Guazuma ulmifolia

Native from Mexico through tropical America, this plant is a tree with a rounded crown that can reach about one hundred feet tall. Its small, slightly fragrant yellow flowers grow in branching clusters. Each petal ends in two slender, forked appendages. The hard, warty fruit capsules turn black when ripe and contain many seeds. The tree commonly colonizes disturbed ground and secondary forest. Farmers retain it in pastures for shade and use its leaves and fruits as livestock fodder, especially late in the dry season. The seeds are edible fresh or cooked. Fibrous bark is made into rope and twine, while the wood supplies posts, boxes, tool handles, firewood and charcoal. Photographed in the department of Atlántico, Colombia.