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Sterculia apetala
Sterculia apetala is a large deciduous tropical tree, the national tree of Panama, grown mainly for shade and timber. Its tall trunk and dense crown suit wide open ground in warm, humid climates rather than containers.
Sterculia apetala, the Panama tree, is a species of flowering plant in the family Malvaceae. It is found in Florida, southern Mexico, Central America, and northern South America, and has been introduced to the Caribbean islands. Sterculia apetala is recognized as the national tree of the Republic of Panama.
Sterculia apetala is found in the tropical regions of Florida, Mexico, Central America, Trinidad and Tobago, Bolivia, northern Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela (including the Venezuelan Antilles).
Wood from Sterculia apetala is used to produce cases, crates, industrial and domestic woodware, canoes, and tool handles. The tree is often grown for shade, resulting from its large leaves. In some regions, seeds are consumed after being boiled or roasted, used to flavor chocolate, or given to animals as fodder. The flowers are used as antitussive.
Hazel sterculia · Spotted Sterculia · Chinese Chestnut · Sterculia parviflora · Peanut tree · Sterculia rubiginosa · Sterculia · Star Chestnuts
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Sterculia apetala by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
