About Goetzea elegans Wydler
Goetzea elegans, common names include beautiful goetzea, mata buey, and matabuey. Its Spanish common name matabuey translates to ox-killer. It is a flowering plant species belonging to the Solanaceae, also known as the nightshade family. This species is endemic to Puerto Rico. Currently, it only grows in the northwestern corner of the island, due to deforestation and other human activities that have cleared and consumed its native habitat. It is federally listed as an endangered species on the island. G. elegans grows as a shrub or tree that can reach up to 9 metres, or 30 feet, in height. It has shiny, dark green, oval-shaped leaves. It produces yellow-orange, funnel-shaped flowers. Its fruit is a yellow-orange berry that can grow up to 2.5 centimetres, or 0.98 inches, long. As its Spanish common name hints, this plant may be poisonous.
