Sw., Prodr. Veg. Ind.Occ. 43.1788
Shrub or small tree, to 6 m tall (rarely so tall on BCI); stemsglabrous, usually with prominent longitudinal ridges, withprominent leaf scars. Leaves glabrous; stipules broadly ovate, to12 mm long, 8-13 mm wide, with a cusp 2-3 mm long, cupulate, green,persistent or subpersistent; petioles obscure or to 2 cm long;blades mostly oblong-obovate, short-acuminate, graduallytapered to base, 13-28 (50) cm long, 4.5-10 (16.5) cm wide;midrib and major lateral veins raised on both sides, the midriboften whitish. Inflorescences panicles, terminal, to about 30 cmlong, often about as wide as long, branched many times; pedunclesstout, 8-16 cm long; branches and calyces puberulent; flowersheterostylous; calyx lobes broadly triangular; corolla white, ca4.5 mm long, lobed more than a third of the way to base, the lobes5 (6), spreading, glabrous except for dense beard at point ofstaminal attachment inside; long-styled flowers with the stamensexserted at anthesis, much shorter than style, the style lobesshort, nearly as broad as long; short-styled flowers with thestamens exserted ca 2 mm above throat, the style included. Fruitinginflorescences usually overtopped by new growth; berriesglobose, to 9 mm diam, orange, the pulp fleshy and sweet; seeds 2,hemispherical, 2.5-3 mm long, the inside face planar, ungrooved,the outside face faintly 6-ribbed. Croat 14872, Duke8773.
Occasional as adult plants; seedlings common in some areasbeyond the Tower Clearing. Flowers to some extent throughout theyear, especially in the early rainy season in June. The fruitsprobably mature in 4-6 weeks.
Mexico to Colombia and Venezuela; Greater Antilles. In Panama,known from tropical moist forest in the Canal Zone, Bocas del Toro,San Blas, Chiriqui, Veraguas, Panama, and Darien and frompremontane wet forest in Colón, Coclé, Panama, andDarien.
