Gyrocarpus americanus Jacq., Select. Stirp. Amer. Hist. 282, t. 178, f. 80. 1763.
Arboles pequeños, hasta 15 m de alto. Hojas enteras o con 3 lobos poco profundos, membranáceas a cartáceas, 1030 cm de largo y de ancho, truncadas o cordadas en la base, lobos acuminados. Flores estaminadas hasta 4 mm de largo, estambres generalmente 4. Fruto ovoide, alas 1012 cm de largo y 11.5 cm de ancho, grises.
Común, en bosques secos, zona pacífica; 0500 m; fl novdic, fr enejun; Stevens 3616, 10919; en áreas secas estacionales en los trópicos.
Plantas 10 –15 m. Hojas con la lámina 10 – 30 X ca. 30 cm, entera o débilmente 3 – 5-lobulada. Infls. 10 –15 cm. Fls. estaminadas con 4 estambres. Frs. ovoides, las alas 10 –12 cm.
Flowers greenish-yellow or cream.
Medium-sized deciduous tree usually 12–18 m., rarely over 30 m. tall or shrubby, often flowering when almost or quite leafless; trunk up to 1 m. wide; bark smooth to scaly, grey, white or yellow-brown; slash straw-coloured margined green; twigs brittle.
Leaves either dimorphic, the young ones 3(–5)-lobed up to the middle of the lamina and the older ones ovate-lanceolate or rarely reniform, or all leaves ovate-lanceolate, 4–25 cm. long, 4–22 cm. wide, thin or rarely subcoriaceous, the nervation pedate, the midrib with 3–6 pairs of lateral nerves, glabrous or almost so or brownish to grey-white pubescent or tomentose, laxly so above but denser beneath; petioles 4–18 cm. long, ± channelled.
Flowers ± scented, greenish fulvous, aggregated into terminal much-branched inflorescences.
Stamens 4; filaments up to 3 mm. long in bisexual flowers and 4 mm. long in male flowers, ± pilose, rarely glabrous, sometimes with dorsal glands, alternating with 4 minutely pubescent staminodes 0.5–1 mm. long.
Fruit pubescent or glabrous, very rugose beneath, with ± 8 longitudinal ribs extending over the upper half or entire length; wings dark brown or blackish, 4–10 cm. long, 2–3(–4) mm. wide at the base, (1–)1.6(–2.2) cm. wide above, minutely pubescent at base but rest glabrous; testa spongy.