Chrysobalanus icaco L.

  • Authority

    Acevedo-Rodríguez, Pedro & collaborators. 1996. Flora of St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 78: 1-581.

  • Family

    Chrysobalanaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Chrysobalanus icaco L.

  • Description

    Deprecated: mb_convert_encoding(): Handling HTML entities via mbstring is deprecated; use htmlspecialchars, htmlentities, or mb_encode_numericentity/mb_decode_numericentity instead in /home/emu/nybgweb/www-dev/htdocs/science-dev/wp-content/themes/nybgscience/lib/VHMonographsDetails.php on line 179

    Species Description - Shrub to small tree to 5 m tall; branches lenticellate, glabrous, pubescent when young. Leaf blades 2-8 x 1.2-6 cm, coriaceous, rounded to ovate-elliptic, glabrous, veins inconspicuous, the apex rounded and notched, the base cuneate to rounded, the margins entire; petioles slightly swollen, 2-4 mm long. Rowers shortpediceled, the cymes pubescent, axillary on short lateral branches. Calyx cup-shaped, 4-5 cm long, densely rusty-brown pubescent; petals spatulate, ca. 4 mm long, white to cream; stamens 5 mm long, the filaments densely pubescent, united in small groups; ovary nearly globose, densely pubescent, the style 5 mm long, densely pubescent. Drupe ellipsoid, ovoid, or globose, 1.5-3 cm long, with edible, fleshy mesocarp, turning from green to yellow or reddish when mature. Seeds 1-2.8 cm long, nearly ellipsoid.

  • Discussion

    Common names: cacos, coco plum, fat pork, icaco, Spanish nectarine

  • Distribution

    Uncommon in moist forests. Bordeaux (B564), Rosenberg (B286). Also on St. Croix, St. Thomas, Tortola, and Virgin Gorda; Florida to coastal southern Brazil, including the West Indies, the Pacific coast of Central America and the western coast of Africa.

    Africa| Central America| West Indies| Brazil South America| Florida United States of America North America| Virgin Gorda Virgin Islands South America| Tortola Virgin Islands South America| Saint Thomas Virgin Islands of the United States South America| Saint Croix Virgin Islands of the United States South America| Saint John Virgin Islands of the United States South America|