Stored under taxon name
Palicourea tomentosa (Aubl.) Borhidi
Det./rev./conf./assigned
rev. A. Berger 2021-02
Ident. history
A. Berger 2010: Psychotria poeppigiana; rev. 2021-02: = Palicourea tomentosa
Location
Costa Rica / Puntarenas | 8.70083,-83.20389
Label
Costa Rica, prov. Puntarenas. La Gamba, vicinity of Field Station. Riverbed Trail between first and second branch-off to "Laguna".
Alt. 85 m
Habitat
Trailside in forest understory. Frequent. Occuring together with P. capitata, P. elata, P. pilosa and P. solitudinum.
Habitus
Shrub about 3 m tall. Inflorescence bracts red and cup-like. In the course of several days (or less?), mature fruits enlarge and become spongy due to water uptake and swelling of mesocarp cells. This is accompanied by a color change from green to metallic blue. In addition, fruits become hollow because the expanding mesocarp lifts apart from the pyrene causing a doubling or more of size. Blue color of fruits is confined to the exocarp, inner layers are composed of colorless spongy cells.
Annotations
Specimens at US, MO.
Berger,A. 1394
(link to CETAF Botany Pilot)
