Lacmellea panamensis

{{Short description|Species of tree}}

{{Speciesbox

|image =

|image_caption =

|genus = Lacmellea

|species = panamensis

|authority = (Woodson) Markgf.

}}

Lacmellea panamensis is a species of tree in the family Apocynaceae native to Costa Rica, Panama, Nicaragua, Colombia, and Ecuador.[http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/namedetail.do?name_id=106779 Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families] It is a medium-sized tree, with a straight trunk, that is scattered with conical spines that are rather blunt, a distinctive feature of the species. Its leaves are around {{convert|10|cm|in}} long, spaced evenly along branches, simple in shape, dark green and if damaged produce a white latex. Their flowers are white and around {{convert|3|cm|in}} long thin tubes and develop into yellow berries of 3 cm in diameter.{{cite book|author1=Richard Condit|author2=Rolando Pérez|author3=Nefertaris Daguerre|title=Trees of Panama and Costa Rica|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TqlGnkl8rPIC&pg=PA64|accessdate=20 February 2011|date=8 November 2010|publisher=Princeton University Press|isbn=978-0-691-14710-9|pages=64–}}{{cite web|url=http://www.discoverlife.org/mp/20q?search=Lacmellea+panamensis |title=Lacmellea panamensis |publisher=Discover Life|accessdate=2011-02-20}}

Its seeds weigh around {{convert|0.25|g|oz}} and when they germinate the cotyledons remains underground, acting as an energy store. In an artificial experiment, 80% of seedlings were able to survive having their leaves removed, or being placed in deep shade (0.08% of full sunlight), making them relatively shade tolerant.{{Cite journal| last1 = Myers | first1 = J. A.| last2 = Kitajima | first2 = K.| title = Carbohydrate storage enhances seedling shade and stress tolerance in a neotropical forest| journal = Journal of Ecology| volume = 95| issue = 2| pages = 383| year = 2007| doi = 10.1111/j.1365-2745.2006.01207.x| doi-access = free}}