Triplaris cumingiana, commonly known as the Long John tree or Palo de Gusano, is a fast-growing, semi-deciduous tropical tree valued for its slender, upright form and colorful reproductive structures. Native to Central and South America, it often inhabits riverbanks, secondary forests, and disturbed sites where its rapid growth allows it to outcompete surrounding vegetation. Mature trees typically develop a straight, columnar trunk with smooth gray bark and an open, airy canopy of elongated, lanceolate leaves that flush in soft reddish tones before maturing to deep green. One of its most distinctive features is the display produced by the female trees: clusters of papery, winged bracts that emerge in shades of pink, rose, or red, creating a cloudlike effect against the foliage and aiding in wind dispersal of the seeds. Male trees, by contrast, produce lighter, more inconspicuous catkin-like inflorescences. It is grown as an ornamental tree in warm regions.