Clusia rosea Jacq.

  • Authority

    Acevedo-Rodríguez, Pedro & collaborators. 1996. Flora of St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 78: 1-581.

  • Family

    Clusiaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Clusia rosea Jacq.

  • Description

    Species Description - Dioecious, free-standing or strangling tree, to 12 m tall, usually with many upright branches from base, and numerous stilt roots; bark gray and smooth. Leaves opposite; blades 5-20 x 4-11 cm, thick coriaceous, spatulate, glabrous, the apex rounded or truncate the base tapering or rounded, often unequal, the margins entire and revolute; petioles stout, ca. 1 cm long. Flowers 8-10 cm diam., solitary at ends of branches or in cymes; bracts 2, rounded. Calyx reddish, with 2 pairs of dissimilar, rounded, concave sepals, to 2 cm long; petals 6, spatulate, 3-4 cm long, white, with pink band within at middle; staminodial ring brown; stigma light green, sticky. Fruit globose, leathery, capsule 3.5-5 cm diam., green with abundant yellow latex. Seeds numerous, 5 mm long, ellipsoid, the aril reddish.

  • Discussion

    Common names: autograph tree, chigger, false mammee, pitch apple.

  • Distribution

    Common in moist forests, but also present in dry coasta vegetation. Bordeaux (A1919), White Cliffs (A756). Also on St. Thomas, Tortola, and Virgin Gorda; the Bahamas, Greater Antilles, Anguilla and St. Martin.

    Saint John Virgin Islands of the United States South America| Saint Martin South America| Anguilla South America| Bahamas South America| Virgin Gorda Virgin Islands South America| Tortola Virgin Islands South America| Saint Thomas Virgin Islands of the United States South America|