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bumelia, coma, saffron plum

Habit Shrubs or trees, to 10 m.
Stems

armed, villous, glabrescent.

Leaves

deciduous;

petiole 1–6.5 mm, glabrous;

blade (dark green adaxially), broadly elliptic, obovate, oblanceolate, or spatulate, 6–38 × 3–23 mm, base attenuate to cuneate, margins plane, apex rounded to obtuse, surfaces glabrous, tertiary and smaller veins not prominent (inconspicuously reticulate), midrib flat, marginal vein present.

Inflorescences

4–12-flowered.

Pedicels

3–6 mm, glabrous.

Flowers

calyx 1.8–3 mm diam.;

sepals 5, 1.7–3 × 0.9–1.9 mm, glabrous;

petals 5(–6), white to yellowish, median segment elliptic, 1.9–2.3 mm, lateral segments lanceolate, 1.3–2.3 mm;

stamens 5(–6), 2.2–2.9 mm;

staminodes lanceolate, 1.7–2.1 mm, minutely erose;

anthers lanceolate, 0.7–1 mm;

pistil 5-carpellate;

ovary 5-locular, 0.9–1.3 mm, hirsute to strigose basally;

style 2.2–2.8 mm.

Berries

purple to purplish black, ellipsoid, 8–12 mm, glabrous.

Seeds

6–11 mm.

Sideroxylon celastrinum

Phenology Flowering May–Nov.
Habitat Scrub thickets, coastal marshes and hammocks
Elevation 0-100[-900] m (0-300[-3000] ft)
Distribution
from FNA
FL; TX; Mexico; Central America; West Indies; n South America
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Sideroxylon celastrinum is widespread in the Neotropics. It differs from other North American species of the genus by its glabrous twigs, leaves, pedicels, and sepals, and its narrowly ellipsoid fruits. The fruits are edible (T. D. Pennington 1990).

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

Source FNA vol. 8, p. 238.
Parent taxa Sapotaceae > Sideroxylon
Sibling taxa
S. alachuense, S. foetidissimum, S. lanuginosum, S. lycioides, S. macrocarpum, S. reclinatum, S. rufohirtum, S. salicifolium, S. tenax, S. thornei
Synonyms Bumelia celastrina, Bumelia angustifolia, Bumelia celastrina var. angustifolia
Name authority (Kunth) T. D. Pennington: in Organization for Flora Neotropica, Fl. Neotrop. 52: 123. (1990)
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