Oreopanax oerstedianus Marchal

Oreopanax oerstedianus Marchal, Bull. Acad. Belg 11.47:83. 1879. Tree, up to 10 m. high, or epiphytic shrub, the branchlets stout, terete, densely ferruginoustomentose (the hairs stellate, 6-8-branched, the stalks very stout and conspicuous, about 2 mm. long, the branches inconspicuous), at length glabrescent; leaves simple, the petiole up to 15 cm. long, densely tomentose, especially toward the base, with hairs resembling those of the branchlets, at length glabrescent, the blade thin-coriaceous, ovate to elliptic, up to 30 cm. long and 12 cm. broad (usually about 15X7 cm.), acute to rounded at the base, acuminate at the apex, entire and narrowly revolute at the margins, sparsely pilose above, especially on the nerves, or glabrous, stellate-tomentellose beneath (the hairs usually 4or 5-branched, stoutstalked), 3-nerved from the base or essentially pinnately nerved, the costa prominent beneath, the lateral nerves 4-7 per side, ascending; inflorescence up to 20 cm. long and broad, the branches, bracts, and peduncles closely stellate-tomentose, the bracts small, soon deciduous, the peduncles 5-10 mm. long, the heads racemosely arranged; staminate heads ovoid, 3-6 mm. long, the bractlets and bracteoles small, stellate-pilose without, the flowers glabrous; calyx small; petals oblong, about 1.5 mm. long; filaments about 2 mm. long, the anthers small; styles 1 or 2, carnose, short; hermaphrodite flowers resembling the staminate, the styles 5 or 6, free to the base; young fruiting heads 5-8 mm. in diameter, the fruits 3-11 per head, globoseovoid, the persistent styles recurved, about 1 mm. long, the seeds often few.
Type locality: Costa Rica. Distribution: Costa Rica, 1300-2500 m.