National Museum of Natural Science

Neither the fruit nor the seeds of the lantern tree (Hernanadia nymphaeifolia) catches the eye. What is of interest is the pink, fleshy layer that surrounds the seed, but is not part of the flesh of the fruit. This structure is used to allow the fruit to travel far on ocean waters. There have been no records of this layer being eaten by animals. It is attractive, but not tasty. In this unit, dissection is carried out to explain this structure.

Lantern tree Hernanadia nymphaeifolia