In February we documented species in Río Ixtinto, within the Parque Nacional Yaxha, Nakum y Naranjo. Our main objective was to photograph the blooms of Palo de Tinto or Palo de Campeche (Haematoxylum campechianum). This tree is native to the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico, Guatemala, and Belize. It was an important source for extracting red, blue and black dyes, but in addition to its dye use, it is also used for restoration, forage, firewood, ornamental planting and it is a honey species (Red de Viveros de Biodiversidad, s.f.).
Taxonomy:
| Domain | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom | Plantae |
| Phylum | Spermatophyta |
| Subphylum | Angiospermae |
| Class | Dicotyledonae |
| Order | Fabales |
| Family | Fabaceae |
| Subfamily | Caesalpinioideae |
| Genus | Haematoxylum laceolatum |
| Species | Haematoxylum campechianum laceolatum |
| Source: CABI, n.d. |
Haematoxylum campechianum Palo de Campeche or Palo de Tinto. PNYNN - Río Ixtinto. Photo by Edwin Solares. February 14th
During the tour we did not find as many flowers as we expected, but it was different from the previous months. On this occasion the weather has been a bit cold and rainy so the River was fuller and wider, we took some pictures with a Drone which allowed us to see that the Río Ixtinto is linked to the Julequito Lagoon in this season.
We saw several birds flying along the river bank like a Kingfisher and two woodpeckers, this was cute and curious on Valentine's Day.
Haematoxylum campechianum Palo de Campeche or Palo de Tinto. PNYNN - Río Ixtinto. Photo by Edwin Solares. February 14th
Written by Vivian Hurtado & Roxana Leal
Identified Species by Victor Mendoza
Posted March 4, 2022
