The guásima, guásimo or cauloteGuazuma ulmifolia) is a tree-growing plant, belonging to the Sterculiaceae family. It is a widely distributed species of American origin and extends from Mexico to northeastern Argentina..
The tree of G. ulmifolia It has dense foliage, with numerous branches. On the other hand, the bark is light gray and the leaves hang from strong petioles of 10 mm in length on average..
On the other hand, the flowers are yellow-green and are grouped in panicle-like inflorescences, which hang from pedicels 2 to 3 cm long. The fruits of the guásima are oblong or elliptical with an average length of 3 cm and with conical prominences. On the other hand, the seeds are ovoid, 3 mm long and covered with transparent mucilage..
Guazuma ulmifolia frequents valleys, ravines, drains and small streams. It also inhabits the vegetation biome of low deciduous forest, thorny scrub, and unarmed scrub. It is distributed in an altitudinal range of 500 to 1000 meters above sea level and flowering occurs throughout the year..
Guásimo is used as an ornamental plant to decorate streets in urban areas, its wood is also used, and fibers can be extracted from the stem. Likewise, this tree is used in traditional medicine for the treatment of elephantiasis, skin ailments, syphilis, hair loss, and respiratory infections..
Article index
Guazuma ulmifolia It is a tree-growing plant that measures between 8 and 20 meters in height. It has a crown with multiple branches, coming from a monopodial meristem. The shaft of the guásimo is short and curved, with deep furrows.
The leaves of the guásimo have deciduous stipules, with a thread-like or triangular appearance. Each leaf hangs from a petiole 0.5 to 2.5 cm long and 6 to 18 cm long by 2.5 to 10 cm wide, with an ovate or oblong shape, and with a truncated base..
The apex is acuminate, the margin is serrated or crenate, the upper surface has little clothing, while the underside has more clothing, especially in the midrib.
The flowers are arranged in panicles or compound dicasia, with pedicels 2 to 3 cm long. The color of the flowers varies from green, white or yellow, and the calyx has sepals 3 to 4 mm long and covered with stellate trichomes..
For its part, the corolla has an average length of 1 mm and has dorsal garments of simple trichomes. The staminal tube is 1.5 to 2 mm long, cup-shaped, and with clustered anthers.
In turn, the gynoecium presents a dense clotted ovary with stellate trichomes and the style has an average length of 1 mm with five geniculate lobes at the base of the style..
The fruits of G. ulmifolia They are capsules 1.5 to 4.6 cm long, by 1.4 to 2.5 cm wide, with spherical or ellipsoid shape, indehiscent, and with mucilage. The closed fruits have conical prominences with uniform size, and black or dark brown coloration..
Each fruit has five internal cavities that contain the seeds, which are obovoid with an average length of 3 mm, with a thin testa covered with transparent mucilage..
Guásimo is a plant that is distributed from Mexico to the north of Argentina. This species is also found in the Greater and Lesser Antilles, and has become naturalized in Hawaii. G. ulmifolia inhabits tropical deciduous forests, xerophytic scrub, and gallery forests. It extends in an altitudinal range from 550 to 1000 meters above sea level..
Guazuma ulmifolia frequently inhabits areas with average annual rainfall of 700 to 1500 mm, however it can grow in areas with annual rainfall of up to 2500 mm.
In their natural distribution, the areas present an annual dry season, which lasts from 2 to 7 months. Guásimo loses its leaves during periods of severe drought, although they can remain green if there is enough moisture in the soil..
From the edaphological point of view, guásimo adapts to a wide variety of soil conditions, and can colonize soils with sandy and clay textures. The soils of the orders Inceptisols, Alfisols, Ultisols, Oxisols, and Vertisols, are of importance for this plant.
In general, guásimos trees tend to colonize well-drained sites, although they can be found on stony soils and along roadsides.. Guazuma ulmifolia does not tolerate saline soils and the pH can vary from 5.5 to 7.5.
The guásimo is frequently associated with other forest species of semi-deciduous forests such as Acrocomia mexicana, Casearia parvifolia, Castilla elastica, Cochlospermum vitifolium, Cyrtocarpa procera, Forchhammeria pallida, Heliocarpus spp., Luehea candida, Lysiloma acapulcensis, Piptadenia sp., Spondias purpurea, Thouinia sp., Trema micrantha, Y Xylosma flexuosum.
In the Alisios forests, the guásimo cohabit in con Hymenaea courbaril, Lonchocarpus velutinus, Falaga chiloperone, Senegalia glomerosa, Casearia spp., Cordia bicolor, Y American genipa.
Guasimo is widely used as a lumber tree, the sapwood of this tree is light brown and the heartwood is brown or reddish-brown. The wood produced by this species is relatively soft and therefore easy to work. On the other hand, the specific weight varies from 0.4 to 0.65 g / cm3, this of course depends on the region where it grows..
The wood of G. ulmifolia It has been used to make furniture, boxes, shoe lasts, and tool handles. The people of rural areas use the wood of this tree as poles and as stakes for vegetables.
The fruit of this tree is edible and therefore can be fed to poultry and livestock. Also, the leaves are high in nutrients, so this species can also be used as a forage.
In traditional medicine, guásimo has been used to treat numerous illnesses, such as flu, colds, burns, and dysentery. Furthermore, the ethanolic extracts of this plant have been found to have antibiotic properties..
Yet No Comments