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family Moraceae
Brosimum alicastrum Swartz; ramon; breadnut
Tree;
latex present; leaves alternate, simple, entire, slightly cordate
at the base; leaf venation pinnate, the prominent secondary veins
alternating with zig-zag (or "stitched") tertiary veins
forming so-called intersecondary veins, higher vein orders very
regular and orthogonal; staminate inflorescence globose, consisting
of many individual stamens embedded in a common receptacle; pistillate
flowers borne singly or in pairs, embedded in a common receptacle;
fruit with orange flesh surrounding a single seed (drupaceous).
(Image at left photographed at plaza Santa Ana, Merida.)
Additional images:
As noted in Standley (1930), this is one of the most useful
trees of Yucatan forests. Leaves and young branches are commonly
fed to livestock, representing a soucre of nutrition that is especially
important during the dry season. Both the fleshy fruit pulp and
the seeds are edible. Fresh seeds can be boiled and eaten or dried
for storage and then ground into a meal from which a sort of bread
can be made. The milky latex when diluted with water can be used
as a milk substitute. Latex has also been used as a remedy for
stomach problems (Morton 1981).
Tree;
latex present; leaves alternate, simple, entire, slightly cordate
at the base; leaf venation pinnate, the prominent secondary veins
alternating with zig-zag (or "stitched") tertiary veins
forming so-called intersecondary veins, higher vein orders very
regular and orthogonal; staminate inflorescence globose, consisting
of many individual stamens embedded in a common receptacle; pistillate
flowers borne singly or in pairs, embedded in a common receptacle;
fruit with orange flesh surrounding a single seed (drupaceous).
(Image at left photographed at plaza Santa Ana, Merida.)
