Monkey comb tree fruit

I think that this is the fruit of a monkey comb tree, or peine de mico in Spanish. This fruit is hard and crusty, and about 8 cm. (4 in.) wide. It looks like a flower, but it is not. The flower of a monkey comb tree is what gives the tree its name, as the flowers have no petals, but lots of stamen that stick out like the bristles of a brush or teeth of a comb. The fruit is apparently a favorite food of parrots.

There are 23 different varieties of these trees in Costa Rica. They reach a height of 30 m. (295 ft). The scientific name is sloanea ampla. This photo was taken in the forested part of Rincon de la Vieja National Park. I have posted other photos from that park in the past. (I figured that since I showed a monkey ladder vine yesterday, I would post a monkey comb tree today. Tomorrow I will post a close-up profile of a baby iguana from Rincon de la Vieja.)