Rutaceae
Amyris

Amyris elemifera L.

First published in Syst. Nat., ed. 10. 2: 1000 (1759)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Florida, S. Mexico to Honduras, Caribbean to NW. Venezuela. It is a shrub or tree and grows primarily in the wet tropical biome. It is used as a medicine and for food.

Descriptions

Extinction risk predictions for the world's flowering plants to support their conservation (2024). Bachman, S.P., Brown, M.J.M., Leão, T.C.C., Lughadha, E.N., Walker, B.E. https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nph.19592

Conservation
Predicted extinction risk: not threatened. Confidence: confident
[AERP]

George R. Proctor (2012). Flora of the Cayman Isands (Second Edition). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

Vernacular
CANDLEWOOD, WHITE CANDLEWOOD, TORCHWOOD
Morphology General Habit
A shrub to 3 m tall or more, sometimes tree-like, glabrous throughout; leaves 3–5- foliolate, the leaflets stalked, lanceolate to broadly ovate, 2–6 cm long, acuminate, the margins entire or crenulate, the tissue densely dotted with resinous glands
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Drupe globular, 5–8 mm in diameter.
Distribution
Cayman Islands. Florida, West Indies and C. America.
Ecology
In rocky woodlands.
[Cayman]

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/156771939/156771941

Conservation
LC - least concern
[IUCN]

Bernal, R., G. Galeano, A. Rodríguez, H. Sarmiento y M. Gutiérrez. 2017. Nombres Comunes de las Plantas de Colombia. http://www.biovirtual.unal.edu.co/nombrescomunes/

Vernacular
peraco
[UNAL]

Distribution
Biogeografic region: Andean, Caribbean. Elevation range: 10–1275 m a.s.l. Native to Colombia. Colombian departments: Bolívar, Cundinamarca, La Guajira, Magdalena, Norte de Santander, San Andrés y Providencia, Santander.
Habit
Shrub.
Conservation
IUCN Red List Assessment (2021): LC.
[UPFC]

Bernal, R., Gradstein, S.R. & Celis, M. (eds.). 2015. Catálogo de plantas y líquenes de Colombia. Instituto de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá. http://catalogoplantasdecolombia.unal.edu.co

Distribution
Nativa en Colombia; Alt. 10 - 1275 m.; Andes, Islas Caribeñas, Llanura del Caribe, Valle del Magdalena.
Morphology General Habit
Arbusto
Conservation
No Evaluada
[CPLC]

Uses

Use
The wood is hard, heavy, strong and close-grained; it is extremely durable and can take a brilliant polish. Most of the Cayman examples seen are too small to be of much use. Because of its high resin content, Amyris wood will burn when it is green.
[Cayman]

Use Food
Used for food.
Use Materials
Used as material.
Use Medicines
Medical uses.
[UPFC]

Common Names

unknown
torchwood

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

    • Angiosperm Threat Predictions
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

  • Catálogo de Plantas y Líquenes de Colombia

    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Colombian resources for Plants made Accessible

    • ColPlantA 2021. Published on the Internet at http://colplanta.org
    • https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

  • EBC Common Names

    • Common Names from Kew's Economic Botany Collection https://www.kew.org/science/collections-and-resources/collections/economic-botany-collection

  • Flora of the Cayman Islands

    • Flora of the Cayman Islands
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • 'The Herbarium Catalogue, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the Internet http://www.kew.org/herbcat [accessed on Day Month Year]'. Please enter the date on which you consulted the system.
    • Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

  • IUCN Categories

    • IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2026. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2026. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Science Photographs

    • Copyright applied to individual images

  • Universidad Nacional de Colombia

    • ColPlantA database
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Useful Plants and Fungi of Colombia

    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0