Plate 082 · flowering branch with a bee IdentificationFive marks on the plate
- 1White bell-shaped flower, petals toothed at the tip.
- 2Long flower stalk, 3 to 7 cm.
- 3Opposite leaves, oblong and slightly toothed.
- 4Red capsule splitting into three valves.
- 5Bee seeking nectar. It is a honey tree.
Easily confused with Tucumán wild cherryPrunus tucumanensisShares its habitat, but its leaves are alternate and its flowers small, in spikes. 082 / 100 · PLANTS · ELAEOCARPACEAENOT EVALUATED Tucumán lantern tree
Crinodendron tucumanum
Talilla · Granadillo
Its white flowers look like little bells hanging on long stalks. It forms clumps of many trunks that sprout from its roots, and dominates some river terraces in the cloud woodland. It is a key tree for honey.
- Height
- 10 – 14 m, up to 25
- Altitude
- 1,000 – 3,000 m
- Flowering
- Oct – Dec
- Fruit
- red capsule, Dec – Mar
- Evergreen
- Honey plant
- Root-suckering
- Regional endemic
Altitude rangeBells in the mist
Montane forest and woodland It lives in southern Bolivia and north-west Argentina, in Catamarca, Tucumán, Salta and Jujuy, between 1,000 and 3,000 m. In the cloud woodland it dominates some river terraces.
EcologyA tree for honey
- Beesrich in nectar
- Insectspollinate the flowers
- River terracessoils beside rivers
- Mistcloud woodland
Its flowers matter a great deal for honey production. The tannin in its bark was used to tan hides.
Life cycleFrom bell to capsule
J F M A M J J A S O N D FloweringRipe capsules - White bells. From October to December it opens solitary flowers with five petals toothed at the tip.
- Red capsule. The fruit is a capsule that splits into three valves and turns red when ripe.
- Sprouts from roots. It often forms clumps of many trunks that grow from its roots.
Where to look in Tucumán- Río Los Sosa
- Cuesta del Clavillo
- PN Aconquija
- Los Ñuñorcos