Goetzea elegans

Goetzea elegans

Goetzea elegans is a species of the extensive genus only two types Goetzea. It is endemic to Puerto Rico.

Description

Goetzea elegans is an 8 to 10 m tall tree that can reach a trunk diameter of 13 cm. The bark is smooth, the branches are slender and hairy reddish feinfilzig. The leaves are ovate to elliptic and 2.5 to 12 mm long and 1.4 to 6 cm wide. Forward towards the leaves are pointed to kurzzipfelig, blunt or short acuminate. The base of the leaf blade is tapered to obtuse. The top of the leaves is glossy. The leaves are covered with many parallel veins that protrude significantly on both sides. The venation between is loosely reticulate, on the bottom of the veins are hairy puberulous. The petioles are hairy and 5-8 mm long.

The flowers are mostly singly in the leaf axils of 6 to 12 mm long, hairy stalks. The calyx is 5-6 mm long, hairy feinfilzig and staffed with narrow triangular, pointed and 1.5 mm long lobes. The orange colored and hairy crown is funnel-shaped, 1.7 to 2 cm in length, and measures 1.5 mm in diameter. The coronary band is encrusted with ovoid, rounded or pointed Corolla lobe. The scar is bilobed.

The fruits are round or elliptical, orange colored berries with a length of 1.8 cm. They are hairy and contain 6 mm long seeds.

Occurrence

The species is endemic to Puerto Rico, where it is rare. It grows on moist limestone and in humid coastal formations.