Leretia cordata Vell.

Lianas or small trees with scrambling branches; branches short-strigose pubes-cent, becoming glabrate, the old branches with dark brown corky bark. Leaves with petioles stout, commonly twisted, 0.8-1.5 cm long, densely chestnut brown strigose pubescent, corky at maturity; blades ovate-lanceolate to oblong or el-liptic, 10-19 cm rarely to 30 cm long, 4-12 cm broad, the apex acute with the apiculate point rounded or obtuse, the base acute or rounded, the upper surface sparsely white pilose-pubescent, soon becoming glabrate, the lower surface with white or yellowish malpighiaceous hairs with almost equal arms, the primary veins 6-8 pairs, arcuate, anastomosing near the margin to form a complex retic-ulum. Inflorescences cymose, to 18 cm long and 10 cm diam., the bracts ovate, acute, strigose-pubescent. Flowers with the calyx patelliform, 2 mm diam., the lobes or teeth 0.5-0.8 mm high, densely golden strigose; petals white to cream colored, lanceolate-ovate or oblong, 4.8-5.5 mm long, 1.8-2 mm broad, densely hirsute outside, inside the midrib moderately well developed, long pilose or tomentose, the inflexed apices glabrous; stamens 3-4.5 mm long, glabrous; ovary 1.5 mm diam. at anthesis, the locule densely hirsute or tomentose inside, the func-tional style 1.5-2.5 mm long, the rudimentary styles rarely 0.3 mm long. Fruits' (not known from Panama), 3.44.5 cm long, 2-2.5 cm wide, 1.5-2 cm thick, the-base acute or tapering, the apex acute, densely hirsute when young, becoming-glabrate, the putamen papery, sparsely pubescent inside with long pilose hairs;. seed 1.