblong, the style well-developed, exserted, branched, each branch bifid near the apex, the lobes clavate' and recurved. Fruit a drupe, ovoid, white to green, black to dark brown on drying, glabrous, ca 6-9 mm long, coriaceous.

It is a tropical plant. It grows in dry and wet forest from sea level to 1,000 m above sea level.

The fruit are eaten raw.

Plants can be grown from seeds.