Erblichia

Erblichia odorata is the sole member of the monotypic genus Erblichia. It is colloquially known as Butterfly tree or Flor de Mayo.

Description

Morphology

E. odorata is a large tree that can reach heights of 40 meters.

Floral morphology

Flowers are orange, solitary and range from 6 - 11.5 cm long. Unlike other genera of Turneroideae which exhibit distyly, E. odorata does not.

Taxonomy

The genus was named in honour of Ch. Erblich, a German court garden-master in Hannover. It was first described and published in Bot. Voy. Herald in 1854.
Although the genera was originally composed of five species, these are currently classified as heterotypic synonyms.

Distribution

Its native range is Mexico to Central America. It is found in the countries of Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua and Panama.

Conservation status

As of 2019, E. odorata is classified as least concern and does not have any listed known threats.