Malvaceae
Sterculia

Sterculia apetala (Jacq.) H.Karst.

First published in Fl. Columb. 2: 35 (1862)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Florida to S. Tropical America. It is a tree and grows primarily in the wet tropical biome. It is used as animal food, a poison and a medicine, has environmental uses and for food.

Descriptions

Extinction risk predictions for the world's flowering plants to support their conservation (2024). Bachman, S.P., Brown, M.J.M., Leão, T.C.C., Lughadha, E.N., Walker, B.E. https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nph.19592

Conservation
Predicted extinction risk: not threatened. Confidence: confident
[AERP]

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/61787794/149016023

Conservation
LC - least concern
[IUCN]

Bernal, R., Gradstein, S.R. & Celis, M. (eds.). 2015. Catálogo de plantas y líquenes de Colombia. Instituto de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá. http://catalogoplantasdecolombia.unal.edu.co

Distribution
Nativa en Colombia; Alt. 0 - 1000 m.; Llanura del Caribe, Pacífico, Valle del Cauca, Valle del Magdalena.
Morphology General Habit
Árbol
Conservation
No Evaluada
[CPLC]

Distribution
Biogeografic region: Caribbean, Pacific. Elevation range: 0–1000 m a.s.l. Native to Colombia. Colombian departments: Antioquia, Atlántico, Córdoba, Cundinamarca, La Guajira, Magdalena, Santander, Sucre, Valle del Cauca.
Habit
Tree.
Conservation
IUCN Red List Assessment (2021): LC.
Ecology
Habitat according IUCN Habitats Classification: forest and woodland, savanna, shrubland, native grassland, wetlands (inland), artificial - terrestrial.
Vernacular
Cacagúillo, Cacaíto, Camajón, Camajorú, Cumaruco, Guarauno, Majao, Mano de león, Sunsún
[UPFC]

George R. Proctor (2012). Flora of the Cayman Isands (Second Edition). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

Morphology General Habit
A large tree with buttressed trunks and a broad, dense, spreading crown
Morphology Leaves
Leaves with stout petioles mostly 12–20 cm long or more, the blades coriaceous and deeply 5-lobed with central lobe 15 cm long or more, the upper surface glabrous and lower surface densely and minutely stellate-puberulous
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers in dense panicles, bell-shaped calyx, 5-lobed or less spreading brown woody follicles, these red within, dehiscing to release the black ellipsoid seeds ca. 2 cm long; interior of follicles covered with numerous stiff needle-like hairs, these very irritating to the skin.
Distribution
Grand Cayman. Mexico to Peru and Brazil; widely planted elsewhere.]
[Cayman]

Bernal, R., G. Galeano, A. Rodríguez, H. Sarmiento y M. Gutiérrez. 2017. Nombres Comunes de las Plantas de Colombia. http://www.biovirtual.unal.edu.co/nombrescomunes/

Vernacular
almendro, cacahuito, cacaíto, camajón, camajonduro, camajorú, camajurú, camoruco, campano común, camuruco, castaño, castaño de Indias, chichí, majao, mano de león, panamá, pata de danta, piñón, piñón de puerco, piñones, tuntua, tuntún, vaina, zapato
[UNAL]

Uses

Use Animal Food
Used as animal food.
Use Environmental
Environmental uses.
Use Food
Used for food.
Use Materials
Used as material.
Use Medicines
Medical uses.
Use Poisons
Poisons.
[UPFC]

Common Names

English
Panama Tree

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

    • Angiosperm Threat Predictions
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

  • Catálogo de Plantas y Líquenes de Colombia

    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Colombian resources for Plants made Accessible

    • ColPlantA 2021. Published on the Internet at http://colplanta.org
    • https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

  • Flora of the Cayman Islands

    • Flora of the Cayman Islands
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • 'The Herbarium Catalogue, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the Internet http://www.kew.org/herbcat [accessed on Day Month Year]'. Please enter the date on which you consulted the system.
    • Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

  • IUCN Categories

    • IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2025. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Living Collection Database

    • Common Names from Plants and People Africa http://www.plantsandpeopleafrica.com/

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2025. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Universidad Nacional de Colombia

    • ColPlantA database
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Useful Plants and Fungi of Colombia

    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0