Ekmanianthe
Ekmanianthe
Genus of flowering plants
Ekmanianthe is a genus of flowering plants in the family Bignoniaceae. It is most closely related to Tabebuia and has sometimes been included within it.[1][2] It consists of two species of trees,[3] neither of which is especially common in any part of its range:
- Ekmanianthe longiflora grows to 18 m (59 ft) in height and is native to Hispaniola (the Dominican Republic and Haiti) and the rocky uplands of central Cuba. It is considered Endangered by the IUCN Red List.[4]
- Ekmanianthe actinophylla is a smaller tree, to 10 m (33 ft) in height, and it occurs in western Cuba where it is known as "roble caimán" (English: "caiman oak"), for the resemblance of its trunk bark to the hide of a caiman.[5] "Roble" is a Spanish name that is also applied to Tabebuia. Neither of the species of Ekmanianthe is known in cultivation. The type species for Ekmanianthe is E. longiflora.[6]
The wood of Ekmanianthe has been variously described as "soft"[5] or as "very hard, heavy, and strong".[7] Despite this, like many other Tecomeae species, it is rarely cultivated.