Ardisia foetida

Native from Panama to Venezuela and Ecuador, this shrub or small tree can reach about 40 feet tall. It grows in tropical forests, including the forest understory. Its branched flower clusters carry numerous white to pink flowers with yellow anthers; the flowers are usually fragrant. The fleshy fruits feed birds and become dark purple when ripe. In Colombia, its wood is used to make furniture, and it is planted in living fences. New plants are propagated from seed. Photographed in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Colombia.