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Castilla (plant)
Genus of flowering plants From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Castilla (sometimes incorrectly spelled Castilloa) is a genus of three species of large trees in the family Moraceae, native to Central and South America.[2]
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Etymology
This genus is named after Juan Diego del Castillo (d. 1793), a Spanish botanist who was a friend of Vicente Cervantes, who chose the name in his friend's honor.[3][4]
Description
Castilla species are monoecious or dioecious trees up to 40 meters tall, with buttressed trunks and abundant white latex of commercial value.[2] The branchlets have scars left by the fallen stipules. The leaves are oblong to elliptic, with entire margins.[2][5] The inflorescences are surrounded by bracts and have small flowers. The male flowers are borne in lengthwise-folded kidney-shaped inflorescences and female flowers in globose inflorescences.[2][5] The infrutescence varies in shape and has orange or red fruits.[2]
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Ecology
Castilla species exhibit a phenomenon known as cladoptosis, the regular shedding of branches. This may be an adaptation to prevent the growth of climbing plants.[6]
Castilla elastica is a weedy tree which has become invasive in areas where it has been introduced, such as in Tanzania and the South Pacific.[5][7]
Uses
The main species is Castilla elastica, one of several plants from which rubber has been extracted. The vernacular name is Panama rubber tree or castilloa rubber. The pre-Columbian MesoAmericans used the latex of this plant to make a ball used in a ceremonial game.
The Miskitu and Mayangna peoples of the Mosquito Coast, stretching from the Honduras to Nicaragua, traditionally made fabric from the bark of the Tunu rubber tree (Castilla tunu).[8]
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Species
See also
References
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