Buttercup tree
| Buttercup tree | ||||||||||||
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Buttercup tree ( Cochlospermum vitifolium ), flowers and capsule fruit |
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Cochlospermum vitifolium | ||||||||||||
| ( Willd .) Blast . |
The buttercup tree ( Cochlospermum vitifolium ), including crowfoot tree or wild cotton called, is a plant from the genus cochlospermum ( Cochlospermum ) within the family of bixaceae (Bixaceae). It is used as an ornamental plant throughout the tropics .
Description, phenology and ecology
Vegetative characteristics
The buttercup tree grows as a deciduous tree and reaches heights of 10 to 12 meters. It forms an open, spreading treetop and is often multi-stemmed with only a few branches.
The alternate leaves arranged on the branches are divided into a petiole and a leaf blade and are up to 30 cm long. The petiole is relatively long. The glossy, deep green leaf blade is deeply lobed with three, five or seven elliptical leaf lobes. Before the leaves fall during the dry season , the leaves turn dark red.
Generative characteristics
The flowering time occurs before or during the foliage and extends in Mexico from December to February, or begins with the foliage fall during the Central American dry season and extends from January to April. A specimen blooms for six weeks, with only a few flowers opening each day. A few flowers stand together in terminal, loose, paniculate to racemose inflorescences .
The hermaphroditic, five-fold flowers are 8 to 12 centimeters in diameter and are radially symmetrical and cup-shaped with a double flower envelope . The flowers look somewhat similar to buttercups, hence some common names . The five sepals are green-purple. The five petals are bright yellow. The numerous stamens are orange in color.
The round capsule fruits with a length of about 10 centimeters and a diameter of 8 centimeters with a velvety surface open with three to five flaps and contain hundreds of seeds. The kidney-shaped, black seeds are surrounded by silky, silvery-white, shiny seed hairs that are used to spread the wind .
Occurrence
The buttercup tree is widespread in Central America , from Mexico to Panama, and in northern South America. It occurs in its home in the moist and dry biotopes of the lowlands and in mountains at altitudes of up to 1000 meters.
use
The buttercup tree is planted as an ornamental tree in the tropics because of its striking, large flowers.
Fibers for making ropes can be extracted from its bark. A juice obtained from the rind can be used in the production of chicha (corn beer). The seed hair can be used to fill mattresses and pillows, hence the common name wild cotton.
Single leaf stem
Trunk with bark
Flowers and leaves
Unripe fruits
literature
- Rolf Blancke: Color Atlas Plants of the Caribbean and Central America , 1999, Verlag Eugen Ulmer, ISBN 3-8001-3512-4
- Dieter Lüpnitz: Data sheet: Cochlospermum vitifolium (Willd.) Spr. At botanico-bb.de (section description)
