Native Trees of Manuel Antonio in Costa Rica (English)
Many trees are living around the properties of Manuel Antonio Estates and in Palma Pacifica residency. Walking on the trails surrounded by the impressive second rainforest, it is very usual to see toucans and other exotic birds feasting on the tropical fruit trees. The flora species most common in the forest are the guácimo colorado, the pilón, the cedro maría, the guapinol negro and the lechoso. In the secondary, you can found the balsa tree, the peinemico (Monkey's comb), the guarumo and some others. It is also possible to see the national tree of Costa Rica “ the Guanacaste” or the Teak Wood, famous for manufacture of outdoors and furniture. You will enjoy the fabulous diversity of trees here in Quepos and Manuel Antonio !
Higueron (Moracea)
The Higueron is found from Mexico to Brazil and the north of Argentina.
This is a big and burly tree. It has long and powerful branches which emerge air roots and are fused to form the trunk. The flowers and fruits are in a spherical structure called sicono. The siconos are a type of fig. At maturation they are red and very appreciated by birds, especially the Yigüirro. The Sinico is pollinated by few wasps by the natural orifice called ostiolo. They put their eggs inside this one. On having moved, they pollinate the flowers and then die. The dispersion of the seed is made with the help of the animals that eat its fruits like the birds, bats and monkeys. The seeds germinate on the branches of another tree, which will turn into inn-keeper. The Higueron is pollinated by a minuscule wasp (from 1 to 2 mm) that puts the eggs inside the sicono and its movements pollinates the flowers
Monstera (Monstrous- abnormal)
Monstera tree is a genus of 22(-25) species of flowering plants in the family Araceae, native to tropical regions of the Americas. This tree is distinguished by its unusual leaves with natural holes. It is commonly grown indoors as houseplants or cultivated for its edible fruit which taste like a combination of banana and pineapple.
We can find herbs or evergreen vines, growing to heights of 20 m in trees, climbing by means of aerial roots which act as hooks over branches; these roots will also grow into the soil to help support the plant. The leaves are alternate, leathery, dark green and very large (from 25-90cm long up to 130cm) often with holes in the leaf blade. The flowers are born on a specialized inflorescence called a spadix.
Heliconia (Heliconia rostrata)
The Heliconia is a herbaceous perennial related to plants such as banana and traveler's tree. Native to Northern South America and the West Indies, there are likely 200-250 named varieties. The flower is a waxy bract that produces vivid colors and complex tropical shapes. The most common bract colors are reds, yellows and oranges. Some types are grown only for their colorful leaves. Stem and leaf growth is always vertical with leaves pointed up.
The Heliconia tree needs shade, partial shade or full sun, depending on variety, and which vary greatly in size. Some Heliconias stay low at about 60 cm while others such as Heliconia caribeae reach 3m or more. Most are in between at 1 to 2 m.
Guarumo or Cecropia (Cecropia glaziovii)
Cecropia is a genus of about 25 species of trees in the nettle family (Urticaceae). They are native to the tropical Americas, where they form one of the most recognisable components of the rainforest. These tree are a characteristic feature of many American tropical rainforest ecosystems and may be among the dominant tree species in some places. A common local name is yarumo or yagrumo.
The genus is easily identified by the large, circular, lobed leaves, about 30–40cm in diameter and deeply divided into 7-11 lobes. It is a rapid growth trees. It has succulent fruits which are readily sought by various animals. Moreover it shows antidepressant-like activity in rats. Native peoples use Cecropia for food, firewood, and in herbalism; some species also have cultural significance.
Spondias mombin
The Spondias Mombin or also calls Jobo, own to the species of the flowering plants, in the family Anacardiaceae. It is native to the tropical Americas, including the West Indies. The tree has been naturalized in parts of Africa, India and Indonesia. It is rarely cultivated.
The spondias mombin is often spreading in habit. The trunk is thick and the branches are stout and stiff. Its native home is tropical America, where it reaches a maximum height of about 7.5 m. The leaves are oblique between 12 to 20 cm long. The purplish maroon flowers are produced in small unbranched racemes about 1.5 cm long.
The great fruit has a leathery skin and a thin layer of pulp. The pulp is either eaten fresh, or made into juice, concentrate, jellies , and sherbets. In Suriname's traditional medicine, the infusion of the leaves is used as a treatment of eye inflammation, diarrhea and venereal diseases. The seed has an oil content of 31.5%.
Peinemico or Apeiba aspera (Apeiba aspera Aubl.)
The Peinemico can be found in Costa Rica and in Mexico. This is a fast-growing tree that can reach 20m in height. It has an angular, gray, slightly greenish shaft. It is also named Corcho, guásimo blanco, peinemico, peinemono. The monkeys use the fruit as a comb.
The bark is dark coffee and peels am shelled. It has sap with sweet smell. The leaves measure approximately 7-17 cm. The apex is bulky which one of the characteristic that distinguishes it from another species. The tree requires deep soils with moderate drainage. Although it tolerates wet places, it prefers clayey or loose clayey soils and can endure acid soils with low fertility and a flat or hilly topography. The medium size flowers are yellow and 4-10 cm length. The fruit is a circular with short protuberances in the whole surface. The seeds are black, small, and abundant.
Vaco or Lechoso ( Brosimum utile)
This tree commonly names Vaco and Lechoso, owns to the Moráceas family. It is found in the Amazonia, Central America, Colombia, Peru and Venezuela. It can reach a maximum height of 50 meter. It is an abundant tree in Costa Rica which is found in primary and secondary forests. It has a wood of medium value, a cylindrical trunk with prawns, grayish crust which has amorphous whitish spots in a horizontal direction. It branches out only in the highest part. It has simple, alternating leaves, with a very acute apex. Its fruits are 5 cm of diamete, round, brown and highly appreciated by many species. The flowers have cream or yellowish color.
Heliconia latispatha
Heliconia is a genus of about 100 to 200 species of flowering plants native to the tropical Americas and the Pacific Ocean islands west to Indonesia. Common names for the genus include lobster-claws, wild plantains or false bird-of-paradise. The last term refers to their close similarity to the bird-of-paradise flowers. Collectively, these plants are also simply referred to as heliconias. It is the sole genus of the family Heliconiaceae, but was formerly included in the family Musaceae.
The leaves of these plants are 15-300 cm long, oblong, growing opposite one another on non-woody petioles often longer than the leaf, often forming large clumps with age. Their flowers are produced on long, erect or drooping panicles, and consist of brightly colored waxy bracts, with small true flowers peeping out from the bracts. They are also grown for the florist's trade and as landscape plants.
Pilón (Hieronyma oblonga)
Pilón is a species of the tropical humid forests from the Euphorbiaceae family. It is found from Belize to the Amazon in South America and the Antilles, the north of Peru and Brazil. This is a tall tree with a straight, cylindrical trunk, with little-extended but well-defined buttresses. It may reach between 45 and 50 m in height. The bark is fissured, broken, and gray-red-brown colored and exfoliates in thin layers. Internally it is pink or light red and contains a large amount of tannins. This tree is renowned for its very heavy, dark maroon–colored wood. This timber is frequently used for general heavy construction (interior and exterior), marine pilings, boat construction, structures for bridges, railway ties, etc., and for furniture and decorative veneer.
Manzana de Agua (Syzygium malaccense)
This tree, commonly known as Malacca Apple, is a species of flowering tree that is native to Malaysia and Indonesia (Sumatra and Java) but has been introduced throughout the tropics.
This tree is known for its juicy, red, spongy fruits. The fruit is oblong-shaped and dark red in color, although some varieties have white or pink skin. The flesh is white and surrounds a large seed. Jam is prepared by stewing the flesh with brown sugar and ginger.
Manzana Apple trees can grow at a variety of altitudes, from sea level up to 2,740m. The trees themselves can grow from 12–18m in height. They flower in early summer, bearing fruit three months afterward. In Costa Rica they flower earlier, with ripe fruit in June.
Lagartillo (Zanthoxylum elephantiasis Macfad.)
Lagartillo is native from Mexico to South America including the Antilles. This is a medium size tree with thick stings in the trunk. Each branches has got between 5 to 11 small elliptical dark green leaves. This tree grews up in humid climate at a middle low elevation. The strong smell of its foliage mixed with lime is the best characteristic to identify it.
Teak Wood (Tectona)
This tree is a genus of tropical hardwood trees in the mint family, Lamiaceae. It is found native to south and southeast Asia. Most of the world's teaks are exported by Indonesia and Myanmar. There is also a rapidly growing plantation grown market in Central America (Costa Rica) and South America.
The yellowish brown timber with good grains and texture from teak trunk is used in the manufacture of outdoor furniture, boat decks, and other articles where weather resistance is desired. It is also used for indoor flooring and as a veneer for indoor furnishings.
Growing in pairs, the large and strong leaves remain diagonally to the next. In the young age, the leaves can grow up to 60 cm in length. The branchlets of the tree bear countless, little white flowers. They also remain in pairs and alternate in direction.
Mango tree (Mangifera indica L.)
Mango trees belongs to the genus Mangifera, consisting of numerous species of tropical fruiting trees in the flowering plant family Anacardiaceae. The mango is indigenous to India. Cultivated in many tropical and subtropical regions and distributed widely in the world, mango is one of the most extensively exploited fruits for food, juice, flavor, fragrance and color. Mango trees (Mangifera indica L.) grow 35–40m tall, with a crown radius of 10m. This is a long-lived tree; some specimens still fruit after 300 years. The leaves are evergreen, alternate, simple, 15–35cm long and 6–16cm broad; when the leaves are young they are orange-pink, rapidly changing to a dark glossy red, then dark green as they mature. Each flower is small and white with five petals with a mild sweet odor suggestive of lily of the valley.
The fruit takes three to six months to ripen. Cultivars are variously yellow, orange, red or green and carry a single flat, oblong pit that can be fibrous or hairy on the surface. Mango is generally sweet, although the taste and texture of the flesh varies across cultivars, some having a soft, pulpy texture. Mango is rich in a variety of nutrients.
The Guanacaste (Enterolobium cyclocarpum)
The Guanacaste is a species of the legume genus Enterolobium. It is a large deciduous canopy tree native to tropical regions of the Americas, from central Mexico south to northern Brazil (Roraima) and Venezuela. It is known for its large proportions, its expansive, often spherical crown, and its curiously shaped seed pods. The abundance of this tree, especially in Guanacaste Province in Costa Rica have made it a widely recognized species. It is the national tree of Costa Rica.
Guanacaste is a medium-sized to large tree growing to 25–35 m tall, with a trunk up to 3.5 m diameter. Unusual in a tree of these proportions, buttresses are completely lacking. The bark is light gray, with prominent dark reddish-brown vertical fissures. The alternate leaves are bipinnate compound, 15–40 cm long. Guanacaste fruits are large (7–12 cm diameter) glossy dark brown indehiscent and spirally organized pods, shaped like orbicular disks. It is widely grown as a shade tree to shelter coffee plantations and for shade and forage for cattle; it also improves soil fertility by nitrogen fixation.
Palma Real (Attalea Butyracea)
In Costa Rica, Palma Real is a common component of the Pacific coastal vegetation. It ranges from Nicaragua to Panama.
Palma Real has a straight, cylindrical trunk. Smooth, spineless, and gray-brown in color, the palm's surface is conspicuously marked by the wide, encircling, and periodic leaf scars. The large leaves are confined to the pinnacle of the tree, and they emanate from a common locus where the growth-producing palm heart is found. Its flowers attract many pollinators. Bees are particularly common visitors. Flowers (1 cm) appear in huge racemes (1 m) that grow from the leaf axils. Each fruit is a sessile, ovoid drupe with a pronounced distal point and a large, star-shaped calyx located proximally. Ripening from green to a dull, yellow-brown or burnt-orange color, the fruit possesses a soft layer woody skin. A single central seed fills the fruit core. Fruits are eaten by many arboreal mammals.
Guacimo Colorado (Luehea seemannii)
The Guacimo Colorado is from the Malvaceae family and is found Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Belize, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panamá, Colombia, Venezuela.
The tree is approximatively 27m tall. The trunk has a very irregular appearance, frequently with expanded buttresses. Flowers mature from November to January and the fruits from March to July. The Guacimo Colorado gradually losses leaves during the dry season and its leaves are replaced from April to June. This tree is attractive and is planted in many parks and gardens. It is ecologically important as a food source for many insects, which serve as food for many birds.
Balsa wood tree (Ochroma pyramidale)
The balsa wood tree is primarily found in Central and South America. Balsa wood trees grow best under the conditions found in rainforests, ideally in mountainous terrain between rivers. The country of Ecuador is perhaps the largest exporter of balsa wood, although many local farmers consider the plant to be little more than a weed.
The Balsa wood is a relatively fast growing tree. In only six to 10 years, balsa trees will reach heights of 18 to 27m. Trees of that age have trunk diameters from 30cm to 1m. The leaves on young trees are quite large, but decrease in size with the balsa's age.
Balsa's role as a fast-growing nurse tree for less hardy species of plants is short-lived. At maturity the trees put down a deep taproot, becoming extremely drought resistant as the porous heartwood fills with water. The trees rot slowly from the core outwards and typically die before they reach 100 years of age. The balsa tree first flowers at age 3, and the edible blooms feed many species of wild parrots and honeycreepers. Balsa was once important for airplane frames and flotation devices such as life vests.
Nene (Ormosia Velutina)
The Nene tree is a member of the primary forest where it tends to be found on well drained soils like those typical of hills and ridges. Found all over Costa Rica, it is also known from Panama, Venezuela, and Peru. In Costa Rica, it is found principally on the Atlantic coast. It grows in low and medium altitude in a humid climate.
It has cylindrical trunk (1 m) that lacks buttresses and is clad in smooth, gray bark. Its stout branches spread out widely, producing a large, moderately dense, rounded crown. The leaves are large (60 cm by 35 cm),compound and alternate. Each of the nine to eleven leaflets is elliptically shaped with an abrupt, short drip-tip. The flowers (1.5 cm long by 0.5 cm in diameter) are purple and appear in large, axillary panicles. The flowering occurs in May, but apparently only in alternate years. The fruit is from 2 to 6 cm length and has a red and black color.
Nance tree (Byrsonima crassifolia)
Nance is a tree of the species Byrsonima crassifolia. It has other common names including Savanna Serrette (or Savanna Serret), Golden Spoon. With other members of the genus Byrsonima, this tree is widely distributed in tropical America and valued for its small, sweet, yellow fruits.
The Nance tree is native and abundant in the wild. It grows slowly up to 15 m tall and reaches 50 cm diameter trunk. The branches, starting from the lower part of the trunk, grow densely in the graceful round-shaped top. The flowers and the fruits are like jewels changing tones. The Nance tree blooms and bears fruit from February to May. The fruits, also called nance, are eaten raw or cooked as dessert. The fruits are often used to prepare carbonated beverages or flavor mezcal-based liqueurs. In Costa Rica, Nance is used to distill a rum-like liquor called crema de nance. Mexico produces a licor de nanche.
Mombin (Spondias mombin)
Mombin is a species of flowering plant in the family Anacardiaceae. It is native to the tropical Americas, including the west Indies. The common names are Jobo or Hog Plum. In Costa Rica, Mombin is found all along the Pacific lowland region, in both dry and wet tropical forests. It is most abundant in the very humid to dry forests of the central and northern pacific coast: Manuel Antonio, Palo Verde, Santa Rosa, Corcovado, and Carara all maintain populations of this species. Its range extends from Mexico and the Antilles to Peru and Brazil.
This tree has a straight, cylindrical trunk with relatively few, thick limbs forming a wide, spreading crown of moderate density. Leaves are compound, alternate and tend to be clustered near the ends of the thick, stubby twigs. They are also large (about 40 cm long by 20 cm wide) and they carry from 11 to 17 leaflets.
Flowers are borne on large, terminal panicles and are small (4 mm), white structures with five petals, 10 yellow stamens, and a tiny central pistil. The fruit has a leathery skin and a thin layer of pulp. The pulp is either eaten fresh, or made into juice, concentrate, jellies, and sherbets.
Guapinol negro (Cynometra hemitomophylla)
The Guapinol Negro is found in Costa Rica's very humid, primary forest habitats. The species is endemic to Costa Rica, where it is found along the southern sections of both coasts. It is protected by Corcovado and Manuel Antonio national parks
It has a cylindrical, straight trunk (to 1 m) that gradually divides into a myriad of successively smaller branches and fine twigs. The twigs support a dense population of leaves, both inside and on the outer fringes of the canopy, producing a thick, impenetrable, and rounded crown. Guapinol bark is smooth, gray-brown in color, and slightly exfoliating. Large quantities of multicolored lichens further mottle the bark with unexpected colors and patterns. Guapinol Negro leaves are pinnately compound and alternately arranged along a distinctly zigzag twig. Flowers (1.5 cm) are white with a prominent and flattened pink pistil, five petals, and eight long stamens. Smelling aromatically of the tropical Manzana de Agua fruit, they occur in short axillary racemes.
Cedro Maria (Calophyllum longifolium)
The Cedro Maria is a species of Calophyllum native to subtropical and tropical regions of Central America, South America and Caribe. It is abundant in evergreen canopy tree and moist habitats. With its thick, deeply fissured bark and large, parallel veined leaves, Cedro María is amply distinguished from the rest of the park's arboreal flora. This species is widely appreciated for its fine quality, orange wood.
Cedro María has a cylindrical, straight trunk (70 cm) that completely lacks buttresses. The bole is clad in a thick layer of tan-brown bark that is profoundly grooved by darker, discontinuous vertical fissures. The leaves are simple and oppositely arranged along the twigs. They are large (25 cm by 9 cm) and elliptically shaped, with drip-tips lacking and replaced by inwardly indented (obcordate) apices. The Cedro Maria produces also a yellow resin used as a traditional medicine.
The flowers have four white, cupped petals present in all flowers, and these are folded back over the receptacle. The flowering periods are brief. The first occurs in June and the second sometime between October and December. Fruits, at maturity, are large (4-5 cm), dull, blue-green drupes of globular shape. Only a thin layer of soft tissue covers the single, woody, round seed. Fruits ripen slowly and individually in the tree crowns, creating an extended harvest that may last for several months.
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