Persea caerulea
Family:
Native to:
Habitat:
Laureaceae
Southern Central America and northern South America.
Evergreen and partly deciduous forests and pastures. 300-2500 meters above sea level. 18 meters tall.
Ecological value:
Seed dispersal through birds & mammals is usual for this family. Pioneer species. Belongs to a genus of 150 species which generally need moist soil and are drought intolerant.
Material uses:
The heartwood is dark brown to black and the sapwood is yellowish. The texture is medium, the grain is straight to interlocked. The wood is not very durable but it is easy to work with and finishes well. It is used for purposes such as construction, decorative veneers and flooring.
Edible uses:
Unspecified food source.
Medicinal use:
Bark and leaves treat rheumatism and bruising.
Other details:
Persea caerulea is an evergreen tree with a smallish crown. It can grow from 4 - 25 meters tall. Used as shade trees in coffee plantations. Fossil evidence points to the genus’ origin in West Africa during the Paleocene.
Research:
Hyunjung Kim/Christine Facella
Sources:
“Persea Caerulea (Ruiz & Pav.) Mez | Plants of the World Online | Kew Science.” n.d. Plants of the World Online. Accessed November 16, 2023. https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:190613-2/general-information.
“Persea Caerulea - Useful Tropical Plants.” n.d. Tropical.theferns.info. Accessed November 16, 2023. https://tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Persea+caerulea.
“Persea Caerulea (Ruiz & Pav.) Mez - Peru, Pasco (BARCODE: 193416) - ISB: Atlas of Florida Plants.” n.d. Florida.plantatlas.usf.edu. Accessed November 17, 2023. https://florida.plantatlas.usf.edu/SpecimenDetails.aspx?CollectionID=194474#:~:text=Description%3A.
Peter Scora Moreno, ‘Phytochemistry of Nectandra umbrosa Berries, Cloudforest Food of the Resplendent Quetzal’, Botany and Plant Sciences, University of California, Riverside, 1999
Image source: Daniel A. Monsalve Ortiz.