Flora of North America species comparison

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Muntingia calabura

Muntingia

calabura, Jamaica cherry, strawberry tree

muntingia
Leaves

petiole 2–5 mm;

blade 60–150 × 20–50 mm.

blade lanceolate to lanceolate-linear, marginal teeth irregular, abaxial indument more ovary obscurely stipitate, subtended by ring of setiform hairs.
Pedicels

5–20(–35) mm.

Flowers

8–12+ mm;

petals 12–20 mm.

Berries

10–15 mm diam.

red [yellow].
Seeds

0.4–0.5 × 0.2–0.3 mm.

yellowish, plumply lenticular.
x

= 15.
2n

= 28 (Costa Rica), 30 (India).

Muntingia calabura

Muntingia
Phenology Flowering ± year-round.
Habitat Disturbed, nonsalty sites
Elevation 0–10+ m (0–0+ ft)
Distribution
from FNA
FL; Mexico; Central America; South America; West Indies [Introduced in North America; also introduced in Old World Tropics]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
FL; Mexico; Central America; South America; West Indies [Introduced in North America; introduced also in Old World Tropics]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Muntingia calabura has been reported as a spontaneous weed in commercial greenhouses in California. It was evidently brought into California with coco fiber used in hydroponics installations (F. Hrusa et al. 2002). Fruits of M. calabura are reputed to be prized by bats, birds, children, and fish.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Species 1.

Muntingia is widely grown in warm to hot climates for fruit, fiber, and firewood.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 6, p. 186. FNA vol. 6, p. 185.
Parent taxa Muntingiaceae > Muntingia Muntingiaceae
Subordinate taxa
M. calabura
Name authority Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 509. (1753) Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 509. (1753): Gen. Pl. ed. 5, 225. (1754)
Web links 
Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).



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