Chomelia spinosa
Jacq.
Spiny chomelia
iNaturalist· cc-by-nc
(c) Jean Carlo Barrantes Rodríguez, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Jean Carlo Barrantes Rodríguez
iNaturalist· cc-by-nc
(c) Jean Carlo Barrantes Rodríguez, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Jean Carlo Barrantes Rodríguez
Description
A shrub or small tree. It grows 1-6 m tall. It has straight spines. Leaves are opposite. They are 4-9 cm long by 2-5 cm wide. They are egg shaped with a pointed tip. The flowers are cream to white. They have a scent. The fruit are green and black when ripe. They are 6-9 mm long by 3-6 mm wide. There are 2 seeds.
Edible Uses
The fruit are eaten.
Distribution
It is a tropical plant. It grows as an understorey plant is seasonally dry forests. It grows from sea level to 400 m above sea level.
Where It Grows
Bolivia, Brazil, Central America, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, South America, Venezuela,
Production
In Central America plants fruit May to December.
Synonyms
Also Known As
Chocolatico, Limoncillo, Malacaguite, Malcahuite
References (1)
- Reis, S. V. and Lipp, F. L., 1982, New Plant Sources for Drugs and Foods from the New York Botanical Garden herbarium. Harvard. p 284
