Fruiting Plants of Brazil and Some Others compiled by Armas Hill

PO Box 9021, Wilmington, DE 19809, USA
E-mail: font@focusonnature.com
Phone: Toll-free in USA 1-888-721-3555
or 302/529-1876

Fruiting Plants
of
Brazil

and some other
Notable Plants
in that Country

with those during
Focus On Nature Tours
thru 2014
noted with an (*)

during tours in the months of
January, February, March, April,
May, July, November, and December

This List of Fruiting Plants, and some others, of Brazil
compiled by Armas Hill

Photo at upper right:
PASSIFLORA EDULIS, the PURPLE PASSION FRUIT
photographed during a FONT tour in April 2014
The fruit becomes purple when ripe.
(photo by Marie Gardner)
There are 22 species of PASSION FRUIT in this list.

There have been 50 FONT birding and nature tours in Brazil over the years since 1991.
Armas Hill, of Focus On Nature, also made a number of trips to the country during the previous decade.
Those visits and the tours have been to nearly every part of Brazil, including:
the Amazonian region, southeastern Brazil including the Atlantic Forest, further inland in Minas Gerais
and in and near Brasilia, in Mato Grosso and Mato Grosso do Sul (including the Pantanal),
in the area of Iguazu Falls, and as far south as the border with Uruguay in Rio Grande do Sul.
In these various places, in the big country, as Brazil is, there's an assortment of varied habitats,
including some tropical, some subtropical, and others temperate.
Of course, the plant life varies accordingly.

In the list that follows, below the scientific names are names in English and Portuguese (P:).
The families in the list are given (mostly) in alphabetical order, and genera within them are given alphabetically as well.
Families that are "break-offs" from other families are at times here still with them, and may be out of alphabetical order.

Links to Plant Families in this List:

ACTINIDIACEAE - Chinese Gooseberry family including Kiwi

ANACARDIACEAE - Sumacs including Cashew, Mango, Hog Plum, Spanish Plum (neither true plums), Mombins

ANNONACEAE - Custard Apples
including Soursop, Sweetsop, Custard Apple (or "Bull's Heart"), Monkey Banana, Corosol, Wild Cashina

APOCYNACEAE - Dogbanes including Brazilian Sorva

ARACEAE - Aroids including Ceriman (or "Banana de Macaco")

ARECACEAE, was PALMAE - Palms including Coconut Palm, Mauritia Palm
and referring to the significance of palms for birds such as Macaws

ARAUCARIACEAE - Araucarias

BALSAMINACEAE - Touch-me-not

BIGNONIACEAE - Bignonias, Trumpet Creepers including Calabash, Jacaranda trees, Tabebuia ("Ipe") trees

BORAGINACEAE - Borages

BRASSICADEAE - Mustards (formerly CRUCIFERAE)

BROMELIACEAE - Bromeliads including Pineapple

BURSERACEAE - Torchwoods, or Incense Trees

CACTACEAE - Cacti including Dragonfruit

CALOPHYLLACEAE (previously in the CLUSIACEAE, or GUTTIFERAE family) including Mammee Apple

CANNABACEAE - Canna (now includes ULMACEAE)

CARICACEAE - Papaya Plants including Papaya (or Pawpaw)

CARYOCARACEAE (or RHIZOBOLACEAE) including Brazilian Souari Nut

CELASTRACEAE - Bittersweet, or Staff-vine

CHRYSOBALANACEAE including Cocoplum (both black and red)

CLUSIACEAE - Clusias

COMBRETACEAE - Bush Willows, Combretums, Almond

CONVOLVULACEAE - Morning Glories including Sweet Potato

COSTACEAE - Costus Family including Spiral Gingers

CUCURBITACEAE - Gourd, or Cucumbers
including Watermelon, Winter Squash, Summer Squash (Zucchini), Cantaloupes, Honeydew, other melons, Balsam Pear

CYCLANTHACEAE including Panama Hat Plant

EBENACEAE - Ebony and Persimmon including Persimmon

ERICACEAE - Heath including Blueberries

EUPHORBIACEAE - Spurges including Poinsettia, Rubber Tree

FABACEAE - Legume, or Pea or Bean Family (includes CAESALPINIOIDEAE, the Carob Plants, and MIMOSOIDEAE, the Mimosa Plants)
including Pernambuco (tree for making violins, the world's best), Tonka Bean Tree, Inga trees, Ice Cream Bean

FAGACEAE - Beech family including Spanish Chestnut

HUMIRIACEAE

ICACINACEAE

JUGLANDACEAE - Walnuts including Pecan

LAMIACEAE, or LABIATAE - Mints including Amazonian Basil

LAURACEAE - Laurel including Avocado

LECYTHIDACEAE - Brazil Nut plants and allies including Brazil Nut Tree, Cannonball Tree, Monkey Pot Tree

LYTHRACEAE - Loosestrifes including Pomegranate

MALPIGHIACEAE including Peanut Butter Fruits, Shoemaker's Tree, Barbados Cherry

MALVACEAE - Mallows (includes BOMBACACEAE, the Cotton Tree Plants) including Saba Nut

MELASTOMATACEAE - Melastomes including Mess Apple (or "Araca de Anta", "food of the Tapir")

MELIACEAE - Mahogany

MENISPERMACEAE

MORACEAE - Mulberry plants including Breadfruit, Jackfruit, Fig, Strangler Fig, Mulberries

MUNTINGIACEAE including Capulin

MUSACEAE - Banana plants, Heliconias including Banana, Plantain

MYRTACEAE - Myrtles including Guavas, Flying Saucer Fruit, Brazil Cherry, Rainforest Plum, Brazilian Grape, Rumberry, Lilly Pilly, Water Apple, Mountain Apple, Java Plum, Java Apple, Brush Cherry

NYCTAGINACEAE - Four O' Clocks including Bougainvillea

NYMPHAEACEAE - Water Lilies

OLACACEAE including Hog Plum (not the same fruit as in ANACARDIACEAE)

ONAGRACEAE - Willowherb, Evening Primrose including Fuchsias

OXALIDACEAE including Star Fruit

PASSIFLORACEAE - Passionflowers

PHYLLANTACEAE including Oriental Gooseberries

POACEAE (or GRAMINEAE) - Grasses including Sugarcane, Rice, Corn

PONTEDERIACEAE - Water Hyacinth, Pickerel-weed

PROTEACEAE - Macadamia and allies including Macadamia Nuts

RHAMNACEAE - Buckthorns including Chinese Raisin, Jujubes

RHIZOPHORACEAE - Mangroves and allies

ROSACEAE - Rose including Quince, Loquat, Strawberry, Apple, Apricot, Italian Plum, Sweet Almond, Peach, Nectarine, Japanese Plum, Pear, Apple Pear, Raspberries, Blackberries

RUBIACEAE - Madders including Coffee, Genips, Spanish Tamarind

RUTACEAE - Citrus, or Rue including Lime, Sour Orange, Mandarin, Sweet Limes, Lemon (a hybrid), Citron, Grapefruit (a hybrid), Tangerine, Sweet Orange, Kumquats

SALICACEAE - Willows including Pipewood (or Wild Honey Tree), Kei Apple, Governor's Plum, Batoko Plum

SANTALACEAE - Sandalwoods (includes VISCACEAE, Mistletoes)

SAPINDACEAE - Soapberry family including Aki (or Akee), Guarana (used in a popular Brazilian soft drink)

SAPOTACEAE - Sapote plants including Star Apple, Massarandubas, Armadillo Fruit, Miracle Fruit

SOLANACEAE - Nightshades including Tree Tomato

STERCULIACEAE - Cacao plants   including Cacao (or Cocoa)

URTICACEAE - Nettles   including Cecropia trees, Amazon Tree Grape

VERBENACEAE - Vervains, Verbanas

VITACEAE - Grapes   including various cultivated grapes

ORCHIDS in Brazil are in: WILD ORCHIDS OF THE AMERICAS

AN ALPHABETICAL DIRECTORY OF PLANT GENERA IN THIS WEBSITE NOTING FAMILIES

Codes:

BR: species that occurs in Brazil either as a native or cultivated plant
(every species in this list, those color-coded blue are fruits, those red are other plants)

(ph): species with a photo in the FONT web-site

In this list, Portuguese names follow the letter P:

Other Links:

Information about Upcoming FONT Birding & Nature Tours:
in the Caribbean in Central America in South America (Brazil and Ecuador)

or by month in: 2015 or: by geographic locations worldwide

Lists and Photo Galleries in this Website of Other Nature:

Birds in: the Caribbean Central America South America (Brazil) South America (Ecuador)

A list and Photo Gallery of Hummingbirds in 2 parts

Mammals: the Caribbean Central America South America

Butterflies and Moths in: the Caribbean Central America South America

Other Lists and Photo Galleries in this website relating to Plants:

Tropical Plants in the Americas (in two parts, including the Caribbean, Mexico, Central and South America)

Tropical Plants on West Indian Islands in the Caribbean WILD ORCHIDS OF THE AMERICAS

Wildflowers & Other Plants in Texas Wildflowers & Other Plants in Eastern North America

Desert Plants of the Southwest US & northern Mexico

Northern Plants in Alaska, Iceland, & the mountains of Hokkaido, Japan
(with some notes about medicinal and edible plants)

Links to Other Lists & Photo Galleries of Plants Directory of Photos in this Website

Books that have been sources for this list include:
"Aves Brasileiras e Plantas que as Atraem" by Johan Dalgas Frisch and Christian Dalgas Frisch, 2005
"Brazil, Amazon and Pantanal - the Ecotraveler's Wildlife Guide" by David Pearson and Les Beletsky, 2002
"Brazilian Fruits and Cultivated Exotics" by Harri Lorenzi, Luis Bacher, Marco Lacerda, Sergio Sartori, 2006
"Hummingbirds, a Life-size Guide to Every Species" by Michael Fogden, Marianne Taylor, and Sheri Williamson, 2014
"Tropical Plants of the World" by Jens Rohwer, 2002

     A List of Tropical Plants of the Americas:


       Family ACTINIDIACEAE (Chinese Gooseberry family)

        Genus ACTINIDIA

Actinidia deliciosa ______ BR (not native to Brazil, introduced there in 1970, from mountainous regions of southeast China)
Kiwi
P: Quiui

Family ANACARDIACEAE (Sumacs)

Genus ANACARDIUM
Anacardium giganteum ______ BR
P: Caju Assu
Anacardium humile ______ BR
Monkey Nut
P: Cajuzinho
Anacardium microcarpum ______ BR
Cajui
P: Caju do Campo
Anacardium occidentale (ph) ______ BR
Cashew (or Cashew Apple, or Cashew Nut) (a tree with simple, alternating leaves)
P: Caju

The Caju, as it is called in Portuguese, is the fruit that produces the Cashew Nut.
Cajus hang down from the branches of an evergreen tree, and look rather like pears from a distance. But, up close, a kidney-shaped seed can be seen growing on the outside of the fruit.
The leathery outer shell of the seed contains cardol, an oily liquid that is highly caustic and can cause skin ulcers, which is why it is recommended to remove the seed and discard.
Even though it may be tempting to try to extract the cashew, it should be left to "professionals" who have developed a method of roasting the seed in cylinders that collect the caustic but valuable cardol oil. They crack open the seed to release the nut and dry it.

The Caju fruit is about 3 and a half inches in length, and the nut about one-quarter to one and a quarter inches.

The Caju is yellow-orange to red as it matures, with a peachy floral fragrance. The juicy flesh has a sweet flavor and slight acidity and is quite astringent.

At various places in the tropics, the Cashew may be used to produce liqueurs, sorbets, ice cream, and preserves.

In Brazil, the Cashew is native to fields and coastal dunes in the northern part of the country. It is also widely cultivated in that area.

Birds that feed on the Cashew include: thrushes, tanagers, euphonias, parakeets, parrots, and others.

A Caju photographed during a FONT tour
(photo by Marie Gardner)

Genus MANGIFERA
Mangifera indica ______ BR (not native to Brazil, brought there in the 16th Century, from India and Burma)
Mango (a tree with simple, alternating leaves)
P: Mango, or Manga

The Mango Tree is easily recognized by its dome-shaped crown of dull green leathery leaves growing on a short, thick trunk.
The small green flowers grow in inconspicuous clusters.
Usually the fruit is kidney-shaped, with each fruit hanging down on a long stalk.
When the fruit is ripe, its skin is pinkish or yellowish, lightly flecked with black and brown.
The flesh is yellow-orange and is succulent yet fibrous, especially where it attaches to the single large stone.
Mango is commonly served in the American tropics in breakfast fruit platters and in fruit salad deserts.

Genus SELEROCARYA
Selerocarya birrea caffra ______ BR
Marula
P: Amarula

Genus SPONDIAS
Spondias axillaris ______ BR (not native to Brazil, from Nepal)
Hog Plum (or Himilayan Ambarella)
P: Caja do Himalaia
Spondias dulcis ______ BR (not native to Brazil, from Polynesian islands)
Ambarella
P: Cajarana
Spondias macrocarpa ______ BR
P: Caja Redondo
Spondias mombia ______ BR
Yellow Mombin
P: Tapereba
Spondias pinnata ______ BR (not native to Brazil, from Sri Lanka)
Indian Mombin
P: Caja Grando
Spondias purpurea ______ BR (not native to Brazil, from Central America)
Spanish Plum (or Purple Mombin)
P: Ciriguela, or Ceriguela

Although the Portuguese "Ciriguela" translates to "plum", the fruit bears no resemblance to the European plum, and they are not related.
Spondias purpurea is in the same family as the Mango (above).
The Ciriguela is oval-shaped and about 1 to 1 and a half inches in diameter. It has a large pit and little flesh.
Depending on the variety, it turns yellow, orange, or red when it matures.

When mature, the Ciriguela is made into a beverage or included in sorbets.
Spondias tuberosa ______ BR
P: Imbu
Spondias venulosa ______ BR
P: Caja Grande

Family ANNONACEAE (Custard Apples)

Genus ANNONA
Annona cacans ______ BR
P: Araticum Cagao
Annona cherimola ______ BR (not native to Brazil, from the Andes in western South America)
Cherimoya
P: Cherimoia
Annona coriacea ______ BR
P: Araticum Liso or Marolo
Annona crassiflora ______ BR
Marolo
P: Araticum Cortica
Annona glabra ______ BR
Pond Apple
P: Araticum de Brejo
Annona montana ______ BR
Mountain Soursop
P: Araticum Acu
Annona muricata (*) (ph) ______ BR (not native to Brazil, from the West Indies)
Soursop (a tree with simple, alternating leaves)
P: Guanabana, or Graviola

The Soursop Tree is a fast-growing tree with small, shiny leaves and yellowish-green flowers.
The fruit is large, oval-shaped, and green in color.
Its skin has a distinct spiny surface, and so the fruit is easily recognized in markets and roadside stalls.
Some fruits attain a length of 8 inches, and a weight of 6 pounds is not unusual.
The inside of the fruit is whitish-pink, and the flesh has the consistency of thick custard.
The fruit is seldom cooked. More frequently it is sieved and served as cream, or soursop ice cream. It also made into drinks and sherbet. It retains its flavor even after deep-freezing for a period of time.
Annona reticulata ______ BR (not native to Brazil, from Central America and the Caribbean)
Custard Apple (or Sugar Apple, or Bull's Heart)
P: Condessa, or Coracao de Boi

Annona reticulata acquired its English names due to both its flavor and form: "Custard Apple" describes the flesh's creamy color, smooth texture, and delicately sweet taste. "Bull's Heart" refers to its symmetrical heart shape.
The bulbous, lobed fruit, measuring about 3 to 6 inches wide, contains between 55 and 75 small seeds.
Annona salzmannii ______ BR
Beach Sugar Apple (or Beach Araticum)
Annona squamosa ______ BR (not native to Brazil, from Central America and the Caribbean)
Sweetsop (or Sugar Apple) (a tree with simple, alternating leaves)
P: Fruta do Conde
Annona squamosa x Annona cherimola ______ BR
P: Atemoya

The Atemoya is a fertile hybrid between Annona squamosa and Annona cherimola (both above).

Genus DUGUETIA
Duguetia furfuracea ______ BR
P: Araticum
Duguetia lanceolata ______ BR
P: Pindaiba

Genus PORCELIA
Porcelia macrocarpa ______ BR
Monkey Banana
P: Banana de Macaco

Genus ROLLINIA
Rollinia emarginata ______ BR
Corosol
P: Araticum Mirim
Rollinia mucosa ______ BR
Wild Sweetsop (or Wild Cashina)
P: Biriba
Rollinia salicifolia ______ BR
Cortica
P: Cortica Lisa
Rollinia sericea ______ BR
P: Cortica Ourica
Rollinia sylvatica ______ BR
P: Araticum do Mato

Family APOCYNACEAE (Dogbanes)

Genus AMBELANIA
Ambelana acida ______ BR
P: Pepino do Mato

Genus CARISSA
Carissa macrocarpa ______ BR (not native to Brazil, from southern Africa)
Natal Plum
P: Carissa

Genus COUMA
Couma utilis ______ BR
Brazilian Sorva
P: Sorva, or Sorvinha

Genus HANCORNIA
Hancornia speciosa ______ BR
Mangaba
P: Mangaba da Restinga

Hancornia speciosa (var. pubescens) ______ BR
Mangaba
P: Mangaba do Cerrado

Family ARACEAE (Aroids)

Genus MONSTERA
Monstera delicioso ______ BR (not native to Brazil, from Central America and southern Mexico)
Ceriman (a climbing plant with simple alternating leaves)
P: Banana de Macaco

Other names for Monstera delicioso are Split Leaf Philodendron and Swiss Cheese Plant.

Family ARECACEAE (was PALMAE) (Palms)

Genus ACROCOMIA
Acrocomia aculeata ______ BR (ranges from southern Mexico to northern Argentina)
Macauba Palm
S: Cocoyol, or Coyol

Other names for Acrocomia aculeata are Macaw Palm, Coyol Palm and Grugru Palm.
Acrocomia sclerocarpa ______ BR
Bocaiuva Palm

Acrocomia sclerocarpa has been (and still is) considered a variety of Acrocomia aculeata, the Macauba Palm (above).
They are often solitary in drier areas. Trunks are occasionally swollen near the middle.

Genus ALPHANES
Alphanes aculeata ______ BR
Coyupe Palm
P: Cariota de Espinho

Genus ALLAGOPTERA
Allagoptera arenaria ______ BR
Guriri Palm
P: Buriri

Genus ASTROCARYUM
Astrocaryum aculeatum (or tucuma) ______ BR
Tucuman Palm
P: Tucuma, or Tucuma do Amazonas
Astrocaryum murumuru ______ BR
P: Murumuru
Astrocaryum vulgare ______ BR
Fiber Palm
P: Tucuma do Para

Genus ATTALEA
Attalea dubia ______ BR
P: Indaia

Genus BACTRIS
Bactris ferruginea ______ BR
P: Mane Velo
Bactris maraja ______ BR
P: Maraja
Bactris setosa ______ BR
Jucum Palm
P: Tucum

Genus BUTIA
Butia capitata ______ BR
Jelly Palm
P: Butia
Butia eriospatha ______ BR
Wooly Jelly Palm
P: Butia Veludo
Butia odorata (*) ______ BR
Southern Jelly Palm
P: Butia da Praia
Butia purpurascens ______ BR
Purple Yatay Palm
P: Butia Jatai
Butia yatay ______ BR
Yatay Palm
P: Butia Yatai

Genus COCOS
Cocos nucifera (*) ______ BR (native to the tropics by the western Pacific Ocean)
Coconut Palm (a feather palm tree)
P: Coco

The Coconut is one of the most used plants in the world, and every part of it is used. It produces a beverage, fiber, food, fuel, and even utensils.
The edible part of the fruit measures about 4 to 6 inches in diameter.
Generally, where it grows, the Coconut is available year-round.

Genus COPERNICIA
Copernicia alba (*) ______ BR
Carunda Palm

The Carunda Palm is the dominant tree in the palm savannah areas of the Pantanal in Brazil. They are often surrounded by extensive grassy areas.

Genus EUTERPE
Euterpre edulis ______ BR
Jussara Palm
P: Jucara, or Palmito Doce
Euterpre oleracea ______ BR
Assai Palm
P: Acai do Para
Euterpre precatoria ______ BR
Forest Assai Palm
P: Acai da Mata

Genus MAURITIA
Mauritia flexuosa (*) ______ BR
Mauritia Palm (a fan palm tree)
P: Buriti, or Miriti

Other names for Mauritia flexuosa are Moriche Palm and Buriti Palm.

Buriti Palms are important trees in parts of Brazil for the large, spectacular, and endangered Hyacinth Macaw, as are some other palm trees listed here, including:
in the Pantanal of Brazil, Acrocomia sclerocarpa (above), and Scheelea phalerata (below).
in the Amazonian region: Astrocaryum tucuma (above), Maximiliana regia (below), Orbignya martina (below).

The diet of the Hyacinth Macaw consists primarily of the locally available nuts of these various palms noted here.
The palm nuts are taken from the plant, or on the ground - with the latter sometimes as undigested remains in cattle droppings.
Also, the macaws drink fluid from unripe palm fruits.
The nests of Hyacinth Macaws are in hollow palm trees, including Mauritia flexuosa.
In the northern part of the bird's range, it also nests in Enterolobium cyclocarpum, the large Earpod Tree, in the family FABACEAE.

During a FONT tour in the southern Pantanal region, in Mato Grosso do Sul, we stayed at a remote lodge where we had some wonderful experiences the big Hyacinth Macaw, the largest of all the psittacids in the world.
We observed them both near and further away, as "in the wild" they were sometimes at a distance.
But others we saw closely as the birds fed on palm nuts, that had been gathered from local trees and then placed on a large feeding tray, by the restaurant where we ate our own meals.

A Hyacinth Macaw photographed during
a FONT tour in Brazil

Genus MAXIMILIANA
Maximiliana maripa ______ BR
P: Inaja
Maximiliana regia ______ BR

Genus OENOCARPUS
Oenocarpus bacaba ______ BR
Bacaba Palm (or Turu Palm)
P: Bacaba
Oenocarpus batana ______ BR
P: Patana
Oenocarpus distichus ______ BR
P: Bacaba de Leque

Genus ORBIGNYA
Orbignya martiana ______ BR
Orbignya phalerata _____ BR
American Oil Palm
P: Babacu

Genus PHOENIX
Phoenix dactylifera ______ BR (now cultivated in northeast Brazil, from northern Africa, the Middle East, and India)
Date Palm
P: Tamara

Genus SCHEELIA
Scheelia butyracea ______ BR
P: Jaci
Scheelia phalerata ______ BR
Bacuri Palm
P: Acuri

Genus SYAGRUS
Syagrus cearensis ______ BR
P: Catole
Syagrus coronata ______ BR
Licury Palm
P: Licuri
Syagrus flexuosa ______ BR
P: Acuma
Syagrus macrocarpa ______ BR
P: Maria Rosa
Syagrus oleracea ______ BR
P: Guariroba
Syagrus romanzoffiana ______ BR
Robust Queen Palm
P: Jeriva
Syagrus schizophylla ______ BR
Arikury Palm
P: Licuriroba
Syagrus vagans ______ BR
P: Ariri

Family ARAUCARIACEAE (Araucarias)

Genus ARAUCARIA
Araucaria heterophylla ______ (native to Norfolk Island in the Pacific Ocean)
Norfolk Island Pine (a coniferous tree)

Family BALSAMINACEAE (Touch-me-not)

Genus IMPATIENS

Plants in IMPATIENS can be attractive to feeding hummingbirds.

Family BIGNONIACEAE (Trumpet Creepers, Bignonias)
Crescentia cujete (ph) ______ BR (native to Central and South America)
Calabash Tree (with simple, alternating leaves)
P: Arbore de Cuia, or Cuite

The fruit of the Calabash tree
(photo courtesy of Michiel Koomen)

Genus JACARANDA
Jacaranda mimosifolia ______ (native to southern Brazil and northern Argentina)
Jacaranda (tree with leaves pinnately divided)
P:

Jacaranda trees, profusely in bloom with their light violet flowers, have been seen during FONT tours in the city parks of Buenos Aires, Argentina, in October and November.

The flowers of the Jacaranda tree can be especially attractive to feeding hummingbirds.

Genus PARMENTIERA
Parmentiera aculeata ______ BR (not native to Brazil, from Central America)
Cow Okra
P: Guajilote

Other English names for Parmentiera aculeata are Food Candle Tree and for the fruit, Tree Cucumber.

Genus PYROSTEGIA
Pyrostegia venusta ______ (native to Brazil and Paraguay)
Flame Vine (or "Orange Creeper") (climbing plant with leaves pinnately divided or tripartite)
P: Cipo de Sao Joao

Genus SPATHODEA
Spathodea campanulata (ph) ______ (native to tropical Africa)
African Tulip Tree (tree with leaves pinnately divided)
P:

African Tulip Trees photographed during a FONT tour (photo by Marie Gardner)
Spathodea nilotica ______ BR
P: Espatodea

Spathodea nilotica is especially attractive to feeding hummingbirds.
is especially attractive to feeding hummingbirds.

Genus TABEBUIA

The TABEBUIA trees noted below can be, when in bloom, especially attractive to feeding hummingbirds.
Tabebuia aurea ______ BR (grows in the wild in Brazil and northern Argentina)
Tabebuia avellanedae ______ BR
Tabebuia chrysantha (*) ______ BR
Gold Tree (or Yellow Ipe) (tree, as are others in Tabebuia, with leaves palmately divided)
P: Ype Amarelo

"Ipe", or "Ype" Trees, have been seen and enjoyed during many FONT tours in the Neotropics, as they are favored for food by many birds, and, at times, by monkeys.
During the dry season, they, and Pink Trumpet Trees (below), are ablaze with color in the Pantanal in southern Brazil.
A particular hotel where we've often stayed in southeastern Brazil is called "Hotel do Ype"
Tabebuia chrysotricha ______ BR
Tabebuia heptaphylla ______ BR
Tabebuia impetiginosa (*) ______ BR

Tabebuia impetiginosa are large trees that lose their leaves in the dry season, but late in the dry season, the tree suddenly produces an overwhelming mass of maroon flowers for about a week.
An individual tree can sometimes have two or three such mass-flowering episodes.
Some other species of Tabebuia trees have bright yellow flowers, such as Tabebuia chrysantha (above).
The strategy of massive flowering during just a few days is to attract pollinating insects, many of them bees.
Regarding the wood of Tabebuia trees, it is some of the heaviest and hardest in the American tropics. It is so heavy it does not float on top of water.
Tabebuia ochracea ______ BR
Tabebuia rosea (*) ______ BR (grows in the wild in South America in areas with alternating humidity)
Pink Trumpet Tree (with leaves palmately divided)
Tabebuia vellosoi ______ BR

Genus TECOMA
Tecoma stans ______ (native from the southern US to northern Argentina)
Yellow Trumpet Flower (a bush with leaves pinnately divided)

The Yellow Trumpet Flower is among the most popular of ornamental plants from the tropics, and so it has many names.

Genus TECOMARIA

TECOMARIA species are especially attractive to feeding hummingbirds, in Brazil.

Family BORAGINACEAE (Borages)
Cordia ecalyculata ______ BR
P: Cha-de-Bugre or Claraiba

Birds that feed on the fruits of Cordia ecalyculata include: guans, trogons, pigeons, tanagers, aracaris, and others.
Cordia glabrata ______ BR
Louro

The Louro is a tall tree, with a tall slender trunk that is grayish-white. It has white flowers that are very fragrant, and are visited by moths in the early morning, and by butterflies, bees, and beetles during the day.
Because Cordia glabrata is fast-growing, it is suggested as an ideal native species for reforestation.
Cordia sellowiuana ______ BR
P: Jurute

Birds that feed on the fruits of Cordia sellowiuana include: guans, trogons, pigeons, tanagers, aracaris, and others.

Family BRASSICADEAE (Mustards) - formerly CRUCIFERAE

Genus CRATAEVA (formerly in the family CAPPARACEAE)
formerly in the family CAPPARACEAE)
Crataeva tapia _____ BR
P: Tapia

Family BROMELIACEAE (Bromeliads)

BROMELIACEAE contains about 2,000 species that range from tropical to warm-temperate regions of the New World.

Genus ANANAS
Ananas comosus ______ BR (native to the tropical Western Hemisphere)
Pineapple
P: Abacaxi

The Pineapple got its English name from the resemblance it has to the pine cone in the temperate regions.
The plant was native to Central America and the West Indies. Columbus found it there when he arrived in 1492.
Since then, it has become cultivated in much of the world, in the tropics, and it now a popular fruit many places.

Because of the structure and arrangement of its leaves, the Pineapple plant can make maximum use of rain water, and so it is capable of living in dry conditions.
The flowers of the plant arise deep in the center of the leaves where they bloom for only a brief period.
About 10 months later, the fruit of the pineapple has grown and ripened and is ready for picking.

Pineapple is used widely as a breakfast dish, a dessert, and in fruit salads. It also is used as accompaniment with meat dishes such as ham, gammon, and pork (all names for pretty much the same thing).
Also Pineapple is often, in the tropics, a flavor in a juice, and it is used to make a delicious "squash drink".

Genus BROMELIA
Bromelia antiacantha ______ BR
P: Gravata

Genus GUZMANIA

The bromeliads in GUZMANIA are favored foods for the hummingbird, the Straight-billed Hermit.

Family BURSERACEAE (Torchwoods, or Incense Trees)

Genus CANARIUM
Canarium ovatum ______ BR (recently introduced in Brazil, from the Philippines)
Pili Nut
P: Noz Pili

Family CACTACEAE (Cacti)

With about 140 genera and 2,000 species, nearly all found in warm arid parts of the Americas.

Genus CEREUS
Cereus jamacara ______ BR
Mandacaru Cereus
P: Jamacaru

Genus EPIPHYLLUM
Epiphyllum phyllanthus ______ BR
P: Pitaia Rosea

Genus HYLOCEREUS
Hylocereus lemairei ______ BR (not native to Brazil, from arid parts of Mexico)
Red Pitaya
P: Pitaia Vermelha
Hylocereus undatus ______ BR (not native to Brazil, from Mexico and Central America south to El Salvador)
Dragonfruit (or Strawberry Pear)
P: Pitaia Branca

Genus OPUNTIA
Opuntia ficus-indica ______ BR (not native to Brazil, from Mexico)
Prickly Pear
P: Figo da India
Opuntia monacantha ______ BR
Prickly Pear
P: Monducuru
Opuntia paraguayensis ______ BR
P: Arumbeva

Genus PILOSOCEREUS
Pilosocereus arrabidae ______ BR
P: Facheiro da Praia

Genus SCHLUMBERGRA

A small genus of cacti with 6 species found in the coastal mountains of southeastern Brazil.
Schlumbergra truncata ______ BR
P: Flor-de-Maio

When in flower, Schlumbergra truncata can be attractive to feeding hummingbirds.

Genus SELENICEREUS
Selenicereus megalanthus ______ BR (occasionally cultivated in Brazil, from Ecuador)
Yellow Pitaya
P: Pitaia Amarela
Selenicereus setaceus ______ BR (not native to Brazil, from Bolivia and Paraguay)
Pineapple Cactus
P: Saborosa

Family CALPHYLLACEAE

Previously in the CLUSIACEAE, or GUTTIFERAE Family.

Genus MAMMEA
Mammea americana ______ BR (native to the West Indies and northern South America)
Mammee Apple (or Santo Domingo Apple)

Mammea americana is sometimes confused with the unrelated but similar-looking Mamey Sapote Tree (Pauteria sapota) whose fruit is also called Mammee, or Mamey.

Family CANNA (Canna)

now includes ULMACEAE (CELTIS and TREMA)

Genus CELTIS: Hackberries
Celtis iguanaea ______ BR
P: Jameri

Family CARICACEAE (Papaya Plants)

Genus CARICA
Carica papaya (ph) ______ BR (not native to Brazil, from elsewhere in tropical America)
Papaya (or Pawpaw) (a giant-rosette plant)
P: Mamao, or Papaia

Although said to be a tree, the stem of the Papaya (or Pawpaw) is largely hollow and the plant lacks the wood characteristic of normal trees.
The stem is unbranched with a crown of large, palmate leaves springing from the top. There are separate male, female, and hermaphrodite plants, but only the females and hermaphrodites bear fruit.
The fruits vary in size, with some attaining a weight of ten pounds or more.
The flesh is yellowish-orange when ripe, with small dark seeds scattered in it.
Papaya is often eaten as a breakfast dish with, at times, some lime squeezed over it.
Both the fruit and the leaves contain papain, a protein-digesting enzyme. That enzyme can be extracted and used as a meat tenderizer.

Outside in nature, birds that feed on Papaya include: toucans, thrushes, an assortment of tanagers, euphonias, woodpeckers, and others.

Papaya, photographed during a FONT tour in Belize
(photo by Marie Gardner)

Genus CARPOTROCHE
Carpotroche brasiliensis ______ BR
P: Sapucainha

Birds that feed on Carpotroche brasilienis include various parakeets.

Genus JACARATIA
Jacaratia spinosa ______ BR
P: Jacaratia

Genus VASCONCELLA
Vasconcella quercifolia ______ BR
Oak-leaved Papaya
P: Mamaozinhu do Mato

Family CARYOCARACEAE (or RHIZOBOLACEAE)

Genus CARYOCAR
Caryocar brasiliense ______ BR
Brazilian Souari Nut
P: Piqui
Caryocar coriaceum ______ BR
P: Pequi
Caryocar microcarpum ______ BR
P: Piquiarana
Caryocar villosum ______ BR
Pekia
P: Piquia

Family CELASTRACEAE (Bittersweet, or Staff-vine)

Genus CHEILOCLINIUM
Cheiloclinium cognatum ______ BR
P: Uarutama

Genus PERITASSA
Peritassa campestris ______ BR
P: Bacupari

Genus SALACIA
Salacia elliptica ______ BR
P: Siputa

Genus TONTELEA
Tontelea micrantha ______ BR
P: Bacupari

Family CHRYSOBALANACEAE

Genus CHRYSOBALANUS
Chrysobalanus icaco ______ BR
Cocoplum
P: Ajuru

Black Cocoplum ______ BR One of the smallest fruits of Chrysobalanus icaco, generally found on beaches of rivers and deltas of the lower Amazon, with trees growing more than 12 feet tall.

Red Cocoplum ______ BR Is the form of Chrysobalanus icaco having the largest fruit, generally found on beaches and coastal dunes as far south as Bahia. The plant is a prostrate tree.

Genus COUEPIA
Couepia bracteasa ______ BR
P: Pajura
Couepia longipendula ______ BR
Egg Nut
P: Castanha de Galinha
Couepia subcordata ______ BR
P: Marirana

Genus LICANIA
Licania salzmannii ______ BR
P: Oiti da Baia

Genus PARINARI
Parinari obtusifolia ______ BR
P: Fruta de Ema

"Fruta de Ema" refers to the "Ema", the Brazilian name for the bird, the Greater Rhea.
(photo during a FONT tour in Brazil)

Family CLUSIACEAE (Balsam, Clusias)

Genus GARCINIA
Garcinia acuminata ______ BR
Bacuri
P: Bacuri Azedo
Garcinia brasiliensis ______ BR
Bakupari
P: Bacupari
Garcinia cochinchinensis ______ BR (not native to Brazil, from "Indo-China, Cambodia and Vietnam)
Fake Mangosteen
P: Falso Mangustao
Garcinia gardneriana ______ BR
Bacupari
P: Bacopare
Garcinia livingstonei ______ BR (not native to Brazil, from central Africa)
P: Imbe
Garcinia macrophylla ______ BR
Bacuripari
P: Bacuripari Verdadeiro
Garcinia madruno ______ BR
Madrono
P: Bacuri
Garcinia mangostana ______ BR (not native to Brazil, from Asia probably Malaysia)
Mangosteen
P: Mangostao
Garcinia xanthochymus -_____ BR (not native to Brazil, from southern Asia)
Gamboge
P: Mangostao Amarelo

Genus PLATONIA
Platonia insignis ______ BR
Bakuri
P: Bacuri Assu

Genus RHEEDIA
Rheedia laterifolia ______ BR (recently introduced in Brazil in the Sao Paulo area, from mid-altitude forests of Bolivia)
Schachairu
P: Chachairu

Family COMBRETACEAE (Bush-willows, Combretums, Almond)

includes a Bush-mangrove, in the genus CONOCARPUS,
and the White Mangrove, in the genus LAGUNCULARIA

Genus COMBRETUM
Combretum grandiflorum ______ BR

Combretum grandiflorum is especially attractive to feeding hummingbirds.
is especially attractive to feeding hummingbirds.

Family CONVOLVULACEAE (Morning Glories)

Genus IPOMOEA
Ipomoea batatas ______ (native to tropical America)
Sweet Potato
Ipomoea lobata ______ (native to tropical and subtropical America)
Firecracker Vine (or Spanish Flag) (a climbing plant with simple, alternating leaves)

With its tubular flowers, Ipomoea lobata differs markedly from other species in the genus.
Ipomoea quamoclit ______ (native to tropical America)
Cardinal Climber (a climbing plant with simple, alternating leaves)
P: Corda de Viola

Family COSTACEAE (Costus Family, inc. Spiral Gingers)

Genus COSTUS
Costus scaber ______ BR
a Spiral Ginger

Costus scaber is a plant in northern Amazonian Brazil favored of food by the large and colorful hummingbird, the Crimson Topaz, Topaza pella.
That hummingbird has been seen during FONT tours north of Manaus.

Family CUCURBITACEAE (Gourds, or Cucumbers)

Genus CITRULLUS
Citrullus lanatus ______ BR (not native to Brazil, from Africa)
Watermelon
P: Melancia

In the Watermelon, 93 per cent of the fruit is water.

Genus CUCURBITA: Pumpkins, or Squashes (native to the American tropics; now grown throughout, including on Caribbean islands)

The genus CUCURBITA is composed of approximately 27 species, 19 or so of which are wild, and 6 domesticated. The center of diversity is in Mesoamerica.
Cucurbita moschata ______ BR
Winter Squash
Cucurbita pepo ______ BR
Summer Squash (or Zucchini)

Genus CUCUMIS
Cucumis melo (var. cantaloupensis) ______ BR (not native to Brazil, and not much cultivated in Brazil, from Europe and east Africa)
Cantaloupe
P: Melao Charentals

Cucumis melo (var. dudaim) ______ BR (not native to Brazil, and only rarely cultivated in Brazil, from India and Iran)
Pocket Melon
P: Melao de Bolso

Cucumis melo (var. inodorus) ______ BR (not native to Brazil, where it is widely cultivated, from the Iberian Peninsula)
Honeydew (or Winter Melon)
P: Melao do Tipo Honeydew

Cucumis melo (var. reticulatus) ______ BR (not native to Brazil, from the United States)
Cantaloupe
P: Melao Tipo Cantaloupe, or Melao Tipo Galia

As noted, two of the varieties of Cucumis melo are referred to as Cantaloupe.
Cucumis metuliferus ______ BR (not native to Brazil, from tropical Africa)
Horned Melon (or Kiwano)
P: Quino

Genus MELANCIUM
Melancium campestre ______ BR
P: Melancia do Campo

Genus MOMORDICA
Momordica charantia ______ BR (not native to Brazil, from Africa and Asia)
Balsam Pear
P: Melao de Sao Cactano

Genus SICANA
Sicana odorifera ______ BR
Cassabanana
P: Crua

Family CYCLANTHACEAE

Genus CARINDOVICA
Carindovica palmata ______ BR (not native to Brazil, from Central America)
Panama Hat Plant
P: Bombonassa

Family EBENACEAE (Ebony and Persimmon)

Genus DIOSPYROS
Diospyros brasiliensis ______ BR
P: Caqui do Mato
Diospyros digyna ______ BR (not native to Brazil, from Central America and Mexico)
Black Persimmon (or Black Sapote, or Chocolate Pudding Fruit)
P: Sapota Preta
Diospyros hispida ______ BR
P: Fruta de Boi ("Fruit of the Bull")
Diospyros inconstans ______ BR
P: Marmelinho
Diospyros kaki ______ BR (not native to Brazil, from Asia)
Persimmon
P: Caqui
Diospyros philippensis ______ BR (not native to Brazil, from the Philippines)
Velvet Apple (or Mabolo)

Family ERICACEAE (Heath Family)

Genus GAYLUSSACIA
Gaylussacia angustifolia ______ BR
P: Camarinha da Serra
Gaylussacia brasiliensis ______ BR
P: Camarinha

Genus VACCINIUM
Vaccinium ashei ______ BR (not native to Brazil, from the United States)
Blueberry
P: Mirtilo
Vaccinium corymbosum ______ BR (not native to Brazil, from the United States)
Highbush Blueberry
P: Mirtilo Highbush

Family EUPHORBIACEAE (Spurges)

Genus ALCHORNEA
Alchornea glandulosa ______ BR
P: Tapia or Iricuruna

Birds that feed on the fruits of Alchornea glandulosa and other plants in that genus include: thrushes, tanagers, aracaris, vireos, Fork-tailed Flycatcher, other flycatchers, and Blue Dacnis.
Alchornea iricurana ______ BR
Alchornea sidaefolia ______ BR
Alchornea triplinervia ______ BR

Genus ANTIDESMA
Antidesma bunius ______ BR (not native to Brazil, from India to the Philippines and northern Australia)
Bignay
P: Bignei

Genus CROTON
Croton floribundus ______ BR
Croton salutaris ______ BR
Croton urucurana ______ BR
P: Sangue de Drago or Urucurana

Among the birds that feed on the fruits of Croton urucurana are pigeons and tinamous.

Genus EUPHORBIA
Euphorbia pulcherrima (ph) ______ BR (aid to be native to Mexico and Guatemala)
Poinsettia (a bush with simple, alternating leaves)

Feeding on a Poinsettia, a Malachite butterfly,
photographed during a FONT tour in southeastern Brazil.

Genus HEVEA
Hevea brasiliensis ______ (native to the Amazon region of Brazil)
Para Rubber Tree (with leaves palmately divided)
P: Seringa

During FONT tours in Amazonian Brazil, in the area of Manaus, we've seen "rubber trees"
in the forest, where they were native.
During the "rubber boom", from about 1880 to 1910, that city in Manaus flourished.
During our tours, we've visited the famous opera house in that city, from that era.

Family FABACEAE (Legumes. or Peas)

Included here in FABACEAE is the now subfamily CAESALPINIOIDEAE, the CAROB PLANTS
and the subfamily MIMOSOIDEAE, the MIMOSA PLANTS

Genus BAUHINIA (was in CAESALPINIACEAE)
Bauhinia blakeana ______ BR

Bauhinia blakeana and Bauhinia variegata (below) can be especially attractive to feeding hummingbirds.
Bauhinia variegata ______ BR
Bauhinia variegata candida ______ BR

Genus CAESALPINIA (was in CAESALPINIACEAE, now in subfamily CAESALPINIOIDEAE))

Plants in CAESALPINIA are especially attractive to feeding hummingbirds, in Brazil and elsewhere.
Caesalpinia echinata ______ BR
Pernambuco
P: Pau-Brasil

The Pernambuco tree grows in Brazil in the Mata Atlantica, the Atlantic Forest. It has been especially famous as the wood used in the bow for the world's best violins

Genus CALLIANDRA (now in subfamily MIMOSOIDEAE)

CALLIANDRA species are especially attractive to feeding hummingbirds.
Calliandra haematocephala ______ BR (native to Bolivia)
Red Powder Puff (a bush with leaves pinnately divided)
Calliandra inaequilatera ______ BR
Calliandra surinamensis ______ BR (native to northern South America)
Pink Powder Puff (a bush with leaves pinnately divided)
Calliandra tweedyi ______ BR

Genus DIPTERYX
Dipteryx alata ______ BR
Baru
P: Cumaru
Dipteryx odorata ______ BR
Tonka Bean Tree

Genus ENTEROLOBIUM
Enterolobium cyclocarpum (*) ______ BR
Elephant-ear Tree (or Earpod Tree, or Ear Fruit Tree)

Other names for Enterolobium cyclocarpum include Guanacaste Tree, Caro-caro.
"Guanacaste" is the dry region of northwestern Costa Rica. The Guanacaste Tree, as it is known there, is the national tree of Costa Rica.

Genus ERYTHRINA

Species in ERYTHRINA can be especially attractive to feeding hummingbirds, including the Amazilia Hummingbird in South America.
Erythrina crista-galli ______ BR (originally grew in South America, now cultivated elsewhere)
Cockspur Coral Bean (this bush, and others in Erythrina, with leaves pinnately divided)
Erythrina falcata ______ BR
Erythrina mulunga ______ BR
Erythrina speciosa ______ BR
P: Mulungu do Littoral
Erythrina velutina (ph) ______ BR (native to northern South America and parts of the Caribbean)
Coral Tree

Erythrina velutina was first described from the Brazilian offshore island Fernando de Noronha, where the native species there is now Erythrina velutina var. aurantiaca.

Erythrina velutina
(photo by G. Kroeger, courtesy of Michiel Koomen)
Erythrina verna ______ BR

Genus GLYCINE
Glycine max ______ BR (native to Asia, now widely cultivated, more in the subtropics than the tropics)
Soybean

Genus HYMENAEA
Hymenaea courbaril ______ BR
West Indian Locust (or Stinking Toe)
P: Guapinui, or Jatoba
Hymenaea stigonocarpa ______ BR
P: Jatoba do Cerrado

Genus INGA (in the subfamily MIMOSOIDEAE)

There are about 300 species of Inga trees, with most of them in the Amazon forest region, but with some in the West Indies, Mexico, Central America, and other places in South America.

Inga species are canopy and subcanopy trees recognizable by their alternate, even-pinnate, leaves.
Their flowers are arranged in inflorescences that are "puffballs". The main part of each flower is the stamens, and it is the white filaments of the numerous stamens (25 to 130 per flower) that provide the visual attraction.
The flowers of Inga trees are most attractive to hummingbirds, and to some other birds. and to various butterflies and moths.
That is because Inga flowers secrete a nectar, that is enthusiastically fed upon by the creatures just mentioned.
Inga flowers often have a distinctive odor. Most are sweet-smelling, suggesting moths as pollinators. Others have a yeasty smell, suggesting bats as the pollinators. The rest only have a very faint odor or none. Perhaps odor is not important to the hummingbirds and butterflies that frequently visit them
Inga cinnamomea ______ BR
P: Inga Assu
Inga edulis ______ BR
Ice Cream Bean
P: Inga Cipo
Inga laurina ______ BR
P: Inga Cururu
Inga marginata ______ BR
Guabilla
P: Inga Feijao
Inga sessilis ______ BR
P: Inga Macaco
Inga vera ______ BR
P: Inga Banana
Inga vulpina ______ BR
Pink-flowered Inga
P: Inga Cabeludo

Genus SENNA (was in CAESALPINIACEAE, now in subfamily CAESALPINIOIDEAE)
Senna leiandra (was Cassia leiandra) ______ BR
Mari-mari
P: Seruaia

Genus TAMARINDUS
Tamarindus indica ______ BR (not native to Brazil, from tropical Africa)
Tamarind
P: Tamarinho

The Tamarind tree is tall, growing to a height of about 50 feet. On Caribbean islands, it is often planted as a wind-break to give protection during hurricanes and from strong winds.

The ripe fruit of the Tamarind forms a small brown pod about 4 inches long. When mature the pod has a pulpy interior surrounding several large seeds.
When still green, the fruit is slightly acidic and is used as a seasoning for fish and meat dishes.
In the unripe state, it is added to curries.
The ripe fruit is sometimes used to make a sugary sweet or candy which has a very spicy taste.
The fruit can also be crushed to make a drink with a strong aromatic flavor, that can be refreshing.

Family FAGACEAE (Beech family)

Genus CASTANEA
Castanea sativa ______ BR (not native to Brazil, from Europe, North Africa)
Spanish Chestnut
P: Castanha Europeia

Family HUMIRIACEAE

Genus ENDOPLURA
Endoplura uchi ______ BR
P: Uchi, or Uxi

Family ICACINACEAE

Genus PORAQUEIBA
Poraqueiba sericea ______ BR
P: Umari

Family JUGLANDACEAE (Walnuts)

Genus CARYA
Carya illnoinensis ______ BR (not native to Brazil, from the United States)
Pecan
P: Noz Peca, or Noz Americana

Family LAMIACEAE, or LABIATAE (Mints)

Genus OCIMUM
Ocimum micranthum (or campechianum) ______
Amazonian Basil
P:

Other names for Ocimum micranthum (or campechianum) include Wild Sweet Basil, Peruvian Basil, Spice Basil, and Wild Mosquito Plant.

Genus VITEX
Vitex cymosa ______ BR
P: Taruma da Varzea
Vitex montevidensis ______ BR
P: Taruma Preta
Vitex polygama ______ BR
P: Taruma do Cerrado

Family LAURACEAE (Laurels)

Genus CRYPTOCARYA
Cryptocarya aschersoniana ______ BR
P: Canela Batalha

Birds that feed on the fruits of Cryptocarya aschersoniana include: bellbirds, thrushes, the Kiskadee, guans, tanagers, euphonias, and others.

Genus PERSEA
Persea americana ______ BR (not native to Brazil, from Central America)
Avocado
P: Abacate

The tree Persea americana attains a height of about 30 feet and has dark green, shiny foliage and clusters of small, inconspicuous flowers, which are light green in color.
It is not an easy tree to identify except for its characteristic fruit which, because of its shape, is sometimes called an "avocado pear". But, in fact, wild avocados vary enormously in their shape.

Family LECYTHIDACEAE (Brazil Nut plants)

Genus BERTHOLLETIA
Bertholletia exselsa (*) ______ BR
Brazil Nut Tree
P: Castanha do Brasil

Brazil Nut Trees are large, very large, growing up to 130 feet in height, rising solitarily well above the canopy of the both terra firme and flood plain (varzea) forests.
The fruit of the tree is like a huge, heavy cannon ball (to 4.5 pounds), and almost as hard.
When it falls during the fruiting season, one does not want to underneath.
Inside that "cannon ball", the 15 to 20 large seeds are extracted only with considerable effort - even when done by a person with a machete.
Rodents, such as Agoutis, however, on the forest floor can, with persistent gnawing, get to the delicious seeds inside.
As each seed is 70 per cent fat, the rodent is full after eating one or two. The uneaten seeds are then taken and buried in a cache for another day.
The pollination of Bertholletia exselsa is done by Orchid Bees, which must find alternate sources of nectar during the 11 months when the tree is not in flower.

The name of the country, Brazil, is from the French word bresil, which originally referred to the reddish color dye that was traditionally extracted from the Brazil Nut.

During FONT tours in Brazilian Amazon forests, Brazil Nuts have been found on the ground, but never did one fall on any of us as we were birding in the forest.

Eating, a Brazilian Agouti, photographed during a FONT tour
(photo by Marie Gardner)

Genus COUROUPITA
Couropita guianensis ______ (native to northern South America)
Cannonball Tree (with simple, alternating leaves)

Genus LECYTHIS
Lecythis lanceolata ______ BR
P: Sapucaia Mirim
Lecythis pisonis ______ BR
Monkey Pot Tree
P: Sapucaia

The "Monkey Pot" names refers to monkeys grasping a seed in the pyxidium and then being unable to extract the closed hand. So the empty pyxidium (that is the "monkey pot") is supposedly used with bait to catch monkeys.

Family LOGANIACEAE

Genus STRYCHNOS
Strychnos spinosa ______ BR (not native to Brazil, from tropical Africa)
Green Monkey Orange (or Massala)
P: Maciela

Family LYTHRACEAE (Loosestrifes)

Genus PUNICA
Punica granatum ______ BR (not native to Brazil, native to Iran)
Pomegranate (a bush with simple, opposite leaves)
P: Roma

Pomegranate fruits grow on a medium-sized tree, about 20 feet in height, with characteristically spiny branches.
The flowers are reddish, sometimes even scarlet in color, and they have crinkly, paper-like petals.
The fruit is round in shape and about the size of an orange. It has a thick, smooth, leathery skin which turns yellow-red when the fruit is ripe.
The pulp inside is very juicy and contains a mass of small, white seeds.
The peel of the fruit is rich in tannins which can be used to produce high quality leather.

Pomegranate is usually eaten raw, but sometimes the juice is used to make a drink called grenadine.

Family MALPIGHIACEAE

Genus BUNCHOSIA
Bunchosia argentea ______ BR (not native to Brazil, from the Andean region of South America, mainly Peru and Ecuador)
Peanut Butter Fruit
P: Ciruela Branca
Bunchosia armeniaca ______ BR (not native to Brazil, from the Andean region of South America)
Peanut Butter Fruit
P: Caferana

Genus BYRSONIMA
Byrsonima basiloba ______ BR
P: Murici

Birds that feed on the fruits of Byrsonima basiloba and other plants in that genus include: curassows, the Rufous-vented Ground-Cuckoo, and the Spot-winged Wood-Quail.
Byrsonima crassifolia ______ BR
Shoemaker's Tree
P: Nance

Other English names for Byrsonima crassifolia are Golden Spoon, Murici, or Sour Murici.
Byrsonima crispa ______ BR
Byrsonima myrifolia ______ BR
Byrsonima verbascifolia ______ BR
P: Murici do Campo

Genus DICELLA
Dicella nucifera ______ BR
P: Castanha de Cipo

Genus MALPIGHIA
Malpighia emarginata ______ BR (not native to Brazil from Caribbean islands, Central America, and northern South America)
Barbados Cherry (a bush with simple, opposite leaves)
P: Acerula

The Barbados Cherry is a small tree, often pruned back and used for making ornamental hedges in gardens.
The fruit grows to about the size of an ordinary cherry. Its color varies at different stages in its development starting as a dull orange and then gradually darkening to a reddish-brown when mature.

An interesting feature of the Barbados Cherry is its very high ascorbic acid (vitamin C) content. Weight for weight, it is much richer in this specific nutritional aspect than most citrus fruits. It is also said that its vitamin C is destroyed less easily by cooking than is the case with other fruits.
The fruit is seldom eaten raw as its taste to too sharp for comfort, and so its is used in puddings, or made into jam, jelly and other preserves.

Family MALVACEAE (Mallows)

includes here what was the family BOMBACACEAE, the COTTON TREE PLANTS,
now the subfamily BOMBACOIDEAE

also included here is TILIACEAE (the genus CORCHORUS)

Genus ABUTILON
Abutilon megapotamicum ______ (native to southern Brazil)
Trailing Abutilon (a bush with simple, alternating leaves)
P: Lanterna Japonesa

Abutilon megapotamicum can be attractive to feeding hummingbirds.

Genus BOMBACOPSIS
Bombacopsis glabra (or Pachira glabra) ______ BR
Saba Nut
P: Castanha do Maranhao

Genus BOMBAX
Bombax ceiba ______ BR
Red Cotton Tree
P: Bombax

Bombax ceiba is in the subfamily BOMBACOIDEAE.

When in bloom, Bombax ceiba can be especially attractive to feeding hummingbirds.

Genus CEIBA
Ceiba speciosa (was Chorisia speciosa) ______ (native to southern Brazil and northern Argentina)
Floss Silk Tree (a tree with leaves palmately divided)
P: Ceiba del Brasil

Ceiba speciosa is in the subfamily BOMBACOIDEAE.

Genus CHORISIA
Chorisia speciosa ______ BR
P: Paineira Rosa

Chorisia speciosa is in the subfamily BOMBACOIDEAE. Its flowers can be especially attractive to feeding hummingbirds.

Genus COLA
Cola acuminata ______ BR (not native to Brazil, from tropical Africa)
Cola Nut
P: Noz de Cola

Genus DOMBEYA
Dombeya wallichii ______ BR
Pink Ball Tree

Dombeya wallichii is a favored food source for the hummingbird, the Black Jacobin, Florisuga fusca.
is a favored food source for the hummingbird, the Black Jacobin, Florisuga fusca.

Genus DURIO
Durio zibethinus ______ BR (not native to Brazil, from Malaysia)
Durian
P: Duriao

Genus ERIOTHECA
Eriotheca candolleana ______ BR
P: Embirucuzinho

Eriotheca candolleana is in the subfamily BOMBACOIDEAE.

Genus PACHIRA
Pachira aquatica ______ BR (native to South America)
Malabar Chestnut (or Guiana Chestnut) (a tree with leaves palmately divided)
P: Monguba

Pachira aquatica is in the subfamily BOMBACOIDEAE.

Genus QUARARIBEA
Quararibea cordata ______ BR
South American Sapote Tree
P: Sapota do Solimoes

Family MELASTOMATACEAE (Melastomes)

Genus BELLUCIA
Bellucia grossulaioides ______ BR
Mess Apple
P: Araca de Anta ("de Anta", of the Tapir)

The Anta, or Tapir, referred to with the plants above and below.
Bellucia imperialis _____ BR
P: Goiaba de Anta ("de Anta", of the Tapir)

Genus MOURIRI
Mouriri pusa ______ BR
P: Puca

Genus TIBOUCHINA
Tibouchina urvilleana ______ (native to Brazil)
Glory Bush (with simple, opposite leaves)

Family MELIACEAE (Mahogany)

MELIACEAE is a family long famous for its cabinet-quality woods, and its stubborn taxonomic problems.

Genus SANDORICUM
Sandoricum koetjape ______ BR (not native to Brazil, from southeast Asia)
Santol

Family MENISPERMACEAE

Genus CHONDODENDRON
Chondodendron platyphyllum ______ BR
P: Jabuticaba de Cipo

Family MORACEAE (Mulberry plants)

Genus ARTOCARPUS
Artocarpus artilis ______ BR (not native to Brazil, native to Malaysia and elsewhere in Asia, and Micronesia)
Breadfruit (a tree with simple, alternating leaves)
P: Fruta Pao
Artocarpus heterophyllus ______ BR (not native to Brazil, from India)
Jackfruit
P: Jaca
Artocarpus integer ______ BR (not native to Brazil, from Indonesia and Malaysia)
Champedak
P: Champedaque
Artocarpus lakoocha ______ BR (not native in Brazil, from India)
Lakoocha
P: Lacucha, or Jaca de Macaco
Artocarpus odorratissima ______ BR (not native to Brazil, from Malaysia and the Philippines)
Marang
P: Marangue

Genus BROSIMUM
Brosimum gaudichaudii ______ BR
Mama Cadela
P: Maminha Cadela

Genus FICUS
Ficus carica ______ BR (not native to Brazil, from southern Arabia)
Fig
P: Figo
Ficus insipida (was Ficus crassiuscula) ______ BR
Strangler Fig

Genus MACLURA
Maclura tinctoria ______ BR
P: Taiuva

Genus MORUS
Morus alba ______ BR (not native to Brazil, from China)
White Mulberry
P: Amora Branca
Morus nigra ______ BR (not native to Brazil, from China and Japan)
Black Mulberry
P: Amora Preta

Family MUNTINGIACEAE

Genus MUNTINGIA
Muntingia calabura ______ BR (not native to Brazil, from Mexico to Colombia)
Capulin (or Calabura)
P: Cereja do Parana

Family MUSACEAE (Banana Plants, Heliconias)

Genus HELICONIA

HELICONIA species can be an especially good food source for certain hummingbirds.
With their deep flowers, the plants in this genus are favored by the White-tipped Sicklebill and the Buff-tailed Sicklebill, the hummingbirds with the most strongly curved bills.
Other hummingbirds that frequent HELICONIAS include: Bronzy Hermit, Rufous-breasted Hermit, Long-tailed Hermit, Band-tailed Barbthroat, Sooty Barbthroat, Pale-bellied Hermit, Violet Sabrewing, Gray-breasted Sabrewing.
Heliconia psittacorum ______ (native to Brazil and the Guianas)
Parrot's Plantain (or Parakeet Flower) (an herbaceous plant)
Heliconia rostrata (ph) ______ (native to South America, in Argentina, Brazil and Peru, and Central America)
Crab's Claws (an herbaceous plant)

Genus MUSA
Musa x sapientum (ph) ______ BR (wild bananas originally grew in southeast Asia)
Banana (a giant-rosette plant)
P: Banana, or Pacova

The taxonomy of the Banana is involved. Here, sapientum relates to the "desert banana", that is the uncooked food eaten for breakfast, etc.
The "x" prior to it indicates that it came from hybridization.
"x paradisiaca" is used here (below) for the closely-related Plantain, which has to be cooked to be enjoyed.
"x sapientum" is a hybrid from two "wild bananas" of southeast Asia: Musa acuminata and Musa balbisiana.
Among the many forms of bananas that now exist are Cavendish Bananas, Dwarf Bananas known as Lady Fingers, and the Jamaican Red Banana which has a pinkish peel.

An interesting book about the banana is "The Fish that Ate the Whale, the Life and Times of America's Banana King" by Rich Cohen, 2012.
It tells about the banana, over the years, in business and history, and how it came to be as we know it now.
About the banana itself, here's an excerpt from the book:

"Some facts about the banana:

It is not a tree. It's an herb, the world's tallest grass. Reaching, in perfect conditions, 30 feet, it's the largest plant in the world without a woody trunk.
Its stem actually consists of banana leaves, big, thick, elephant ears, coiled like a roll of dollar bills.
As the plant grows, the stem uncoils, revealing new leaves, tender at first, rough at last.
The fruit appears at the end of a cycle, growing from a stem that bends toward the ground under its own weight.
Because the plant is an herb, not a tree, the banana is properly classed as a berry.
The plant grows from a rhizome, which, in the way of a potato, has no roots.
It's outrageously top-heavy and can be felled, as entire fields sometimes are, by a strong wind.

While the plant can be grown all over the world, it will, with two exceptions, bear fruit only in the tropics.
Iceland and Israel are the exceptions. Iceland because it grows on the slopes of a volcano; Israel for reasons that remain mysterious.
Various attempts to farm bananas commercially in the continental United States have failed.
The "tree" bears a red flower, a delicate, bloody thing, a few days before it fruits.

The banana's great strength as a crop is also its weakness: it does not grow from a seed, but from a cutting.
When the rhizome is chopped into pieces and planted, each piece produces a "tree". (Even though the plant is not technically a tree, I keep calling it that.)
In fact, the banana does not have a seed - I mean, yes, there is a stone at the bottom of the fruit, but try to plant it and watch what happens. Nothing. Time and evolution have rendered that stone useless.
This means savings in seed and in the shipping of seed and so on, but it also means each fruit - I keep calling it a fruit too because I funny calling it a berry - is a clone, a replica of all the others of its species.
Which means nice corporate uniformity but also poses a terrific danger - if a parasite or a disease mutates to kill one banana, it will eventually kill all members of that species."

In the 1960s, "Panama Disease" attacked large numbers of banana plantations, and new disease-resistant strains had to be developed.

Banana, not a tree, photographed during
a FONT tour in April 2014.
(photo by Marie Gardner)
Musa x paradisiaca ______ BR (now, like the banana, grown throughout the American tropics)
Plantain

Plantain is the name given to a green form of the banana. Plantains do not ripen the same way as their cousins, the sweet bananas, and they are always less sweet.
The individual fruits of the plantain are often bigger than a banana, and usually more horn-shaped.
Plantains are one of the most prolific of all carbohydrate producing crops. It has been calculated that an area of ground capable of producing 50 pounds of wheat or 100 pounds of potatoes could carry as much as 4,000 pounds of plantains.

Although plantains are less sweet than bananas, they are far more versatile in their use. They are often boiled and served with meat as part of a main course, but because their tissue has a starchier taste than that of bananas, plantains are best cooked with some spices, onions and pepper, or mixed in a casserole.
Plantains are often cut into slices and fried in a pan of deep fat producing tasty crisps.

Family MYRTACEAE (Myrtles)

Genus ACCA
Acca sellowiana ______ BR (native to South America)
Pineapple Guava (a bush with simple, alternate leaves)
P: Feijon, or Goiaba Serrana

Genus ACMENA
Acmena smithii ______ BR (not native to Brazil, from Australia)
Lilly Pilly
P: Jambinho Rosa

Genus CALLISTEMON
Callistemon viminallis (formerly Melaleuca viminallis) ______ BR
Weeping Bottlebush

Callistemon viminalis is especially attractive to feeding hummingbirds.

Genus CAMPOMANESIA
Campomanesia adamantium ______ BR
P: Guabiroba do Campo
Campomanesia aurea _____ BR
P: Guabirobinha do Campo
Campomanesia guaviroba ______ BR
P: Guabiroba do Littoral
Campomanesia guazumifolia ______ BR
P: Sete Capotes
Campomanesia lineatifolia ______ BR
Perfume Guava
P: Guabiraba
Campomanesia neriiflora ______ BR
P: Guabiroba Branca
Campomanesia phaea ______ BR
Flying Saucer Fruit
P: Cambuci
Campomanesia pubescens ______ BR
P: Guabiroba Felpuda
Campomanesia schlechtendaliana _____ BR
P: Guabiroba Rugosa
Campomanesia sessiliflora ______ BR
P: Guabiroba Verde
Campomanesia xanthocarpa ______ BR
P: Guabiroba

Campomanesia xanthocarpa littoralis ______ BR
P: Guabiroba Rasteira

Genus EUGENIA
Eugenia brasiliensis ______ BR
Brazil Cherry
P: Grumichama
Eugenia calycina ______ BR
Savanna Cherry
P: Cereja do Cerrado
Eugenia candolleana ______ BR
Rainforest Plum
P: Ameixa da Mata
Eugenia copacbanensis ______ BR
Copacabana Guava
P: Cambui Amarelo Grande
Eugenia dysenterica ______ BR
P: Cagaita
Eugenia florida ______ BR
P: Guamirim, or Pitanga
Eugenia involucrata ______ BR
Cherry of the Rio Grende
P: Cereja de Rio Grande
Eugenia itaguahiensis ______ BR
P: Grumixama Mirim
Eugenia klotzschiana ______ BR
P: Pera do Campo
Eugenia leitonii ______ BR
P: Araca Piranga
Eugenia luschnathiana ______ BR
P: Pitomba
Eugenia lutescens ______ BR
P: Perinha
Eugenia multicostata ______ BR
P: Araca Piranga
Eugenia myrcianthes ______ BR
P: Pessego do Mato
Eugenia neonitida ______ BR
P: Pitangola
Eugenia patrisii ______ BR
P: Ubaia
Eugenia pitanga ______ BR
Savanna Pitanga
P: Pitanga do Cerrado
Eugenia pyriformis ______ BR
P: Uvaia
Eugenia reinardtiana ______ BR (not native to Brazil, from Australia)
Cedar Bay Cherry
P: Cereja Australiana
Eugenia stipitata ______ BR
P: Araca Boi
Eugenia speciosa ______ BR
P: Laranjinha do Mato
Eugenia uniflora ______ BR
Surinam Cherry
P: Pitanga
Eugenia victoriana ______ BR (not native to Brazil, from northern South America, mainly Colombia)
Guayabilla
P: Guaiabila

Genus MYRCIANTHES
Myrcianthes pungens ______ BR
P: Guabiyu

Genus MYRCIARIA
Myrciaria aureana ______ BR
White Jaboticaba
P: Jaboticaba Branca
Myrciaria caulifloa ______ BR
Brazilian Grape
P: Jaboticaba
Myrciaria coronata ______ BR
P: Jaboticaba Coroada
Myrciaria dubia ______ BR
Camu-camu
P: Cacari
Myrciaria floribunda ______ BR
Rumberry
P: Camboim
Myrciaria glazioviana _____ BR
P: Cabeludinha
Myriciaria grandifolia ______ BR
P: Jaboticaba grauda
Myriciaria jaboticaba ______ BR
P: Jaboticaba Murta
Myriciaria oblongata ______ BR
P: Jaboticaba Azeda
Myriciaria phitrantha ______ BR
P: Jaboticaba Costada
Myriciaria tenelia ______ BR
P: Camboim
Myriciaria trunciflora ______ BR
P: Jaboticaba de Cabinho

Genus PLINIA
Plinia edulis ______ BR
Cambuca
P: Cambuca Verdadeiro
Plinia rivularis ______ BR
P: Guaburiti

Genus PSIDIUM
Psidium acutangulum ______ BR
Para Guava
P: Araca Pera
Psidium cattliannum ______ BR
Strawberry Guava (or Cattley Guava)
P: Araca de Coroa
Psidium conereum ______ BR
P: Araca Cinzento
Psidium firmum ______ BR
P: Araca do Cerrado
Psidium friedrichsthalianum ______ BR (not native to Brazil, from mostly Central America, and northern South America)
Cas Guava
P: Goiaba de Costa Rica, or Guiaba da Agua
Psidium guajava _____ BR (native to tropical America)
Guava (a bush with simple, opposite leaves)
P: Goiaba

Psidium guajava (var. minor) ______ BR
Dwarf Guava
P: Goiaba Miniatura

Other English names for Psidium guajava also include: Yellow Guava, Apple Guava.

In the tropics, Guava is available much of the year. When it ripens on the tree, the air is filled with the smell of the fruit, as it falls to the ground, where it ferments, emanating an exotic smell, reminding one that he or she is in the tropics.
Such was the smell where the photo below was taken, at Copalinga, during one of our tours in southern Ecuador.
That rotting fruit, yes, the source of the exotic smell, attracts many butterflies, some bright and colorful, and again making one appreciate one's time in a tropical setting.

Psidium guajava is native to southern Mexico and Central and South America, where is also now widely cultivated.
In South America, now, it is very common, for example in Brazil, where on the tables at many meals it is in various forms, from jellies to juices. The hard-textured jellies are often served with cheese.

The fruit itself has a variety of forms, sizes, and colors, but most commonly it is spherical, about 1 and a half to 2 and a quarter inches in diameter, with a green to yellowish skin and pulp.
Other varieties have rose-colored or white flesh. (The rose coloration is the common variety in Brazil.)
The skin is very thin, and the inside of the fruit is characterized by a somewhat sandy flesh, like that of a pear, and with a cluster of seeds.

Guavas are consumed fresh when fully ripened, or turned into preserves and sorbet, or into refreshing drinks.

In the Yucatan region of Mexico, Guayabo is the prime ingredient of an exotically flavored local ice cream called Helado de Crema Morisca.

In the city of Manaus in Amazonian Brazil, there are wonderful places where a large variety of tropically flavored ice creams are sold, including among those flavors, Guava.

(some of the above from the book: "Yucatan, Recipes from a Culinary Expedition" by David Sterling)

On the tree, a fruit of the Guava, during a FONT tour
(photo by Marie Gardner)
Psidium guineense ______ BR
Brazilian Guava
P: Araca do Campo
Psidium rufum ______ BR
P: Araca Roxo
Psidium salutare ______ BR
P: Araca Rasteiro

Genus RHODOMYRTUS
Rhodomytus tomentosa ______ BR (not native to Brazil, from southeast Asia)
P: Mirtilo Peludo

Genus SYZYGIUM
Syzygium aqueum ______ BR (not native to Brazil, from India)
Water Apple
P: Jambo Branco
Syzygium cumini ______ BR (not native to Brazil, from India and Sri Lanka)
Java Plum
P: Jambolao
Syzygium jambox ______ BR (not native to Brazil, from India and Malaysia)
Rose Apple
P: Jambo
Syzgium malaccense ______ BR (not native to Brazil, from Polynesia)
Mountain Apple
P: Jambo Vermelho
Syzgium paniculatum ______ BR (not native to Brazil)
Brush Cherry
P: Jambinho
Syzgium samarangense ______ BR (not native to Brazil, from the Malay Archipelago)
Java Apple
P: Jambo Rosa

Family NYCTAGINACEAE (Four O'Clocks) (W)

Genus BOUGAINVILLEA
Bougainvillea spectabilis ______ BR (native to Brazil)
Bougainvillea (a climbing plant with simple, alternating leaves)

Family NYMPHAEACEAE (Water Lilies)

Genus VICTORIA
Victoria amazonica (*) ______ BR
Amazon Water Lily

The Amazon Water Lily, Victoria amazonica, is the largest of all the NYMPHAEACEAE water lilies.
Floating on the water's surface, they are up to 9 feet in diameter.
Their flowers are white the first night they are opened, and become pink the next night.

During FONT Brazil Tours, in Amazonia near Manaus, we've seen the very big Amazon Water Lilies, as we've been on boats, from which we've also seen Pink River Dolphins, Gray Dolphins (the "Tucuxi"), Amazonian Manatee, and many birds, including Agami Heron and Harpy Eagle.
Victoria cruziana (*) ______ BR (native to Paraguay, southern Brazil, northern Argentina)
Santa Cruz Water Lily

We've seen the Santa Cruz Water Lily on rivers during FONT tours in the area of Iguazu Falls.

Family OLACACEAE

Genus XIMENIA
Ximenia americana ______ BR
Hog Plum
P: Limaozinho da Praia

Family ONAGRACEAE (Willowherb, or Evening Primrose)

Genus FUCHSIA
Fuchsia regia ______ BR
Vining Fuchsia
P: Brinco de Princesa

Family OXALIDACEAE

Genus AVERRHOA
Averrhoa bilimbi ______ BR (not native to Brazil, from southeast Asia)
Bilimbi
P: Limao de Caiena, or Biri-biri
Averrhoa carambola ______ BR (not native to Brazil, from Indonesia and Malaysia)
Star Fruit
P: Carambola

Family PASSIFLORACEAE (Passionflowers)

includes TURNERACEAE

Genus PASSIFLORA

There are at least 400 different species of PASSIFLORA with many distributed throughout the tropics, with some as well in temperate countries.
The PASSIFLORA flowers have a characteristic and unique shape (see photo below), and the arrangement of the floral parts has been said to symbolize the cross of the crucifixion, hence the name "Passion Fruit".
Some species have small ball-shaped fruits.
One species in particular, Passiflora edulis (var. edulis) is grown commercially for its fruit.

Some members of the PASSIFLORA genus are host plants for the butterfly: Agraulis vanillae, the Gulf Fritillary.
PASSIFLORA species are also visited for their nectar by the hummingbird, the Long-tailed Hermit.
Passiflora alata (*) ______ BR
Fragrant Granadilla
P: Maracuja

The Fragrant Granadilla is a fruit-bearer widely cultivated in Brazil, where it also occurs in nature from Bahia to Rio Grande do Sul, in the Atlantic Forest and other habitats.
During one of the FONT tours in the southernmost Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul, a Fragrant Granadilla was seen right by the side of a main highway. A nice sight it was.
Passiflora ambigua ______ BR
P: Granadilla de Mont
Passiflora amethystina ______ BR
P: Maracuja de Cobra
Passiflora caerulea ______ BR
Blue Passion Fruit
P: Maracuja Azul
Passiflora cincinnata ______ BR
Crato Passion Fruit
P: Maracuja Mochila
Passiflora coccinea ______ BR
Red Granadilla
P: Maracuja Poranga
Passiflora edulis ______ BR
Purple Passion Fruit (a climbing plant with simple, alternating leaves)
P: Maracuja Roxa

Passiflora edulis is also called the Purple Granadilla.
It is a vine-like plant, which climbs by means of long, green tendrils, grown commercially for its fruits, which become purple when ripe. The flesh is usually eaten raw in fruit salads.
The pulp can also be squashed and the juice made into a cool and refreshing drink.
It is also used to make an ice cream with a distinctive flavor.

A Passion Fruit photographed during a FONT tour in May 2014.
This fruit was growing on the side of the home
of one our South American friend.
In his home, we drank a wonderful juice from the fruit.
Passiflora eichleriana ______ BR
Butterfly Passion Flower
P: Maracuja de Cobra
Passiflora elegans ______ BR
P: Maracuja de Estalo
Passiflora foetida ______ BR
Wild Water Lemon
P: Maracuja Fedido
Passiflora galbana ______ BR
P: Maracuja do Mato
Passiflora giberti ______ BR
P: Maracuja Bravo
Passiflora laurifolia ______ BR
Yellow Granadilla
P: Maracuja Laranja
Passiflora loefgrenii ______ BR
P: Maracuja de Alho
Passiflora mucronata ______ BR
P: Maracuja de Restinga, or Sururu
Passiflora nitida ______ BR
Bell Apple
P: Maracuja Suspiro
Passiflora picturata ______ BR
P: Maracuja Redondo
Passiflora quadrangularis ______ BR
Giant Granadilla (a climbing plant with simple, alternating leaves)
P: Maracuja Assu
Passiflora serrato-digitata ______ BR
Tagua-tagua
P: Maracuja Pedra
Passiflora setacea ______ BR
P: Maracuja Sururuca
Passiflora tennifila ______ BR
P: Maracuja de Cobra
Passiflora vitiflora ______ BR
Grape-leaved Passion Fruit
P: Maracuja Folha de Uva

Two species of heliconiine butterflies, Heliconius cydno and Heliconius hecale, often lay their eggs on the tendrils and leaf tips of Passiflora vitiflora.
Two other butterflies, Eueides aliphera and Philaethria dido, lay their eggs on the mature leaves of the plant, and their larvae feed on those older leaves.

Family PHYLLANTACEAE

Genus PHYLLANTHUS
Phyllanthus acidus ______ BR (not native to Brazil, from Madagascar)
Otaheite Gooseberry (or Malay Gooseberry)
P: Groselha da India
Phyllanthus emblica ______ BR (not native to Brazil, from tropical Asia)
Emblic
P: Fruto de Malaca

Family POACEAE, or GRAMINEAE (Grasses)

Genus DENDROCALAMUS
Dendrocalamus giganteus ______ (native to southeast Asia, now in parks in the tropics)
Giant Bamboo

Genus SACCHARUM
Saccharum officinarum ______ BR (now widely cultivated; thought to have originated in New Guinea)
Sugarcane
P: Cana de Acucar

Genus ORYZA
Oryza sativa (ph) ______ BR (not native to Brazil, from Asia)
Asian Rice (or Rice)
P:

Rice being cultivated. The rice was native to Asia, the Cattle Egrets in the photo native to Africa.
(photo by Marie Gardner)

Genus ZEA
Zea mays ______ BR
Sweet Corn

Family PONTEDERIACEAE (Water Hyacinth, Pickerel-weed)

There are about 35 species in PONTEDERIACEAE. All are freshwater aquatics, but only Eichhornia crassipes is truly free-floating.

Genus EICHHORNIA
Eichhornia crassipes (*) ______ BR (native to South America)
Water Hyacinth
P: Aguape, or Jacinto Aquatico

Family PROTEACEAE (Macadamia and allies)

Genus GREVILLEA
Grevillea banksii ______ BR
Banks' Grevillea

Grevillea banksii is especially attractive to feeding hummingbirds.

Genus MACADAMIA
Macadamia integrifolia ______ BR (not native to Brazil, from the Australian coast)
Smooth-shelled Macadamia Nut
P: Macadamia
Macadamia tetraphylla ______ BR (not native to Brazil, from subtropical Australia)
Rough-shelled Macadamia Nut
P: Macadamia Doce

Family RHAMNACEAE (Buckthorns)

Genus HOVENIA
Hovenia dulcis ______ BR (not native to Brazil, from subtropical Asia)
Chinese Raisin
P: Uva Chinesa

Genus RHAMNIDIUM
Rhamnidium elaeocrpum ______ BR
P: Saguaraji

Genus ZIZiPHUS
Ziziphus joazeiro ______ BR
P: Jua
Ziziphus jujuba ______ BR (not native to Brazil, from subtropical China)
Chinese Jujube
P: Jujuba Chinesa
Ziziphus mauritiana ______ BR (not native to Brazil, from India and southeast Asia)
Indian Jujube
P: Jujuba Indiana
Ziziphus mistol ______ BR
Mistol
P: Olho de Boi

Family RHIZOPHORACEAE (Mangroves)

including here PELLICIERACEAE (the genus PELLICIERA)

Mangroves, or Mangles in Spanish, are a group of unrelated woody plants that grow along tropical coasts.
They generally occur in physical habitats that in temperate regions would be occupied by salt marshes.

"Mangrove" is not a precise taxonomic classification. Generally any tree that grows directly from a subtidal or intertidal substrate may be termed a mangrove.

The Black Mangrove is in a different family, ACANTHACEAE.
The White Mangrove and the Buttonwood Mangrove are in the family COMBRETACEAE.

Genus RHIZOPHORA
Rhizophora mangle (*) ______ BR
Red Mangrove

Family ROSACEAE (Rose)

Genus CYDONIA
Cydonia oblonga ______ BR (not native to Brazil, from southeastern Europe and Asia Minor)
Quince
P: Marmelo

Genus ERIOBOTRYA
Eriobotrya japonica ______ BR (not native to Brazil, from Japan)
Loquat
P: Nespera

Genus FRAGARIA
Fragaria x ananassa ______ BR (not native to Brazil, where it has been cultivated since 1960)
Strawberry
P: Morango

The cultivated Strawberry is a hybrid that occurred in Europe in 1759 between the Chilean Strawberry, Fragaria chiloensis, and the American Wild Strawberry, Fragaria virginiana. That hybridization came about accidentally.

Genus MALUS
Malus x domestica ______ BR (not native to Brazil, where it is now cultivated in the southern part of the country, from Asia Minor)
Apple
P: Maca

Malus x domestica is a complex hybrid involving various species, including Malus sieversii, Malus orientalus, and Malus sylvestris.
Domestication began thousands of years ago, Today, the Apple is the most popular of fruits.

Genus MESPILUS
Mespilus germanica ______ BR (not native to Brazil, from southeastern Europe to central Asia)
Medlar
P: Nespoli

Genus PRUNUS
Prunus armeniaca ______ BR (not native to Brazil, from northern China and Siberia)
Apricot
P: Damasco
Prunus domestica ______ BR (not native to Brazil, from Asia Minor, cultivated by the Romans)
Italian Plum
P: Ameixa Europeia
Prunus dulcis ______ BR (not native to Brazil, from western Asia)
Sweet Almond
P: Amendua Europeia
Prunus mume ______ BR (not native to Brazil, from China)
P: Ume

Prunus mume was introduced into Brazil by Japanese Brazilians (there are many, particularly in the So Paulo area), at the end of the 1960s.
Prunus persica ______ BR (not native to Brazil, from China)
Peach
P: Pessego

Prunus presica (var. nucipersica) ______ BR (not native to Brazil)
Nectarine
P: Nectarina
Prunus salicina ______ BR (not native to Brazil, from China)
Japanese Plum
P: Ameixa Japonesa

Genus PYRUS
Pyrus communis ______ BR (not native to Brazil, from Europe)
Pear
P: Pera
Pyrus pyrifolia ______ BR (not native to Brazil, from Asia)
Apple Pear
P: Pera Asiatica

Genus RUBUS
Rubus erythrocladus ______ BR
P: Amora Verde
Rubus idaeus ______ BR (not native to Brazil, from North America, Europe, Asia)
Red Raspberry
P: Framboesa
Rubus niveus ______ BR (not native to Brazil, from Asia, from the Himalayas to the Philippines)
P: Raspberry de Mysore
Rubus rosifolius ______ BR
Wild Raspberry
P: Moranguinho Silvestre
Rubus sellowii ______ BR
Wild Blackberry
P: Amora Preta
Rubus ulmifolius ______ BR (not native to Brazil, from North America and Europe)
Blackberry
P: Amora Preta

Family RUBIACEAE (Madders)

Genus ALIBERTIA
Alibertia edulis ______ BR
Marmelada
P: Purui

Genus COFFEA
Coffea arabica (ph) ______ BR (originally said to have grown in Africa, in Ethopia)
Coffee (a bush with simple, alternate leaves)
P: Cafe

In the tropics, Coffee is grown at rather high elevations, as the tree requires fairly cool temperatures. It also needs a moderate rainfall and some shade.
Places during FONT tours where Coffee has been seen commonly in cultivation include Brazil, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Jamaica, Panama, and Puerto Rico.

Coffee, photographed during a FONT tour
(photo by Marie Gardner)

Genus CORDIERA
Cordiera elliptica ______ BR
P: Marmelada de Pinto
Cordiera humilis ______ BR
P: Marmelada Rasteira
Cordiera sessilis ______ BR
P: Marmelada de Cachorro

Genus GENIPA
Genipa americana ______ BR
Genip (or Marmelade Box)
P: Jenipapo
Genipa infudibuliformes ______ BR
Smooth Genip
P: Jenipapo Liso

Genus HAMELIA
Hamelia patens ______ BR
P: Amelia

Hamelia patens is especially attractive to feeding hummingbirds.

Genus IXORA

Plants in IXORA are especially attractive to feeding hummingbirds.
Ixora chinensis ______ BR
Ixora coccinea ______ BR
Ixora macrothyrsa ______ BR

Genus MORINDA
Morinda citrifolia ______ BR (recently introduced in Brazil, from India, Malaysia, and tropical Australia)
Noni
P: Morinda

Genus PENTAS

Plants in PENTAS are especially attractive to feeding hummingbirds, in Brazil.

Genus POSOQUERIA
Posoqueria latifolia ______ BR
Needle Flower Tree
P: Baga de Macaco

Genus VANGUERIA
Vangueria edulis ______ BR (not native to Brazil, from tropical Africa)
Spanish Tamarind
P: Tamarindo Espanhol

Family RUTACEAE (Citrus, or Rue)

Genus AEGLE
Aegle marmelos ______ BR (not native to Brazil, from southern Asia)

Genus CASIMIROA
Casimiroa edulis ______ BR
Bael Fruit
P: Marmelos

Genus CITRUS
Citrus aurantifolia ______ BR (not native to Brazil, from the Indo-Malaysian area of southern Asia)
Lime (tree with simple, alternating leaves)
P: Lima

Among the various English names for Citrus aurantifolia are: Key Lime, West Indian Lime, Mexican Lime, "Bartender's Lime".
Citrus aurantium ______ BR
Sour Orange
P: Laranja Azeda

Other English names for Citrus aurantium are Bitter Orange, Seville Orange, Marmalade Orange.
Citrus deliciosa ______ BR (not native to Brazil, from the Mediterranean region)
Mandarin
P: Mexerica
Citrus hystrix ______ BR (not native to Brazil, from southeast Asia)
Kaffir Lime
P: LIma de Cafir
Citrus latifolia ______ BR (widely cultivated in Brazil)
Tahiti Lemon
P: Limao Tahiti

Tahiti Lemon is thought to be hybrid of Citrus aurantifolia (above) and Citrus medica (below).
Citrus limetta ______ BR (not native to Brazil, from Asia)
Sweet Lime (or Limetta)
P: Limao Doce
Citrus limettiodes ______ BR (not native to Brazil, probably from India)
Palestine Sweet Lime
P: Lima de Umbigo

Some say that Citrus limettioides is a hybrid of Citrus aurantifolia (above) and Citrus medica (below)
Citrus limon ______ BR (not native to Brazil, possibly from India)
Lemon
P: Limao

Some say that Citrus limon is a complex hybrid of Citrus aurantifolia (above), Citrus medica (below), and Citrus paradisi (below).
Citrus limonia ______ BR (not native to Brazil, possibly from India)
Lime
P: Limao Cravo
Citrus maxima ______ BR (not native to Brazil, from southern China)
Pummelo
P: Toranja
Citrus medica ______ BR (not native to Brazil, from northeast India at the base of the Himalayas)
Citron
P: Cidra

Citron Medica (var. sarcodactylis) ______ BR (not native to Brazil, from India)
Budda's Hand Citron
P: Cidra Mao de Buda
Citrus mitis ______ BR (not native to Brazil, from China)
Calamondin
Citrus x paradisi ______ BR (not native to Brazil)
Grapefruit
P: Pomelo
Citrus reshni ______ BR (not native to Brazil, possibly from China)
Cleopatra Mandarin
P: Tangerina Cleopatra
Citrus reticulata ______ BR (not native to Brazil, from southern China, and northeastern India)
Tangerine
P: Tangerina

Citrus reticulata x Citrus sinensis ______ BR
Ortanique (or Tangor)

A name of the hybrid of the Tangerine (Citrus reticulata) (above) and the Sweet Orange (Citrus sinensis) (below) is, as noted above, the Ortanique, reflecting the origins of the fruit: a composite of orange-tangeine-unique.
It is very juicy and has a pleasant flavor.
Citrus sinensis ______ BR (not native to Brazil, possibly from southern China and northeastern India)
Sweet Orange
P: Laranja

Citrus sinensis x Citrus x paradisi ______ BR
Orangelo
Citrus x tangelo ______ BR
Tangelo
Citrus unshin ______ BR (not native to Brazil, possibly from Japan)
Satsuma Tangerine
P: Tangerina Satsuma

Genus CLAUSENA
Clausena lansium ______ BR (not native to Brazil, from southern China and northern Indo-China)
Wampi
P: Wampee

Genus FORTUNELLA
Fortunella japonica ______ BR (not native to Brazil, from China)
Kumquat Marumi
P: Kumquat Redondo, or Chin-chin
Fortunella margarita ______ BR (not native to Brazil, from southeast China)
Kumquat Nagami
P: Kumquat Nagami, or Chin-chin

Genus GLYCOSMIS
Glycosmis citrifolia ______ BR (not native to Brazil, from southern China)
Orangeberry
P: Glicosme

Family SALICACEAE (Willows)

Genus CASEARIA
Casearia decandra ______ BR
Pipewood (or Wild Honey Tree)
P: Cambroe
Casearia rupestris ______ BR
P: Pururuca, or Guacatunga Grande

Genus DOVYALIS
Dovyalis caffra ______ BR (not native to Brazil, from South Africa)
Kei Apple
P: Umkolo
Dovyalis hebecarpa ______ BR (not native to Brazil, from India and Sri Lanka)
Ketimbilla
P: Groselha do Ceilao
Dovyalis abyssinica x Dovyalis hebecarpa ______ BR (not native to Brazil, Dovyalis abyssinica from Aftica)
Florida Apricot
P: Groselha Hibrida

Genus FLACOURTIA
Flacourtia indica ______ BR (not native to Brazil, from tropical Africa, and southern Asia east to the Philippines)
Governor's Plum
P: Ameixa de Madagascar
Flacourtia jangomas ______ BR (not native to Brazil, from India and Bangladesh)
Batoko Plum
P: Esfregadinha

Genus SALIX
Salix humboldtiana ______ BR

Salix humboldtiana is a small species of willow occurring along white-water rivers in the mid-elevations of the Andes, but it also occurs lower in Amazon lowlands, where it is common in pure stands on sand bars and low islands of larger rivers.

Family SANTALACEAE (Sandalwoods)

includes VISCACEAE

Genus ACANTHOSYRIS
Acanthosyris spinescens ______ BR
P: Sombra de Touro

Family SAPINDACEAE (Soapberry)

Genus ALLOPHYLLUS
Allophyllus edulis ______ BR
P: Chala-chala

Genus BLIGHIA
Blighia sapida ______ BR (recently introduced in Brazil, from western tropical Africa)
Aki (or Akee)
P: Aki

The fruits of the Aki develop thick, reddish-green skins that enclose shiny black seeds, each with a fleshy whitish-colored structure at its base called an aril. The aril is the edible part.
But, beware! The fruit is ready to be eaten only when it has turned red and has split open. Unripened arils and those overripe are poisonous.

Genus CUPANIA
Cupania vernalis ______ BR
P: Camboata

Genus DIMOCARPUS
Dimocarpus longan ______ BR (not native to Brazil, from southern China and Thailand)
Longan
P: Longana

Genus LITCHI
Litchi chinensis _____ BR (not native to Brazil, from southern China)
Lychee
P: Lichia

Genus MELICOCCUS (or TALISIA)
Melicoccus bijugatus ______ BR (not native to Brazil, from northern South America, Central America, and the West Indies)
Mamoncillo
P: Limoncillo

Genus NEPHELIUM
Nephelium lappaceum ______ BR (recently introduced in Brazil, from Malaysia)
Rambutan
P: Rambutao

Genus PAULLINIA
Paullinia cupana ______ BR
Guarana Vine
P: Guarana

The fruits of the vine, or liana, of Paullinia cupana have been used by people for centuries, for example, to make a paste of the fruits and seeds combined with manioc meal and water. The resulting mixture was the dried and eaten as a stimulant.
Nowadays, this fruit is put into a popular soft drink called Guarana.
It is sold throughout Brazil in its carbonated form.
During every FONT tour in Brazil we've enjoyed drinking guarana (always saying "kind of like ginger ale").

Studies have shown that the chemicals in Guarana increase physical capacity and learning ability, and reduce anti-oxidants (aging factors).
One of the major components inside the seeds of the plant is caffeine, with the concentration of it so being high that it could be toxic to birds that eat them.
In nature, however, the seeds of Paullinia cupana are dispersed by large birds such as toucans and guans.
As long as the birds don't crack the seeds and they digest only the sugar and carbohydrates surrounding the seed, there is no release of the caffeine.
A cracked seed would not likely survive and germinate, so apparently having a toxic substance inside is the plant's way of making sure that birds, such as macaws, that crack and kill the seeds, are not attracted to the fruits.
Only birds that eat the fruits whole, enabling them to pass through the digestive system to be deposited later away from the mother tree, can successfully eat the seeds of the Guarana.

Genus TALISIA
Talisia esculenta ______ BR
Belizian Genip
P: Pitomba do Norte

Family SAPOTACEAE (Sapote plants)

Genus CHRYSOPHYLLUM
Chrysophyllum cainito ______ BR (not native to Brazil, from Central America and the West Indies, mainly Cuba and Jamaica)
Star Apple
P: Caimito

The Star Apple Tree grows to about 50 feet high and it often planted as a shade tree because of its dense foliage, which is shed only very infrequently.
The tree produces small, inconspicuous purplish-white flowers.
The mature fruits are about the size of an ordinary apple and they have a dark, smooth, purplish skin when they are ripe.
The fruit gets its name from the pattern inside when it is cut in half. The star shape is produced by the arrangement of the purplish seeds in among the white, rather gelatinous flesh.
The fruit has a sweetish but mild taste. It is eaten raw, or as a desert, either as part of a fruit salad or in a mixture with pieces of orange.

Genus MANILKARA
Manilkara huberi ______ BR
Massaranduba
P: Macaranduba da Terra-firme
Manilkara salzmannii ______ BR
Black Massaranduba
P: Macaranduba Preta
Manilkara subsericea ______ BR
P: Macaranduba
Manilkara zapota ______ BR (not native to Brazil, from Central America and Mexico)
Sapodilla Tree
P: Sapoti

A name for the fruit of Manikara zapota is Naseberry.

Genus MIMUSOPS
Mimusops commersonii ______ BR (not native to Brazil, from Madagascar)
Spanish Cherry
P: Abrico da Praia

Genus POUTERIA
Pouteria bullata ______ BR
P: Bapeba
Pouteria caimita ______ BR
P: Abiu
Pouteria campechiana ______ BR (recently introduced in Brazil, from southern Mexico and Central America)
Yellow Sapote (or Eggfruit, or Canistel)

The skin and flesh of the Yellow Sapote are a pale yellow-orange color. The shape of the fruit varies dramatically, from spherical to an elongated egg shape, measuring from 1 and a half to 2 and a half inches in length. The flesh is sweet and soft with a color and texture that can be compared to a cooked egg yolk, hence its English name "Eggfruit".
Pouteria gardneriana ______ BR
P: Aguai Guacu
Pouteria gardneii ______ BR
P: Macaranduba Vermelha
Pouteria grandiflora ______ BR
P: Hapeba
Pouteria macrophylla ______ BR
P: Cutite
Pouteria pachycalyx ______ BR
P: Bapeba
Pouteria ramiflora ______ BR
P: Curriola
Pouteria sapota ______ BR (not native in Brazil, from lowlands of Mexico and Central America)
Mamey Sapote
P: Mamei
Pouteria torta ______ BR
Wooly Abiu
P: Abiu do Cerrado
Pouteria venosa ______ BR
P: Aboirana

Genus PRADOSIA
Pradosia brevipes ______ BR
Armadillo Fruit
P: Fruta de Tatu

The Tatu, or Armadillo
Pradosia lactescens ______ BR
P: Marmixa

Genus SIDEROXYLON
Sideroxylon obtusifolium ______ BR
Obtuse-leaved Jungle-plum
P: Quixaba

Genus SYNSEPALUM
Synsepalum dulcificum ______ BR (not native to Brazil, from Africa)
Miracle Fruit
P: Fruta do Milagre

Family SOLANACEAE (Nightshades)

In addition to the potato (Solanum tuberosum), tomato, pepper, eggplant, and tobacco are in SOLANACEAE.

Genus ACNISTUS
Acnistus arborescens ______ BR
P: Fruta de Sabia or Marianeira

Genus BRUNFELSIA
Brunfelsia pauciflora ______ (native to Brazil)
Yesterday - Today - and Tomorrow (a bush with simple, alternating leaves)

Genus CYPHOMANDRA
Cyphomandra betacea ______ BR (not native to Brazil, from Peru)
Tree Tomato
P: Tomate Arboreo

Genus PHYSALIS
Physalis pubescens ______ BR
P: Camapu

Genus SOLANUM

Potatoes and Eggplants are among the nonpoisonous and economically important plants in this huge genus. (W)
Solanum muricatum ______ BR (recently introduced in Brazil, from the Andes i9n western South America)
Pepino
P: Meloncito
Solanum quitoense ______ BR (recently introduced in Brazil, from the Andes in western South America)
Naranjilla
P: Naranjilo
Solanum rantonnetii ______ BR (native to Paraguay and Argentina)
Blue Potato Bush (with simple, alternating leaves)

Another name for Solanum rantonnetii is Paraguay Nightshade.
Solanum sessiliflorum ______ BR
Cocona
P: Cubiu
Solanum wrightii ______ BR (native to Brazil)
Potato Tree (with simple, alternating leaves)

Family STERCULIACEAE (Cacao plants)

The genus THEOBROMA (below) has also been said to be in the family MALVACEAE.

(below) has also been said to be in the family MALVACEAE.

Genus STERCULIA
Sterculia apetala ______ BR
Panama Tree (or Bellota)
P: Mandovi
Sterculia striata ______ BR
P: Chicha do Cerrado

Genus THEOBROMA
Theobroma bicolor ______ BR
Mocambo
P: Cacau do Peru, or Pataste
Theobroma cacao (ph) ______ BR (native to Brazil, in the Amazon region)
Cacao (or Cocoa) (a tree with simple, alternating leaves)
P: Cacau

When European explorers arrived in the New World in the 1400s and 1500s, Cacao was being grown in Mexico by the Aztecs.
From the Caribbean and Central America, Columbus took Cacao (in the form of cocoa beans) back to the Spanish court in 1502.

The Cacao tree is easily recognized by its dark green shiny leaves and by its characteristic pods, each about 10 inches long and often growing directly from the trunk.
The pods turn from green to brownish-red when ripe, and at that stage they are picked.
The beans are extracted from the pods and laid out to dry in the sun before being roasted and then used to make cocoa powder, cocoa butter, and chocolate.

Although the Cocoa tree has been cultivated for about 500 years, it wasn't until the middle of the 1800s that the beans were used to produce chocolate as a confectionary.

A pod of Cacao, photographed during a FONT tour in Belize
(photo by Marie Gardner)

At a cacao plantation In southeastern Brazil, over the years during FONT tours, a little bird seen usually when perched at the top of the trees, has been the Buff-throated Purpletuft, said to be a cotinga, but more closely related to tityras.
That bird is little, smaller than most hummingbirds. It sits erectly when in a treetop, only about 3 inches in length.
Its range and population are also small. Birdlife International classifies it as "endangered".
That cacao plantation, as it is right on the Tropic of Capricorn, has been called the Fazenda Capricorno, near the coastal city of Ubatuba.
Theobroma grandiflora ______ BR
P: Cupuassu
Theobroma speciosum ______ BR
P: Cacaui
Theobroma subincanum ______ BR
P: Cupui

Family URTICACEAE (Nettle Family)

Genus CECROPIA
Cecropia sp. (*) ______ BR

There are about 60 species of Cecropia trees in the American tropics. They are, among other things, dioecious. They are conspicuous, and, as "pioneer species", they are among the first to grow in recently cleared areas, with sun.
Generally, they are thinnish trees with very large umbrella-like leaves.
Most harbor teeming colonies of stinging ants in their hollow trunks. Those ants "protect the trees" from herbivores.

The bird, the Tropical Parula, Parula pitiayumi, eats Cecropia corpuscles, that are white ovoid grains the size of a pinhead, well hidden in the felt at the base of the leaves.
These corpuscles, discovered rather recently in Brazil, are rich in protein and therefore are much sought after by the symbiotic ants of the cecropia.

Other birds that like to feed on the fruits of cecropias are tanagers, and euphonias. Like the Tropical Parula (noted above), euphonias eat the corpuscles (or protein deposits) that are principal food of the Azteca ants living in the trees' trunks (also referred to above).

In 1945 in Costa Rica, Alexander Skutch entitled one of his publications "The Most Hospitable Tree" referring to the cecropias, calling them the "most characteristic trees" of tropical America, and explaining their immense value for fauna, especially birds.
Apparently the germination of cecropia seeds is accelerated by their passage through birds' intestinal systems.

"The Most Hospitable Tree" can be read as a chapter in Alexander Skutch's book, "A Bird Watchers Adventures in Tropical America", published in 1977.

During a few FONT tours in Costa Rica, we visited Alexander Skutch, where he did his writing at his homestead called "Los Cosingos", Below is a photo taken of him there, during one of our tours, as he was writing.

Alexander Skutch (photo by Alan Brady)

Following here is a link to:    A FEATURE ABOUT ALEXANDER SKUTCH AND HIS WRITINGS
Cecropia hololeuca ______ BR
P: Embauva

Birds in Brazil, and other places in the Neotropics, that frequently feed on Cecropia trees include: tanagers of many kinds, thrushes, caciques, toucans, aracaris, parakeets, bellbirds, tityras, flycatchers, saltators, woodpeckers, manakins, euphonias, trogons, and even some others.
There really can't be many others. There are not that many types of birds not included here.
Cecropia pachystachya ______ BR

Genus POUROUMA
Pourouma cecropiifolia ______ BR
Amazon Tree Grape
P: Mapati

Family VERBENACEAE (Vervains, Verbenas)

Genus AEGIPHILA
Aegiphila sellowiana ______ BR
P: Tamanqueira

Genus CALLICARPA
Callicarpa reevesii ______ BR
P: Calicarpa

Genus CITHAREXYLUM
Citharexylum myrianthum ______ BR
P: Pau-de-viola

Genus CLERODENDRON

Plants in CLERODENDRON are especially attractive to feeding hummingbirds.
Clerodendron speciosum ______ BR
Clerodendron splendens ______ BR
Clerodendron thomsonae ______ BR

Genus HOLMSKIOLDIA

Plants in HOLMSKIOLDIA are especially attractive to feeding hummingbirds.
Holmskioldia sanguinea ______ BR
Holmskioldia sanguinea aurea ______ BR
Holmskioldia tettensis ______ BR

Family VITACEAE (Grape)

Genus VITIS
Vitis labrusca ______ BR (not native to Brazil, from North America)
Fox Grape
P: Uva Americana
Vitis labrusca x Vitis vinifera ______ BR (not native to Brazil)
Hybrid Grape
P: Uva hibrida
Vitis rotundifolia ______ BR (not native to Brazil, from the United States)
Muscadine Grape
Vitis vinifera ______ BR (not native to Brazil, from central Asia)
Wine Grape (or simply Grape)
P: Uva, or Uva Europeia

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