Chrysobalanus icaco L., Sp. Pl. 513. 1753.

Arbustos o árboles pequeños, hasta 5 m de alto. Hojas orbiculares a ovado-elípticas, 2–8 cm de largo y 1.2–6 cm de ancho, retusas o redondeadas en el ápice con un acumen obtuso de hasta 2 mm de largo, subcuneadas en la base, glabras, nervios primarios inconspicuos; pecíolos 2–4 mm de largo, estípulas 1–3 mm de largo, deciduas. Inflorescencias címulas pequeñas, terminales y axilares, con tomento gris-café; receptáculo cupuliforme, tomentoso; lobos del cáliz redondeados a agudos; pétalos más largos que los lobos del cáliz, glabros, blancos; estambres 12–26, filamentos unidos parte de su longitud en grupos pequeños, densamente pilosos; ovario insertado en la base del receptáculo, piloso, carpelo 1-locular. Fruto ovado a obovado, 1.8–5 cm de largo, epicarpo liso con crestas longitudinales, mesocarpo delgado y carnoso, endocarpo delgado y duro con superficie exterior lisa, acostillado.

Común en áreas costeras, en matorrales en playas y sabanas y en el interior en márgenes de lagos y bosques bajos de galería, zonas atlántica y pacífica; 0–70 m; fl y fr todo el año; Sandino 2239, Stevens 20091; Estados Unidos (Florida) al sur de Brasil y también en Africa. Un género con 3 especies, las otras de las Antillas Menores y Venezuela. "Icaco", "Tawa".

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Low shrub 1-2 m. high, or prostrate, or a medium-sized tree up to 5-6 m. high, glabrous or essentially so except in the inflorescence and on very young growth, where strigose; bark of the branchlets reddish-brown, smooth except for the very numerous and conspicuous pale lenticels. Leaves varying considerably from one plant to another, elliptic to obovate or stiborbicular, rounded or emarginate at apex or when elliptic narrowed to an obtuse apex, cuneate to acute or rounded at base, up to about 8 cm. long and 6 cm. wide, (1-) 1.5-2 times as long as wide, on stout petioles 2-4 mm. long; blades dark green and lustrous above, dull beneath and usually with a depressed elliptic glandular area about 0.5 mm. long on each side of the midrib at extreme base; small veins prominently reticulate on both sides of the blade, the primary lateral veins mostly 4-6 pairs, straight at base but curving and anastomosing before reaching the margins. Flowers white, in short-peduncled axillary cymes shorter than the leaves (mostly 2-4 cm. long, with 8-20 flowers), the cyme-branches often strongly flattened and 1-1.5 mm. wide, often glabrescent near the base, the tips densely pale-strigose like the hypanthium, the flowers and the tips of the cyme-branches appearing silvery white to the unaided eye; cymes usually naked in anthesis, the ovate, acute, finely glandular-ciliate bracts 1.5-2 mm. long but very soon deciduous; petals 5, glabrous, oblanceolate or spatulate, 3-5 mm. long, 2-3 times as long as wide, the tips rounded, often erose, the bases cuneate; stamens about 20 (up to 30, according to Hooker) in one series, the filaments pale (?white), about 5 mm. long or less, hirsute on the inner surface except on the distal third, the flattened bases coherent a third or half the length of the filaments into a cylinder; anthers about 0.5 mm. long, ?pink or ?purplish; hypanthium campanulate or turbinate, at anthesis about 3 mm. long and wide, the inner surface hairy, the long-hirsute ovary sessile at the bottom of the tube, the filiform style 6-7 mm. long, hirsute except at tip, erect, with a minute terminal stigma; calyx-lobes triangular-ovate, acute or blunt- tipped, heavily pubescent, the margins glandular-ciliate but otherwise entire. Fruit globose or oval, 2-5 cm. long, white to pink or purple, edible, with white juicy insipid flesh, the stone 1-2 cm. long with 5-6 acute longitudinal ribs.

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Petals c. 0·25 cm. long.

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Sepals c. 0·15 cm. long.

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Drupe variable in shape and size, ovoid, ellipsoid or obovoid, up to 5 cm. long, usually smaller.

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Inflorescence axillary, up to 3 cm. long, but usually much less, a raceme of cymules, or a congested complex cyme, or flowers in subsessile fascicles.

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Stamens c. 0·3 cm. long.

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Leaf-lamina suborbicular to lanceolate-elliptic, apex emarginate to acuminate, glabrous except for a few appressed hairs on both surfaces; petiole 0·2–0·4 cm. long; stipules intrapetiolar, 0·3 cm. long, boat-shaped, 2-fid, caducous.

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Evergreen shrub or tree up to 30 m. tall.

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Receptacle-tube c. 0·15 cm. long.

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Arbusto o arbolito hasta de 5 m de alto, ramas glabras y lenticeladas. Hojas orbiculares a ovado-elípticas, 2-8 cm de largo, 1,2-6 cm de ancho, retusas o redondeadas o con un acumen romo corto, no mayor de 2 mm de largo, subcuneadas en la base, glabras en ambas caras; venas primarias inconspicuas; pecíolo 2-4 mm de largo. Estípulas deciduas, 1-3 mm de largo. Inflorescencia en címulas pequeñas terminales y axilares, con tomento marrón-grisáceo. Receptáculo cupuliforme, tomentoso dentro y por fuera; cáliz con 5 lóbulos redondeados a agudos; estambres 12-26; filamentos fusionados en grupos pequeños en parte de su longitud, densamente peludos; ovario piloso. Fruto ovado a obovado, 1,8-5 cm de largo; epicarpo liso con costas longitudinales; mesocarpo delgado y pulposo; endocarpo delgado y duro, con el exterior liso, costado.

Chrysobalanus icaco grows as a shrub to 1.5 meters in height with brown bark. The 2-ranked leaves are arranged alternately, to 10 cm long, elliptic to ovate to obovate with an entire leaf margin and obtuse or acute leaf apex. Young stems and petioles are reddish brown. The leaves are glabrous and the young branches and the inflorescences typically lightly pubescent. The complete, perfect, actinomorphic flowers are arranged in axillary or terminal cymes with few flowers. The calyx has 5 green, unfused sepals. The corolla has 4 or 5, white, unfused petals. There are 20 tomentose, white stamens that are fused to the middle of the corolla. The ovary is superior, with the style coming off of the ovary at its base, with 1 locule and 1or 2 ovules but only 1 seed develops. The fruit is a drupe that is either white or purple at maturity depending on the variety.

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Árvore

shrub

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Arbusto

Terrícola

Chrysobalanus icaco grows in Dry Broadleaf Evergreen Formation – Shrublands/Dwarf Shrublands near in coastal areas as well as in Dunes and around Fresh Water and Saline wetlands.

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Tropical America, from Florida and Tamaulipas southward through the West Indies and Central America to northern Brazil and to Ecuador; tropical West Africa; near sea level, in beach thickets and coastal swamps; often planted inland.

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Chrysobalanus icaco occurs throughout the Lucayan Archipelago as well as Florida, the entire Caribbean region and Mexico south to northern South America

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Chrysobalanus icaco is not known to be used medicinally in the Lucayan Archipelago. It is used in horticulture and the fruit is edible.

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