Flora of North America species comparison

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Thespesia

Thespesia populnea

thespesia

cork-tree, majagua, portia tree, seaside mahoe, Spanish cork
Habit Trees [shrubs]. Trees 2–12 m. Stems lepidote to glabrate when young.
Stems

erect, glabrous or hairy when young, usually glandular-punctate, not viscid.

Leaves

stipules persistent or deciduous, lanceolate or falcate;

blade ovate, unlobed [3-lobulate], base deeply cordate [shallowly cordate to ± truncate], margins entire, surfaces glabrate [hairy], with abaxial foliar nectaries.

stipules 3–7 mm;

petiole mostly 2/3–1 times length of blade;

blade 6–13 cm, apex acute or acuminate, venation palmate, with nectariferous zone near base of midrib.
Inflorescences

axillary solitary flowers, [sometimes aggregated apically];

involucel present, bractlets caducous, 3, distinct.

flowers large.
Pedicels

erect, stout, shorter than subtending petiole;

involucellar bractlets irregularly inserted, ligulate.
Flowers

calyx not accrescent, not inflated, lobes truncate [to 5-lobed], not ribbed;

corolla yellow [white or rose], with [without] maroon spot at base, usually fading pinkish orange;

staminal column usually included;

ovary 3–5-carpellate, style 3–5-branched;

stigmas clavate.

calyx 8–10 mm, subglabrous, minutely lepidote;

petals 4–6 cm, punctate;

staminal column pallid, ca. 1/2 length of petals, apically 5-dentate, glabrous;

style exceeding stamens;

stigmas decurrent.
Fruits

capsules, erect, somewhat inflated, oblate, coriaceous [ligneous], lepidote [glabrous or hairy], indehiscent [dehiscent].

Capsules

(3–)5-locular, 3–3.5 cm diam..
Seeds

3–5 per locule, short-hairy [glabrous].

8–9 mm.
x

= 13.

2n

= 24, 26.

Thespesia

Thespesia populnea
Phenology Flowering year-round.
Habitat Littoral vegetation
Elevation 0 m (0 ft)
Distribution
from USDA
Asia; Africa; Pacific Islands (Papua New Guinea); Australia [Introduced, Fla.; introduced also in Mexico, West Indies, n South America]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
FL; Asia; Africa; Pacific Islands (New Guinea); Australia [Introduced in North America; introduced also in Mexico (Veracruz), West Indies, n South America]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Species 17 (1 in the flora).

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Thespesia populnea is sometimes grown as a shade tree, and has been found in coastal Florida from Brevard and Sarasota counties south to Monroe County, most commonly on the Florida Keys. The species is thought to be native to coastal areas of the Indian and Pacific oceans and widely introduced and naturalized in the New World. The capsules float and have distributed the seeds widely. It has been used widely for food, lumber, fiber, and medicine.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 6, p. 372. Authors: Paul A. Fryxell†, Steven R. Hill. FNA vol. 6, p. 372.
Parent taxa Malvaceae > subfam. Malvoideae Malvaceae > subfam. Malvoideae > Thespesia
Subordinate taxa
T. populnea
Synonyms Hibiscus populneus
Name authority Solander ex Corrêa: Ann. Mus. Natl. Hist. Nat. 9: 290, plate 25, fig. 1. (1807) (Linnaeus) Solander ex Correa: Ann. Mus. Natl. Hist. Nat. 9: 290. (1807)
Web links 
Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).



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