Sprague & L. O. Wms. ex Standl., Contr. U.S. Natl. Herb.27:265.1928
Liana; stems and leaves glabrate. Petioles 1-3 cmlong, often narrowly winged, slightly enlarged at base; bladesoblong-elliptic to oblong-obovate, acuminate, acute to obtuse atbase, 8-22 cm long, 4-9 cm wide, subentire to obscurely dentate.Fascicles small, axillary, usually on defoliated stems; pedicels4-10 mm long; sepals 3 or 4 (sometimes to 6), irregular, mostlyrounded or ovate, concave, glabrous outside, appressed-pubescentinside; petals 2 or 3 (sometimes to 5), obovate, 10-15 mm long,6-10 mm wide, pale yellow, soon falling; stamens 35-60, to 7 mmlong, deciduous; anthers ca 1 mm long; ovary subglobose, denselypubescent with stiff straight trichomes; style glabrous, to 7mm long. Fruits globose, 1.5-2 cm diam, red at maturity, denselypuberulent and with sparser hispid trichomes, dehiscing into 2valves at maturity, the valves fleshy, flattening out, splittingirregularly at about the middle and spreading widely; seeds2, mostly enveloped by a fleshy white aril. Croat 6820,14873.
Occasional in the forest and at the edge of thelake; common in the canopy at least in the vicinity of theLaboratory Clearing. More abundant in the old forest than any otherDoliocarpus. Flowers chiefly in May and June. Thefruits mature from August to December, especially inSeptember and October.
The manner of dehiscence of the fruit is probably unique amongDoliocarpus in Panama. The fruits are larger than those ofany other species of the genus in Panama.
Known only from Panama, from tropical moistforest in the Canal Zone and Panama and from premontane moistforest in Panama.
See Figs. 381 and 382.
