Malvaceae, bele

This is a photos of young bele leaves on a young bele plant, taken from overhead. The leaves of this plant can be eaten raw or cooked, although upon chewing the raw leaves one will find they are quite mucilaginous. The mucilaginous quality, however, is said to have internal cooling effects, thus an excellent food for hot climates. I haven’t seen this plant anywhere else in Panama aside from the site I collected it at. I’m not sure what the scientific name is, nor where the plant is thought to originate from, I would guess south america.