About Hedyosmum mexicanum Cordem. ex Baill.
Hedyosmum mexicanum Cordem. ex Baill. is a variable dioecious plant with adventitious roots and brittle twigs. It typically blooms as a shrub around 2 meters tall, and reaches a full tree height of 8 to 12 meters or more. It has opposite leaves with fused petioles. Male plants have a subsessile stamen paired with a bilocular anther, with a short appendix at the apex. Female flowers are arranged in panicles, have a trilobal perianth, and bear a unilocular, inferior ovary. The style is typically very small or absent. This species is found in northern Colombia in South America, and is abundant from Mexico to Panama. It grows in wet mountain forests and pine forests, occurring in high moist tropical areas at elevations between 1,100 and 2,900 meters. It flowers and bears fruit year-round, with peak fruit production falling between January and May. Its fruits are drupes that are edible with a sweet flavor. When mature, they range in color from bright green to yellowish or white, measure 2–3 cm long and 2 cm thick, and contain brown or black seeds. Hedyosmum mexicanum is a good source of lumber. Its leaves are used by some people to make tea that is used as a coffee replacement.
