Citharexylum caudatum

Native to the Caribbean and from eastern and southern Mexico through Central America to northern Venezuela, it is a shrub or tree with smooth branches and simple, somewhat leathery leaves. The leaves are usually paired opposite one another, with glossy upper surfaces and duller undersides. Fragrant white flowers grow in slender, elongated clusters that curve or hang from the branches. Their tubular bases open into usually five spreading lobes. Small fleshy fruits turn from green to orange and eventually purplish black. Birds disperse the seeds. Cultivated as an ornamental, it has escaped into Hawaiian forests, where prolific seed production helps it displace existing vegetation. Photographed in Panama.