One of our objectives of the October expedition was to photograph the “Espino de Vaca” tree, so we spent one morning walking to the Aldea El Rosario where we could document it.
The next day, in Tapon Creek Reserve, at the edge of the trail we were able to find one again. This tree is important, since it is part of the series of Edible Plants of Wetlands of the Municipality of Livingston, Izabal.
Pithecellobium laceolatum is a species of tree belonging to the FABACEAE family. It lives in tropical and subtropical areas, grows from 0 to 1800 meters above sea level; This species is distributed from the south of the USA, Mexico and Central America. This plant serves to regenerate and improve the quality of the soils because it is associated with other species of the same or other families. It is adapted to survive in climates from very dry to very humid.
Taxonomy:
Kingdom
Plantae
Order
Fabales
Family
Fabaceae
Genus
Pithecellobium
Species
Pithecellobium laceolatum
Botanical description:
Size
Reaches up to 15 m in height.
Cortex
Its base measures 30 cm or more, it has horizontal marks from which two spines are detached.
Flowers
3 to 8 centimeters hermaphroditic, small white to yellow in the shape of spikes.
Leaves
Coriaceae, alternate, pinnate (composed of two pairs of leaflets) 5 to 10 cm long and 2 3.5 cm wide.
Fruits
Young green pods between 5 to 20 cm and turn an intense red color when ripe.
Seeds
Up to 8 seeds per pod that are 1 to 1.5 cm long and 0.8 cm wide Brown.
In October we visited Lagunita Creek for the third time during the Documentation of Livingston, Izabal Project. This time the atmosphere was more humid than the last times we have visited it. Therefore, we find various mushrooms on the trails that we want to show you.
We invite you to visit Lagunita Creek in Río Sarstún, Izabal to conduct research on flowers and fungi, and you can also do ecotourism.
Fungi have different mutualistic relationships, such as mycorrhizae, which refers to the relationship that exists between fungi and plant roots. On the one side, the roots secrete sugars, amino acids, fatty acids and other organic substances that benefit fungi and, on the other hand, fungi convert the soil minerals and decomposing matter into forms assimilable by the roots of the plant.
There are also endophytic fungi that establish a relationship with the plants where they live within them without causing symptoms. In this case, the fungus is capable of producing bioactive metabolites, as well as modifying the defense mechanisms of its host, allowing and increasing the survival of both organisms.
Fungi classification
Chytridiomycota
Predominant aquatic fungi, these have flagella and are the most ancestral fungi.
Glomeromycota
Fungi that make symbiotic relationships with other organisms such as mycorrhizae.
Basidiomycota
They are the most common fungi that we know as mushrooms, they help fix nutrients and degrade organic material in forests.
Zygomycota
They inhabit terrestrial foods, a large part of the molds that attack vegetables.
Ascomycota
They form lichens, these are associated between fungi with algae, cyanobacteria, yeasts.
Written by Vivian Hurtado & Roxana Leal Identified Species by Victor Mendoza
“Labios de mujer” Psychotria poeppigiana is one of the species that we have best photographed during our October 2021 expedition. In Aldea El Rosario, Tapón Creek, there were places where several flowers and fruits of this species were observed.
Psychotria poeppigiana is a species of plant of the RUBIACEAE family. What we commonly see as the red petals of this plant are actually modified leaves or also called bracts. These turn red due to the carotenoid pigments they contain, as a strategy to attract pollinators. The flowers are actually white in color and clustered in the center. When these are pollinated, blue colored fruits can be observed.
Rubiaceae is a family made up of about 600 genera and more than 1000 species of herbaceous, shrubs, trees, vines, epiphytes, which are distributed and of greater diversity in the tropical belt.
Taxonomy
Kingdom
Plantae
Order
Gestianales
Family
Rubiaceae
Genus
Psychotria
Species
Psychotria poeppigiana
Written by Vivian Hurtado & Roxana Leal Identified Species by Victor Mendoza
In Lagunita Creek area you can find several creeks made by spaces between mangroves, generally you can see a lot of Red Mangrove. It is difficult to navigate in this place, especially if the boat is large and has a roof, like the one we were transporting on this expedition. On this occasion among the Red Mangrove we could see Gray Mangrove, also called Button Mangrove or Buttonwood.
Its fruit is dark red and round. It was important to document this species, since we do not have as many photographs in our digital library.
Conocarpus erectus is a tree highly branched, producing a leafy crown with gray branches and a central stem that can measure up to 1 m in diameter. It is widely distributed in the Antilles, from Mexico throughout the Atlantic and on the Pacific side from northern Mexico to northeastern Peru.
Taxonomy:
Kingdom
Plantae
Order
Myrtales
Family
Combretaceae
Genus
Conocarpus
Species
Conocarpus erectus
Botanical description:
Leaves
Lanceolate 3 to 8 cm long by 1 to 3 cm wide.
Flower / Inflorescence
In the form of panicles that measure from 5 to 10 cm and flowers organized in balloon-shaped capitula of 2 to 3 cm in diameter with ovate bracts and acuminate apex.
Fruits
Flattened with two tiled wings in a structure similar to a 10 to 12 mm brown cone.
On the shore of Laguna Yaxha in front of the museum and camp area you can find a dock that is currently covered by water, on the left side there is a Stone Sheet. During our October expedition we were able to observe its spike. We documented it in the afternoon just at sunset, so the light was very good.
Anthurium schlechtendalii is an herbaceous plant belonging to the ARACEAE family. Its common name is pheasant’s tail, or also known as stone leaf (in Spanish). It is native from Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, Mexico (Yucatan peninsula); Nicaragua, humid places of tropical forests from 0 to 15,000 meters above sea level.
Botanical description:
It is a generally epiphytic plant, or in lesser cases lithophytic or terrestrial. It has a stem 3 to 5 cm in diameter, numerous white fleshy roots. Its leaves are supported by a thick, erect, 8-20 cm long petiole, elliptical obovate with wavy margins. The inflorescence is in the shape of a spadix, very characteristic of the Araceae family, supported by a peduncle 35 to 50 cm long. The flowers are 2 mm arranged in a spiral where only those found in the lower part are hermaphrodites. The fruits are oblong berries 1 to 2 cm long, bright red with two seeds. It is a plant that germinates generally by seeds once it has sufficient conditions and falls on organic material rich in nutrients and humid between 26 and 28 degrees centigrade.
In our October expedition we made a walking tour in Yaxha Park, where we documented the flora that was found from the entrance to Temple 216 or Temple of the Red Hands. Right at the entrance we were able to photograph very photogenic white orchids that were attached to a tree.
Prosthechea radiata is an epiphytic and / or lithophytic plant, that means it can live attached to other plants or rocks (it is not parasitic). It is characterized by an intense and pleasant sweet aroma. Belonging to the ORCHIDACEAE family. This is distributed from sea level to 2000 meters above sea level and can be found in Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua.
Botanical description:
Glabrous plant measuring 12 to 40 cm in height. The pseudobulbs are ovoid-ellipsoid type, lemon green in color and with 2 or 3 apical leaves to it). The pseudobulbs are 4 and 13 m long and 2 to 3 cm wide. The leaves are linear lingulate to linear lanceolate, leathery, 11 and 35 cm long and 1.2 and 3.2 cm wide. The flowers are pale lemon green color and cream tones, with a marked and characteristic aroma and the lip is marked by parallel purple lines.
