Terminalia catappa
Terminalia buceras
tropical almond, West Indian or Indian or tropical almond
black olive
persistent or tardily deciduous (then turning red and plants briefly leafless);
petioles 5–28 mm;
blade obovate, 6–35 × 2.6–16.5 cm, base narrowly cuneate to rounded or narrowly and obscurely cordate, apex acuminate or short-acuminate to obtuse or rounded, surfaces glabrate to moderately pubescent abaxially, midvein and secondary veins sparsely to densely pubescent, with nectar glands near base, glabrous or glabrate adaxially, midvein densely to sparsely pubescent, at least basally;
with pit-domatia at junction of secondary and tertiary veins with midvein, or junction of tertiary with secondary veins, or other vein junctions.
persistent;
petiole 2–15[–26] mm;
blade obovate to narrowly obovate, 2–11 × 0.8–4.5[–6.7] cm, base attenuate to cuneate, apex obtuse to rounded, occasionally very slightly retuse, surfaces glabrous or sparsely pubescent abaxially, midvein glabrous or moderately pubescent, without nectar glands near base, glabrous or sparsely pubescent adaxially, midvein glabrous or sparsely pubescent, at least basally, with 2–7 elongate, multicellular, and glandular hairs on adaxial surface of petiole near base;
domatia absent.
5–25 cm, with bisexual flowers proximally, staminate flowers distally.
3–19 cm, with flowers distributed along 1–6 cm.
5-merous, bisexual and staminate;
free portion of hypanthium 1–2 mm;
sepals 1–2.8 mm;
stamens 3–4.5 mm;
style 3.5–4 mm.
5-merous, bisexual;
free portion of hypanthium 1–2 mm;
sepals 0.5–0.8 mm;
stamens 3–4.5 mm;
style 2.5–4 mm.
green or red, slightly flattened, ovoid to ellipsoid, 35–70 × 20–50 mm, sparsely pubescent or glabrous;
with 2 well-developed ridges or wings;
hypanthium and calyx deciduous in age.
green to brown, radially symmetrical in cross section, ovoid, (4–)5–8 × 2.5–4 mm, glabrate to densely pubescent;
with 5 poorly developed and rounded lobes;
hypanthium and calyx ± persistent in age.
Terminalia catappa
Terminalia buceras
Terminalia catappa is commonly used as an ornamental tree in southern Florida, and has naturalized in Brevard, Broward, and Miami-Dade counties.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Terminalia buceras is native to Mexico southward through Central America and throughout the Caribbean region; it is commonly used as a shade tree in southern Florida, and probably should be considered naturalized in Broward, Charlotte, Collier, and Miami-Dade counties, although some have considered the species to be native in extreme southern Florida (C. A. Stace 2010). Hybrids with T. molinetii are also available and used horticulturally. Frequently some of the fruits are infested with mites, causing them to form elongate twisted galls (to 16 cm). The generic name Bucida, here considered a synonym of Terminalia, is derived from the Latin for “horn of an ox,” alluding to the resemblance of the galls to such horns.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist
USDA Plants Database
