Coccoloba uvifera

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Coccoloba uvifera
Coccoloba uvifera, infructescence

Coccoloba uvifera , infructescence

Systematics
Nuclear eudicotyledons
Order : Clove-like (Caryophyllales)
Family : Knotweed family (Polygonaceae)
Subfamily : Polygonoideae
Genre : Coccoloba
Type : Coccoloba uvifera
Scientific name
Coccoloba uvifera
( L. ) L.
Habitus
Inflorescences

Coccoloba uvifera is a species of the genus Coccoloba in the knotweed family(Polygonaceae). German names for the species (as well as for the whole genus) are "Meertraubbaum" and "Seetraub".

description

Coccoloba uvifera grows as a mostly evergreen shrub to tree and reaches heights of usually 8 to 10 meters, under favorable conditions up to 15 meters. The plant often forms a multi-stemmed, broad crown . The bark is gray-brown and smooth. The leaves are almost circular with a heart-shaped base; they are leathery and smooth-edged. The leaves are 12 to 20 cm in size and light green; the leaf veins are often red in color. In colder areas, the leaves turn red in autumn and fall off by winter.

The species is dioecious separately sexed diocesan . The terminal inflorescences are 15 to 35 cm long, grape-like and overhanging. The fragrant, male or female flowers are very small and petiolate. The fruits ( false fruit ) from the fleshy flower cover are almost spherical and about 2 cm in size; they are initially light green, later dark purple to dark blue. The entire fruit cluster resembles that of the grape.

distribution

This plant is native to tropical America. Its distribution area extends from the US state of Florida and Mexico south across Central America ( Belize , Costa Rica , Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama ) and the Caribbean islands ( Antigua and Barbuda , Barbados , Dominica , Grenada , Guadeloupe , Martinique and Montserrat ) to northern South America ( Colombia , Ecuador and Brazil ).

In the meantime, the species has also been introduced to other tropical areas, such as Hawaii .

use

The fruits of Coccoloba uvifera are edible; they are processed into jam and wine, among other things.

In tropical areas, Coccoloba uvifera is often planted as a street tree. It is also used as a hedge plant or as a bonsai.

The wood is used to make furniture. The roots and the gummy sap are sometimes used as remedies. In the 18th / 19th In the 19th century, the sap was known as the "West Indian Cinema". Kino consists of tannic acids and the dye cinema red and is soluble in hot water or alcohol. Cinema used to be used for dyeing and tanning or as a pain reliever for dental problems.

ecology

The fruits are eaten by birds , squirrels and other mammals .

Systematics

The first description comes from the Swedish botanist Carl von Linné and was published in 1759.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Robert Zander : Zander. Concise dictionary of plant names. Edited by Walter Erhardt , Erich Götz, Nils Bödeker, Siegmund Seybold . 17th edition. Eugen Ulmer, Stuttgart 2002, ISBN 3-8001-3573-6 .
  2. ↑ a b Coccoloba uvifera. In: Floridata.
  3. ↑ Dericks-Tan, Vollbrecht: On the trail of wild fruits in Europe, Abadi-Verlag 2009, ISBN 978-3-00-021129-4 , pp. 286–287
  4. ↑ Carl von Linné, in: Syst. nat. ed. 10.1759, 2.1007. Coccoloba uvifera. In: GRIN Taxonomy for Plants.

literature

  • C. Frank Brockman: Trees of North America . Golden Press, New York 1986. ISBN 0-307-13658-2

Web links

Commons : Coccoloba uvifera  - album with pictures, videos and audio files