Friday, September 12, 2008

Coutarea hexandra

Oh happy day! It's so great getting this tree identified. It's in bloom only a few days of the year and I always take advantage of any visitor, local or otherwise, to ask if they know the name. Nope! Most locals identify it as a "vine", which it is not. There are several of these small trees around the reception center at the Bosque and it's natural that many other people also ask for a name. My first clue was a comment from Robin Foster at the Field Museum, Chicago, who identified the family as Rubiacae. He also suggested that I contact Charlotte Taylor at the Missouri Botanical Gardens for more details. I sent Charlotte some images this morning and in no time at all she sent me the name. Coutarea hexandra (Jacq.) K. Schum. This blog is not meant to be scientifically oriented, but it's so nice to make contact with people in the know. Thanks Robin and Charlotte.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

It's really neat to learn the name of a nice showy plant like that one. I have a particular fondness for the Rubiaceae family - it's the largest family of dicots here in Panama - but I've never seen a large solitary flower like that in the family. Great!

Also, Robin Foster is a hero of mine - he is so helpful and seems really interested in education about plants. Nice to hear of Charlotte Taylor's help, too.

Anonymous said...

Parabéns pela foto e identificação. Interessante, a flor tem a forma de um lirio e de fato se parece com uma vinha, ou trepadeira. Uma bela flor.

Anonymous said...

In Central America, the flowers tend to be snowwhite.

Anonymous said...

In Central America, the flowers tend to be snowwhite.

Anonymous said...

In Central America, the flowers tend to be snowwhite.

Anonymous said...

In Central America, the flowers tend to be snowwhite.