Pseudolmedia spuria (Sw.) Griseb.
Moraceae
NISPERO, OJOCHE
Common evergreen canopy tree (30-35 m) found growing abundantly in all Manuel Antonio forests, except for those located along the extreme, sandy coastal fringe. This tree is notable for its large stature; long limb-less bole; aesthetic, fine-textured crown with willow-like, flowing branches; and sweet, edible fruits. Nispero is also an important foraging tree, providing fruits and leaves to a wide variety of birds and mammals.
Description: Pseudolmedia has a straight, mostly cylindrical (though usually slightly dimpled or creased) trunk (90 cm) with very low, rounded and stout buttresses. The light gray, scaly bark – tinged with maroon on larger trees – is unique and aids greatly in the identification of this species. Limbless along two-thirds of its length, the columnar bole supports a dense, narrow canopy of small leaves. Thick limbs divide rapidly into thin, flexible twigs that tend to droop under the weight of the leaves, creating a graceful, partially flowing, crown. Broken twigs and trunk bark exude large amounts of thick, white latex sap. The nearly sessile leaves are simple and alternate, rather small (7-9 cm by 2-3 cm), and smooth. Their elliptical to lanceolate shape is modified by moderate asymmetry, with unequal bases and a tendency to be falcate: leaves often curve slightly away from their supporting twigs. A tiny petiole (2 mm) at one end of the blade is opposed by a sharp, well formed drip tip at the other. Small stipules accompany emerging foliage but these are lost rapidly. A new fertility cycle is initiated in October or November, when about one third of the tree’s leaves are shed. New foliage expands almost immediately thereafter.
Within a month of this event, flowers appear in leaf axils. Sessile – or nearly so – and unisexual (imperfect), they grow solitarily or in small clusters of two or three. Male flowers (occurring on male trees – the species is dioecious) are white to brown in color, rounded (1 cm in diameter), and densely packed with an abundance of thin, scaly, and membranous sepals and petals. Female flowers (on female trees) are minute (2 mm in diameter), green, and inconspicuous. Each is dominated by a cluster of scaly sepals that form a base-covering cup and a rounded ovary topped by a long, three-part pistil. Generally, flowering lasts from November through March. Of variable intensity, the event is orchestrated as a series of punctuated and synchronized bursts of activity that occur against a continuous backdrop of low-level fertility.
Fruits (2 by 0.8 cm) mature as bright orange drupes of highly eccentric, ellipsoidal shape. In each, a thin layer of edible, sweet, and juicy flesh surrounds a single, white seed of similar, ellipsoidal form. Harvests vary greatly in intensity from year to year but, on occasion, fruits can rival the leaves in quantity – a rare but impressive sight. Ripe fruits are seen from January through May, with harvests peaking toward the end of the season.
Similar Species: Pseudolmedia‘s finely textured, flowing crown, scaly bark, and large stature should make it a relatively easy species to identify. Though Camarón (Licania operculipetala) trees do have similarly shaped, alternate leaves, the foliage of this species is much larger than that of P. spuria. Also, Camarón trees have markedly whitish bark that exfoliates in thick plates – very unlike the thin gray scales of P. spuria.
Natural History: Pseudolmedia flowers are pollinated by a wide variety of insects, particularly bees. Croat (1978) notes that most Moraceae blossoms – really aggregates of small, nectar-less flowers – are particulary attractive to pollen-feeding arthropods. Pseudolmedia fruits are highly regarded and sought after by many species of birds and mammals, among them Fiery-billed Aracaris, Summer Tanagers, squirrel and white-faced monkeys and bats. Howler monkeys browse on Nispero foliage. saplings, ranging from two to ten meters in height, dominate the understory vegetation in many sectors of the forest. Outnumbering any other treelet or juvenile tree in some areas, the species appears capable of aggressive regeneration and sustained growth, even under poorly insolated conditions.
Uses: Pseudolmedia fruits are edible, sweet and good tasting. Allen (1956) states that the thick sap is used to “adulterate” chickle in the gum-producing forests of the Yucatan. He also reports the wood to be white and hard, but little used.
Distribution: In Manuel Antonio National Park (MANP), Pseudolmedia is a ubiquitous component of all forests except for those growing in sandy soils along the coast. In Costa Rica, this species is known from the Palmar Norte area, the northern Osa Peninsula, and Guanacaste (Allen, 1956). It ranges from southern Mexico to Panama and the Greater Antilles.
Images: Trunk Flower Flower&Leaf Flower&Leaf2 Fruit Fruit2
Trees of Costa Rica's Pacific Slope 
