Monkey comb
Apeiba tibourbou

Family: Malvaceae

What it is like

A tree. It grows 20 m tall. It loses its leaves during the year. The trunk is grey ad the bark is fibrous. The leaves are simple and alternate. They are softly hairy. The leaves are are 30 cm long. They are heart shaped at the base and have teeth around the edge. The leaf stalk is swollen where it joins the leaf blade. The buds and flowers are softly hairy. The flowers are yellow. The fruit are green to brown and a flattened round shape. The fruit are 8 cm across. The fruit are covered with soft bristles. The pulp has many small seeds. The seeds are 5 mm long.

The Tiliaceae have now been placed in the Malvaceae. The seeds are rich in oil.

Where it is found

It is a tropical plant. In Costa Rica it grows from sea level to 1,000 m altitude. It grows along roadsides and in abandoned fields.

Countries/locations it is found in

Amazon, Andes, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Central America, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, French Guiana, Guianas, Guyana, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, North America, Panama, Peru, South America, Suriname, Trinidad-Tobago, Venezuela, Winward Is.

How it is used for food

Edible parts

Fruit

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Bitumbo, Cortezo, Peine de mico, Peinecillo

Synonyms

Apeiba cimbalaria Arruda; Apeiba hirsuta Lam.; Aubletia tibourbou (Aubl.) Willd.;