Trees of Cloudbridge

Conostegia oerstediana (Lengua de vaca, cow's tongue)

Description: [major features]

Natural history: [natural history and ecology features including relations with mammals, birds, insects, epiphytes and vines, other trees, growing conditions, seasonal changes, etc]

Distribution: [where found in general, in the Chirripo area, and on Cloudbridge}

How to recognize: [main features of shape, location, bark, leaves, flowers and fruit that help with eyeball recognition, and specific features that help to distinguish this tree from others]

Uses: [Whetherand how the wood is used, medicinal uses, role in farms and plantations, endangered status]

Sources and Links:
INBio description
SysTax
and others

Scientific Information:

Division: Magnoliophyta [example]

Class: Magnoliopsida [example]

Order: Rosales [example]

Family: Ulmaceae [example]

Species: Conostegia oerstediana

Photo Identification Guide: Conostegia oerstediana (Lengua de vaca, cow's tongue)

Leaves. Leaves are deep glossy green

Flowers. Flowers are ...

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Fruit and Seeds. Fruits are

Pictures go here

Trunk. The trunk is ... .

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Form. The shape of the tree ...

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Saplings. Seedlings and saplings ...

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Other. Twigs, etc ...

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Conostegia oerstediana
    Family: Melastomataceae
    Habitat: 1400 – 1700 m, abundant tree typical of

old pastures, secondary forest and forest
     edge. Can be misidentified as C. bernoulliana.
    Leaves: 8 x 16 cm, oval, leathery, glabrous, the

secondary veins arise 0.5 – 1 cm above
      leaf base.
Flowers: Feb to May, 2 cm across with 8 white petals and

24 orange anthers.
Fruit: May to Sep, 1 cm, dark purple juicy berry with

numerous tiny brown wedge-
      shaped seeds.

Cloudbridge: Bridging a Costa Rican cloud forest

Division:	Magnoliophyta [example]
Class:	Magnoliopsida [example]
Order:	Rosales [example]
Family:	Ulmaceae [example]
Species:	Conostegia oerstediana