Herrania purpurea

Native from Nicaragua to Ecuador and western Venezuela, this small tropical tree is a relative of cacao. It grows in humid forest understory and commonly reaches about ten to twenty feet tall. Its long-stalked leaves divide into five large leaflets. Purplish flowers with elongated hanging appendages develop directly on the lower trunk, a habit known as cauliflory. Flies and beetles visit the flowers. The elongated, yellow fruits contain edible white pulp around numerous seeds and are eaten by forest mammals. Photographed in Colombia.