Coccoloba Gigantifolia

A species of flowering plant in the knotweed family Polygonaceae, endemic to the central and southwestern Brazilian Amazon, first observed by botanists in 1982 during an expedition in the Canumã River, a tributary of Madeira River.

Coccoloba gigantifolia is a tree which grows to about 49ft (15m) in height and has leaves that can reach up to 8ft (2.5m) in length and 4ft 7in (1.4m) in width, the second largest known leaf among dicotyledonous plants after Gunnera manicata. The petiole is only about 4in (10cm) in length and 1in (2.5cm) thick. In addition to the large leaves, it can be distinguished from its congeners by the species’ straight trunk, rarely over 3in (7.6cm)-thick, with transverse rings, articulated petiole inserted in the ochrea at the base of its leaves, its general pubescence and the presence of a hollow medulla in the branches.