Moraceae FAMILY

Brosimum alicastrum

Edibility

3/5

Medicinal

2/5

Safety & Hazards

None known

Botanical Description

Brosimum alicastrum is an evergreen tree with a globose crown; it can grow up to 45 metres tall, though is usually smaller. The straight, cylindrical bole can be free of branches for up to 22 metres, 30 - 10,0cm in diameter with moderately large buttresses[ 307 Title Tropical and Subtropical Trees - A Worldwide Encyclopaedic Guide. Publication Author Barwick. M. Publisher Thames & Hudson, London Year 2004 ISBN 0-500-51181-0 Description A superb book, very concise and well written, giving a wealth of information on 400 or more species including descriptions, habitat, cultivation details and plant uses. A wealth of colour photographs bring each plant vividly to life. , 316 Title Tropical Timbers of the World. Ag. Handbook No. 607. Publication Author Chudnoff. Martin. Publisher USDA Forest Service. Wisconsin. Year 1984 ISBN Description Terse details on the properties of the wood of almost 400 species of trees from the Tropics. , 333 Title Tree Species of Panama Publication Author Website http://ctfs.arnarb.harvard.edu/webatlas/mainframe.php?order=s Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description Factsheets on all the tree and shrub species of Panama, giving identification guide, brief guide to the species and some uses. A vast, but rather incomplete work as of 15/07/09. , 369 Title Flora of Costa Rica Publication Author Standley P.C. Website http://www.archive.org/ Publisher Field Museum of Natural History; Chicago Year 1938 ISBN Description Rather dated, but an excellent treatment of the area. Available for download from the internet. , 551 Title A Century of Trees of Panama. Publication Author Pittier H. Mell C.D. Website http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description A work that was very difficult to get published according to the correspondence contained at the start!. A treatment of 100 different species with descriptions and details of uses. It can be downloaded from the Internet. ]. The tree is harvested from the wild for local use as a food, medicine and source of wood.

Habitat & Origin

Origintropical

Native RangeS. America - Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana; C. America - Panama to Mexico.

HabitatA canopy tree in seasonally flooded or dry limestone woodland[ 307 Title Tropical and Subtropical Trees - A Worldwide Encyclopaedic Guide. Publication Author Barwick. M. Publisher Thames & Hudson, London Year 2004 ISBN 0-500-51181-0 Description A superb book, very concise and well written, giving a wealth of information on 400 or more species including descriptions, habitat, cultivation details and plant uses. A wealth of colour photographs bring each plant vividly to life. ]. Moist or wet forest, ascending to about 1,000 metres but mostly at 300 metres or less in Guatemala[ 331 Title Flora of Guatemala Publication Author Standley P.C. & J. A. Steyermark Website http://www.archive.org/ Publisher Year 1946 - 1976 ISBN Description A superb reference, though somewhat dated. Gives lots of plant uses as well as information on plant habit and habitat. The entire flora (13 volumes) can now be downloaded from http://www.archive.org/ ].