Plant Story

This tree reaches up to 20 meters and grows throughout mature forests, though it is less common than its sister species Heisteria acuminata, whose fruits and flowers are a different shape. This species has small, yellow flowers that are pollinated by insects, and white, binky shaped fruits that boast a red, star-shaped calyx. The species is distributed from southern Nicaragua to Ecuador; in Costa Rica, it grows throughout both the Atlantic and Pacific slopes.