Kauaʻi record · kba_plant_brownea_macrophylla

Panama flame tree

Brownea macrophylla

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About Panama flame tree

Panama flame tree (Brownea macrophylla) is a post-contact introduced tree documented on Kauaʻi through historical forestry planting records. The reviewed records do not establish present survival. Native from Panama through northwestern South America, where Plants of the World Online places it in the wet tropical biome. Herbarium field records and the Ecuadorian taxonomic revision document it as a cauliflorous forest tree, including individuals 20–25 m tall, while horticultural and regional tree treatments commonly describe smaller understory trees. These native-range sources describe its ecology and do not imply present survival or a particular habitat on Kauaʻi.

Kauaʻi evidence

Taxonomic identity, tree form, diagnostic morphology and island occurrence use the linked reviewed sources. Historical planting, cultivation, naturalization and invasive status are separate. Generated imagery is not occurrence evidence. The 1918–1959 Kauaʻi reforestation working register records 2 plants under Brownea macrophylla across 1 entries dated 1943. These are recorded planting quantities, not counts of surviving trees, and they do not by themselves establish current persistence, naturalization, or ecological impact. Source: Kauaʻi Reforestation Plantings 1918–1959 working register (user-supplied; reconciled 6 October 2026).

Names and classification

Scientific name: Brownea macrophylla
Common names: Panama flame tree · great flamebean
Other names: Brownea macrophylla · Panama flame tree · great flamebean · Brownea antioquensis · Brownea macbrideana
Record type: Species

Kauaʻi occurrence and status

Kauaʻi occurrence: Recorded on Kauaʻi
Origin: Introduced
Conservation status: Not yet assessed
Evidence date: 2026-10-05
Evidence limits: Current extent is unassessed; public locality is island level only.

Habitat and ecology

Habitats: Not yet assessed
Food and resource needs: Not yet assessed
Reproduction: Not yet assessed
Shelter: Not yet assessed
Growth form: Evergreen small to medium tree

Threats and conservation

Monitoring: Not yet assessed
Data gaps: Current population extent and trajectory · Additional species-specific ecological and conservation sources

Process and seasonal context

Seasonal timing: Not yet assessed
Seasonal description: Panama flame tree (Brownea macrophylla) is a post-contact introduced tree documented on Kauaʻi through historical forestry planting records. The reviewed records do not establish present survival. Native from Panama through northwestern South America, where Plants of the World Online places it in the wet tropical biome. Herbarium field records and the Ecuadorian taxonomic revision document it as a cauliflorous forest tree, including individuals 20–25 m tall, while horticultural and regional tree treatments commonly describe smaller understory trees. These native-range sources describe its ecology and do not imply present survival or a particular habitat on Kauaʻi.

Sources and further reading

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