Tabernaemontana grandiflora

Native from Panama into tropical South America, this shrub or small tree in the dogbane family often grows about 10 to 16 feet tall and branches near the base. Its glossy leaves grow in opposite pairs, usually with one leaf larger than the other. Yellow pinwheel-shaped flowers have large, leaf-like green sepals. In Panama, it flowers and fruits throughout the year. Paired, rounded fruits turn from green to yellow and split open to expose seeds with red-orange coverings. Broken leaves, stems, and bark release white latex. It grows in forests and disturbed woodland and is sometimes planted as an ornamental. In Colombia, it occurs from sea level to about 4,900 feet. Photographed in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Colombia.