Sustainability of Tropical AgroEcosystems, Roadside Tree ID...

Sustainability of Tropical AgroEcosystems, Roadside Tree ID Guide, page 1

Africantulip tree

Family: BignoniaceaeSpecies: Spathodea campanulata

Other Common Names: Flame Tree; Fountain Tree, Flame of the forest

Habitat: pan tropical

Native to: Equatorial Africa

Diagnostic Feature(s):• Trees 60 - 80 ft tall• Bright orange clusters of flowers• Soft wood, fast growing

http://www.hilozoo.com/plants/PT_atulip.htm


Almendro

Family: FabaceaeSpecies: Dipteryx panamensis

Other Common Names: Mountainalmond, ironwood

Habitat: Tropical rain forests, up900 m in elevation, with between 350and 500 cm of annual rainfall, and temperatures between 25 and 31º C.

Native to: Atlantic coast from Central America to Colombia

• It is one of the species which rises above the forest canopy. Reaches heights of 50 m.• Prime nesting for the endangered Green Macaw (Ara ambigua), which lives in holes left by

falling branches.

Diagnostic Feature(s):• Foliage, pinnately compound, winged rachis, asymmetric leaves• Large size

http://www.una.ac.cr/ambi/Ambien-Tico/93/chaves.htmhttp://www.geocities.com/Athens/Agora/9751/almendro.htm

http://www.una.ac.cr/ambi/Ambien-Tico/93/chaves.htm

http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Agora/9751/almendro.htm


BalsaFamily: BombacaceaeSpecies: Ochroma pyramidale or lagopus

Other Common Names: Balsa (Central and South America in general),Corcho (Mexico), Gatillo (Nicaragua), Enea,Pung (Costa Rica), Lana (Panama), Pau debalsa (Brazil), Palo de balsa (Peru), Tami(Bolivia).

Habitat: Drier, warmer areas. Widely distributedin tropical America; throughout the West Indies,and from southern Mexico, through CentralAmerica and into Venezuela, Colombia, Brazil,Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia. Usually found at lowerelevations especially on bottom land soils alongstreams; also in clearings and cut-over forests.Cultivated in plantations.

Diagnostic Feature(s):• Large, slightly lobed leaves• Native trees are 60 to 90 ft high and 2.5 to

4 ft in diameter. On the best sites may reacha height of 80 ft and a diameter of 2.5 ft in5 years.

• Slight buttresses develop in the larger trees.

Uses:• Insulation for heat, vibration, and sound;

rafts, life belts, floats, core stock insandwich constructions, surgical splints,toys, and model airplanes.

From: http://www.windsorplywood.com/tropical_woodspage.html

http://www.windsorplywood.com/tropical_woodspage.html


BreadfruitFamily: MoraceaeSpecies: Artocarpus altilis

Other Common Names: Spanish as fruta de pan(fruit), or arbol de pan, arbol del pan (tree), or pande pobre; into French, as fruit a pain (seedless),chataignier (withseeds), arbre à pain (tree);Portuguese, fruta pão, or pão de massa; Dutch,broodvrucht (fruit), broodboom (tree).InVenezuela it may be called pan de ano, pan detodo el ano, pan de palo, pan de ñame, topán, ortupán; in Guatemala and Honduras, mazapán(seedless), castaña (with seeds); in Perú, marure;in Yucatán, castaño de Malabar (with seeds); inPuerto Rico, panapén (seedless), pana de pepitas(with seeds). In Malaya and Java, it is suku or sukun (seedless); kulur, kelur, or kulor (with seeds); in Thailand, sa-ke, in the Philippines, rimas (seedless); in Hawaii, ulu.

Habitat: The warm, humid tropics, below 600 m (2000 ft) asl. Native to a vast area extendingfrom New Guinea through the Indo-Malayan Archipelago to Western Micronesia

Diagnostic Feature(s):• Leaves that are very large and deeply lobed.• Fruits are only seasonally present• Trees are fast-growing, reaching 85 ft (26 m) in height, often with a clear trunk to 20 ft (6

m) becoming 2 to 6 ft (0.6-1.8 m) in width and often buttressed at the base, though somevarieties may never exceed 1/4 or 1/2 of these dimensions

Uses:• Starchy fruit with a bread-like flavor once cooked

From: Morton, J. 1987. Breadfruit. p. 50–58. In: Fruits of warm climates. Julia F. Morton,Miami, FL.


CalistemónFamily: MyrtaceaeSpecies: Callistemon spp.

Other Common Names: Bottlebrush tree

Habitat: Grow along water. Found in open forest orwoodland in areas with high rainfall.

Native to: Australia

• Popular ornamental in gardens and roadsides

Diagnostic Feature(s):• Small - to - medium-sized tree• Flowers that look like a red bottle brush• Short, narrow leaves

For more inforamation:http://farrer.csu.edu.au/ASGAP/callis1a.html

http://www.uniba.sk/bzuk/calistemon.JPG


Calabash TreeFamily: BignonaceaeSpecies: Crescentia cujete

Other Common Names: jícaro, krabasi, kalebas, huingo.

Habitat: Warmer, drier areas of Central and SouthAmerica, the West Indies, and extreme southern Florida.

Diagnostic Feature(s):• Gourd-like fruit on the tree• Tree grows to a height of about thirty feet. The

branches are long and form a spreading habit. Thecharacteristic arrangement of the leaves is inclustered or condensed spirals or reduced shootsborne on long thin branches. The habit is strangelygaunt and the clusters of leaves are themselvesspirally arranged on the branches. Each leaf isbetween two and five inches long. The texture isleathery and the color is bright green on the uppersurface and paler below.

Uses:• Handicrafts such as pots, rattles, or even drums• Water containers, bowls, and other implements• The fruit pulp is used for respiratory problems

(asthma).


CecropiaFamily: CecropiaceaeSpecies: Cecropia obtusifolia & others

Other Common Names: Guarumo, trumpet tree

Habitat: New world tropics, from SouthernMexico to Ecuador and Colombia

Diagnostic Feature(s):• Leaves- see photo• Trees usually 5-10 m tall• Is a myrmecophyte– it has a symbiotic

relationship with Azteca ants

Uses:• Indicator of a disturbed habitat• One of the first species to grow back following clearing


CedrelaFamily: MeliaceaeSpecies: Cedrela fissilisOther Common Names: Spanish cedar

Habitat: From Costa Rica to Argentina

Diagnostic Feature(s):• Distinctive leaf shape

Uses:• Timber mostly, second only to mahogany in

desirability• Fragrant light weight wood that is termite

resistant and rot-resistant outdoors• Used to make cigar boxes, panelling, veneer,

and used for construction

From: Wikipedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cedrela


CeibaFamily: BombacaceaeSpecies: Ceiba pentandra

Other Common Names: Silk cotton tree, kapok(English); Fromager (French West Indies),Pochota, Yaxche (Mexico), Bonga, Ceiba de lana(Colombia), Ceiba yuca (Venezuela), Sumauma(Brazil), Toborochi (Bolivia).

Habitat: Warmer areas. Throughout the tropicalworld; from the Tropic of Cancer in Mexicosouthward through Central America to Colombia,Venezuela, Brazil, and Ecuador.

Diagnostic Feature(s):• A very large tree with a height of 150 ft and a diameter of 7 ft above the buttresses, which

often are of plank form and wide spreading; the trunk, which is cylindrical or at timesthicker in the middle, is smooth or covered with large conical spines

• Characteristically an open-grown tree.

Uses:• Plywood, packaging, lumber core stock, light construction, pulp and paper products, also

used locally for canoes and rafts.• Floss on seeds (kapok) harvested for use in buoys, life belts, stuffing pillows, and similar

articles.




Coral Tree

Family: FabaceaeSpecies: Erythrina poeppigiana

Other Common Names: Hot poker tree

Habitat: Tropical moist to tropical wet through subtropical dry to subtropical rain forest lifezones, up to 2000 m in elevation, where annual precipitation is 100 to 400 cm, annualtemperature is 20 to 28°C, and pH is 4.0 to7.5.

Native to: Amazon and Orinoco basins from Venezuela to Bolivia, and the moist Pacific forestsof Ecuador and Colombia. It was introduced to Central America and a number of CaribbeanIslands in the 19th century.

Diagnostic Feature(s):• Trifoliolate leaves• Red flowers (usually Dec to April, and trail off afterwards)• Seeds that are like bright orange beans, but are highly toxic

Uses:• Used as coffee shade

• When gets 2-3 m high, the trunks are lopped at about head height twice a year• The prunings are added to the soils as green manure

• Used as living fenceposts – usually 3-5 m tall• If not pruned can reach 30 m

http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/duke_energy/Erythrina_poeppigiana.htmlhttp://www.winrock.org/forestry/factpub/factsh/erypoepp.htm

http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/duke_energy/Erythrina_poeppigiana.html

http://www.winrock.org/forestry/factpub/factsh/erypoepp.htm


GavilánFamily: FabaceaeSpecies: Pentaclethra macroloba

Other Common Names:

Habitat: Tropical rain forests. It is one of thespecies which rises above the forest canopy. Reaches heights of 35 m.

• When grown on roadsides, the tree ismuch smaller, usually under 10 m

Native to: From Central America to theAmazon

Diagnostic Feature(s):• Dark green foliage, bipinnately compound• Blooms– rainy season

http://fm2.fieldmuseum.org/plantguides/results.asp?genus=Pentaclethra


GmelinaFamily: VerbenaceaeSpecies: Gmelina arborea

Other Common Names:

Habitat: India, Burma, and eastward toVietnam. Now widely planted throughoutthe lowland tropics, a favored plantationspecies.

Diagnostic Feature(s):• Densely planted tree plantation

Uses:• General carpentry, furniture

components, utility plywood, pulpand paper products, particleboard,matches, carvings, clogs

From: http://www.windsorplywood.com/tropical_woods/gmelina.html

http://www.windsorplywood.com/tropical_woods/gmelina.html


Goldman’s FicusFamily: MoraceaeSpecies: Ficus goldmanii

Other Common Names: higuerón, amate

Habitat: The drier, warmer tropics,México and Central America

Diagnostic Feature(s):• Roots hanging from the branches• Tree, with short trunk and umbrella-shaped canopy• Up to 6-8 m high

Uses:• Ornamental


GuabaFamily: FabaceaeSpecies: Inga spp. – There are 53 spp. in Costa Rica

alone

Other Common Names:

Habitat: variable

Native to: Mexico to Brazil

Diagnostic Feature(s):• Foliage, pinnately compound, winged rachis, and nectaries at base of each leaflet, which

attract ants• Edible ods of variable length, up to 1 m• Tree grows up to 20 m• Used as coffee shade. When prunned, the leaves serve as mulch, and the wood as

firewood.


GuanacasteFamily: FabaceaeSpecies: Enterolobium cyclocarpum

Other Common Names: Conacaste, Orejo, Perota (Mexico), Genicero, Jarina (Costa Rica),Corotu (Panama), Orejero, Caro (Colombia), Carocaro (Venezuela).

Habitat: Warm, dry regions. Mexico and southward through Central America to Trinidad,Venezuela, Guyana, and Brazil; often planted as an ornamental.

Diagnostic Feature(s):• Tree heights 60 to 100 ft with a stout short trunk 3 to 6 ft or more in diameter• large spreading crown.

Uses:• Core stock, pattern wood, paneling, interior trim, furniture components, and veneer




Indio DesnudoFamily: BurseraceaeSpecies: Bursera simaruba

Other Common Names: Gumbo Limbo Tree, Turpentine tree (Jamaica),Gommier blanc (Haiti), Chaca, Palo chino(Mexico), Carate (Panama, Colombia), Carana,Indio desnudo (Venezuela).

Habitat: Of common occurrence in southernFlorida, the West Indies, southern Mexico, CentralAmerica, and northern South America. The tree isnot exacting as to site and moisture conditions butreaches its best development in lowland forests,below 1000 m asl.

Diagnostic Feature(s):• Flaking red bark• Generally a slender unbuttressed tree of short to medium height, commonly to 60 ft;

diameters 14 to 18 in. Sometimes attain heights of 80 to 90 ft with trunk diameters of 3 ft.

Uses:• Living fenceposts• Treatment of stomach ailments• Bark is used as a natural insecticide to protect cattle and horses from biting insects• Turpentine




MangoFamily: AnacardiaceaeSpecies: Mangifera indica

Other Common Names: Mango,Mangot, Manga, Mangou

Habitat: The mango is native tosouthern Asia, especially Burmaand eastern India. Found in thewarm tropics

Diagnostic Feature(s):• Dark green, glossy, strap-

shaped leaves• Grown in yards or

plantations• Fruit is only present

seasonally• Trees grow up to 60 ft high

or more

Uses:• Fruit• Shade• Ornamental

From: http://www.crfg.org/pubs/ff/mango.html

http://www.crfg.org/pubs/ff/mango.html


PachiraFamily: BombacaceaeSpecies: Pachira aquatica

Other Common Names: Provision Tree, GuianaChestnut, Saba Nut, Shaving Brush Tree,

Habitat: Warm, humid tropics of southern Méxicoto northern South America, along estuaries andlakeshores

Diagnostic Feature(s):• Large brown fruit• Flowers• Leaves• Grows along the water’s edge• Medium to large sized, spreading tree to

over 60ft tall.

Uses:• Seeds are eaten raw or cooked, usually

boiled, roasted, or fried. Leaves andflowers are eaten as vegetables.

From: http://www.plantcreations.com/pachira_aquatica.htm &http://www.tradewindsfruit.com/malabar_chestnut.htm

http://www.plantcreations.com/pachira_aquatica.htm

http://www.tradewindsfruit.com/malabar_chestnut.htm


PochoteFamily: BombacaceaeSpecies: Bombacopsis quinata

Other common names:Cedro espino (Honduras,Nicaragua), Saquisaqui(Venezuela), Ceiba tolua(Colombia).

Habitat: Drier, warmer areas. Common in the more open forests of western Nicaragua, CostaRica, and Panama. Also on the Atlantic side of Panama and in Colombia and Venezuela.Abundant throughout its range, mostly on well-drained, often gravelly soils on the upper slopesof low hills and ridges

Diagnostic Feature(s):• Thorns!!• Medium-sized to large tree, not infrequently 3 ft and sometimes 5 or 6 ft. in diameter;

reaches a height of 100 ft.• Wide-spreading crown of heavy branches; somewhat irregular bole; generally buttressed.

Uses:• Used locally for general construction, interior finish, millwork, furniture stock, veneer

and plywood, particleboard, and pulp and paper products




Tabebuia

Family: Bignoniaceae Species: Tabebuia spp.

Other Common Names: Palo blanco, Cortez, Corteza

Habitat:• Distributed from Colombia to Bolivia, the

Guianas, and Southeastern Brazil• Found in the seasonal forests and the cerrado

at sea level to 1200 m in elevation

Diagnostic Feature(s):• Stands out of the forest canopy• Distinctive trumpet flowers cover the entire

tree• Leaf is a cluster of five leaflets

Uses:• Timber uses primarily, the wood is denser

than water and has a fire rating of A1 whichis the same as concrete

• It is used in making furniture and deckingbecause it is insect resistant and durable

• Also used as an ornamental, and the bark hasmedicinal properties

From: http://www.exotichardwoods-southamerica.com/ipe.htmWikipedia on Tabebuia

http://www.exotichardwoods-southamerica.com/ipe.htm

http://www.answers.com/main/ntquery;jsessionid=33l9v3ar3iras?method=4&dsid=2222&dekey=Tabebuia&curtab=2222_1&sbid=lc07a&linktext=Tabebuia


TeakFamily: Verbenaceae Species: Tectona grandis

Other Common Names: Kyun (Burma), Teck (French), Teca (Spanish).

Habitat:• Native to India, Burma, Thailand,

Indochina, including Indonesia, particularlyJava.

• Extensively cultivated in plantations withinits natural range as well as in tropical areasof Africa and Latin America

Diagnostic Feature(s):• Large leaves• Growing in a tree plantation• On favorable sites, may

reach 130 to 150 ft in heightwith clear boles to 80 to 90ft; trunk diameters usually 3to 5 ft; older trees fluted andbuttressed.

Uses:• Shipbuilding, joinery, furniture, flooring, carving, cabinetwork, paneling, turnery, tanks

and vats, fixtures requiring high resistance to acids.




Tropical AlmondFamily: CombretaceaeSpecies: Terminalia catappa

Other Common Names: badamier, Java almond,amandier de Cayenne, tropical almond, wildalmond, Indian almond, myrobalan, Malabaralmond, Singapore almond, ketapang, Huu kwang,Sea almond, kobateishi, West Indian almond,amandel huu kwang.

Habitat: Pan tropical in the warmer, wetter areas. Native to India or Malay Peninsula

Diagnostic Feature(s):• Large, oval-shaped leaves• Small to medium-sized tree, up to 20-30 ft tall• Whorled horizontal branches• The flowers are axillary and occur in slender spikes.• The fruit is flattened or compressed and narrowly winged– i.e., almond-shaped, that turns

yellow when ripe

Uses:• Ornamental

From: http://www.uog.edu/cals/site/POG/terminalia.html &http://www.tropilab.com/terminalia-cat.html

http://www.uog.edu/cals/site/POG/terminalia.html

http://www.tropilab.com/terminalia-cat.html


Tropical AlmondFamily: CombretaceaeSpecies: Terminalia catappa

Other Common Names: badamier, Java almond,amandier de Cayenne, tropical almond, wildalmond, Indian almond, myrobalan, Malabaralmond, Singapore almond, ketapang, Huu kwang,Sea almond, kobateishi, West Indian almond,amandel huu kwang.

Habitat: Pan tropical in the warmer, wetter areas. Native to India or Malay Peninsula

Diagnostic Feature(s):• Large, oval-shaped leaves• Small to medium-sized tree, up

to 20-30 ft tall• Whorled horizontal branches

in layers• The flowers are axillary and

occur in slender spikes.• The fruit is flattened or

compressed and narrowlywinged– i.e., almond-shaped,that turns yellow when ripe

Uses:• Ornamental

From: http://www.uog.edu/cals/site/POG/terminalia.html &http://www.tropilab.com/terminalia-cat.html

http://www.uog.edu/cals/site/POG/terminalia.html

http://www.tropilab.com/terminalia-cat.html


CasuarinaFamily: Casuarinaceae,Species: Casuarina catappa

Other Common Names:Australian pine, she-oak.

Habitat: Neo-tropical in the warmer areas.Native to Australasia and the south pacific

Diagnostic Feature(s):• Medium sized tree 15–20 m or more tall• Trunk straight, to 30 cm in diameter• Fruiting cones are ca 10 mm long, globular, very regular, with prominent valves• Scale leaves 8–10, whorled at the nodes

Uses:• Timber, windbreaks

From:• http://pick4.pick.uga.edu/mp/20q?search=Casuarina+cunninghamiana&guide=Trees• http://jrscience.wcp.muohio.edu/Photos/AustralianPine.jpeg (Photo)

http://jrscience.wcp.muohio.edu/Photos/AustralianPine.jpeg


MalincheFamily: FabaceaeSpecies: Delonix regia

Other Common Names:Royal Poinciana, flame of the forest,flamboyant

Habitat: Dry tropical forest.Native to Madagascar

Diagnostic Feature(s):• Medium-sized tree, up 30-40 ft (9.1-12.2 m) tall• Deciduous• Bright-orange flowers, usually before the rainy season• Long pods

Uses:• Ornamental, shade tree• Seeds used for decoration

From: http://lacomunidad.elpais.com/blogfiles/tercermundo-tamarindo/ArbolMalincheGuanacasteC.R..jpg (photo)http://treesofcostarica.info/Malinche.htm

http://www.hear.org/starr/hiplants/images/600max/html/starr_020630_0014_delonix_regia.htm

http://treesofcostarica.info/Malinche.htm

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Sustainability of Tropical AgroEcosystems, Roadside Tree ID...

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