Brosimum utile
| Brosimum utile | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Rosids |
| Order: | Rosales |
| Family: | Moraceae |
| Tribe: | Dorstenieae |
| Genus: | Brosimum |
| Species: | B. utile |
| Binomial name | |
| Brosimum utile | |
Brosimum utile ((Kunth) Pittier) is a member of the Moraceae family, a collection of highly important tropical woody plants known for their milky or watery latex and connate stipules. In Costa Rica the tree is more commonly called the vaco.
Biology
Brosimum utile can grow to a height of 50m, is monoecious and has bisexual inflorescences.
Distribution
The range of Brosimum utile, a shade-tolerant species native to southern Central America and northern South America, extends from Brazil and Venezuela to Costa Rica, where it is numerous in the tropical wet forests of Piedras Blancas National Park. This climax-species dominates canopies on well-drained slopes, in addition to thriving in the mountain and upland forests of the Golfo Dulce region.
The tree can be found in the rainforest of Golfo Dulce Retreat, where typical features of this species may be observed, including buttresses from which Brosimum utile's classic white latex may be extracted.
Uses
The white latex of Brosimum utile is valued for its pharmacological properties and was historically used as a milk substitute by indigenous Central and South Americans.
References
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Brosimum utile. |
- Contributions from the United States National Herbarium. Smithsonian Institution 20:102. 1918
- "7897". Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Agricultural Research Service (ARS), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).
- An Introductory Field Guide to the Flowering Plants of the Golfo Dulce Rain Forests, Costa Rica (pages 15-20, 23, 25, 81 and 341-343) published in November 2001, by Baumgartner et al., ISBN 3-85474-072-7