Sterculia apetala
Sterculia apetala, the Panama tree, is a species of flowering plant in the family Malvaceae. It is found in Florida, southern Mexico, Central America, and northern South America, and has been introduced to the Caribbean islands. Sterculia apetala is recognized as the national tree of the Republic of Panama.
Description
Sterculia apetala is perennial and deciduous. Trunks are straight, cylindrical, and have large buttresses at the base. Height ranges from.Leaves are alternate, palmate with five lobes, and cluster densely at the end of branches. Including the petiole, leaf length ranges from.
Flowers are purple and yellow, and have five sepals. S. apetala flowers have no petals; structures that resemble them are in fact sepals. Flower diameter ranges between. These flowers are unisexual, meaning there are distinct male and female individuals used for reproduction.
Fruit are compounds of up to five follicles, stemming from peduncles that can reach as long as. Inside the follicles are seeds, as well as orange urticating hairs that may cause pain when touched. Naturally, the tree typically flowers and bears fruit between December and March.
Seeds are black ellipsoids, typically with the dimensions. These seeds contain sterculic acid and malvalic acid, two types of cyclopropene fatty acids. Antioxidant compounds can be obtained from the seeds via continuous or batch extractions using water or ethanol as solvents.
Taxonomy and nomenclature
Spanish names for the species include camoruco, manduvi or anacagüita, Sterculia apetala belongs to the genus Sterculia, classified in the mallow family Malvaceae. It is one of 150 known species of Sterculia.The generic name Sterculia is derived from the Latin word stercus, which translates to "excrement". This is because of the strong odor characteristic of flowers and leaves within this genus. Its specific epithet refers to its lack of petals.