Faramea occidentalis – Heusito jazmin
Family:
Native to:
Habitat:
Rubiaceae
Central America, the Caribbean, northern and central South America.
Canopy species and thick mixed forests. 20-1000 meters above sea level. 5 meter shrub or small tree.
Ecological value:
Most likely pollinated by moths. Under-story shrub with self-supporting growth form. Common in primary forests vs secondary forests. The genus Faramea is characterized by white or blue petals (corollas) and blue-black fleshy fruit with a large pyrene.
Material uses:
The wood is close-grained, hard and tough, with a heartwood that is brownish-white to yellow, sapwood white. The straight stems can be used in house-building and carpentry, in tool handles and other small objects.
Edible uses:
No record on this species.
Medicinal use:
No record on this species.
Other details:
The wood is used for fuel. Faramea is a genus of plants in the Rubiaceae family, who’s flowers are primarily pollinated by insects. Dye plants (Rubia) belong to this family as well.
Research:
Paige Katona/Christine Facella
Sources:
“Faramea Occidentalis (L.) A.Rich. | Plants of the World Online | Kew Science.” n.d. Plants of the World Online. Accessed November 7, 2023. https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:1187456-2.
“Faramea Occidentalis - Useful Tropical Plants.” n.d. Tropical.theferns.info. Accessed November 7, 2023. https://tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Faramea+occidentalis#:~:text=Faramea%20occidentalis%20is%20a%20slender.
Uphof. J. C. Th., ‘Dictionary of Economic Plants’, Weinheim, 1959
Little E.L. Wadsworth F.H., ‘Common Trees of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands’, USDA, Forest Service; Washington, 1964
“OUP Accepted Manuscript.” 2021. Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society. https://doi.org/10.1093/botlinnean/boab034.
Image source: J.G.Jardim & Zappi. Pictured is Faramea biflora.