Fisch. & C. Meyer, Mém. Acad. Imp. Sci.Saint-Pétersbourg, Sér. 6, 6:149. 1840
Palo santo, Guayabo hormiguero, Vara santa
Dioecious tree, usually 10-20 m tall; trunksmooth, 12-30 cm dbh; bark light brown, thin, peeling off; stemshollow. Petioles very short or to 2 cm long, canaliculate; bladesmostly oblong-elliptic, acuminate, obtuse at base, 15-30 cm long,4-12 cm wide, glabrous but with the veins below strigose(especially midrib). Inflorescences from upper axils; staminateinflorescences of spikes to 35 cm long and 1.5 cm wide; flowerssubsessile, usually in pairs, emerging one at a time from denselypubescent, spathaceous ocreolae; perianth greenish, in one seriesof 3 linear and 3 narrowly triangular tepals 3-4 mm long, connatefor about half their length; stamens 9, exserted; anthers introrse,versatile. Pistillate inflorescences of racemes to ca 20 cm long(to 30 cm in fruit); pedicels 2-9 mm long; calyx sericeous, ca 1 cmlong at anthesis (greatly accrescent and becoming red in age), thelobes narrowly triangular to linear, 2-3 times the length of thetube and spreading at anthesis; petals ± linear, exceedingtube, fused to base of tube; styles 3, the inner surface stigmaticin upper two-thirds. Achenes sharply trigonous (the surfaces ±flat), 8-12 mm long, shiny, brown, persistent within and dispersedby the enlarged calyx, the calyx to 6 cm long, pubescent, 3-winged,the wings pinkish, spreading, 3.5-4.5 cm long, 6-7 mm wide.Croat 4633, 8165.
Usually locally common; otherwise only occasionalin both the young and old forests. Plants may begin to flower whenas little as 11 m tall and 12 cm dbh. Flowers from February toApril, chiefly in March. The fruits begin to mature by February andare dispersed chiefly in March and April but also in May. Plantslose their leaves in July and August.
Stems are inhabited by very aggressive ants(Pseudomyrmex triplaridis Forel.), whose stingis quite severe. Costa Rica to Ecuador; cultivated in the WestIndies and elsewhere. In Panama, known from tropical moist forestin the Canal Zone, San Blas (Permé), Los Santos, Panama, andDarién and from tropical wet forest in Panama (CerroCampana).
See Fig. 223.
