tree: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enterolobium_cyclocarpum
leaf: http://www.vichitex.com/arte/simbolos_cr/arbol_guanacaste.htm close up: http://medplants.blogspot.com/2013/04/enterolobium-cyclocarpum.html |
ENTEROLOBIUM CYCLOCARPUMEnterolobium cyclocarum, commonly known as the guanacaste, caro caro, or elephant tree, is the national tree of Costa Rica. The tree is broad and wide. It is fast growing and reaches heights of 100 feet with buttress roots spreading out to lengths of 70 feet. The pods for this tree are used for decoration and crafts. The litter from the leaves is used for animal fodder.
The Guanacaste is briefly deciduous for 1-2 months during the dry season. The wood is reddish-brown, lightweight, and resistant and is used to make doors, windows, furniture, cabinets, and shipbuilding. Known for its expansive, spherical crown and oddly shaped seedpods, there is an abundance of this tree in Guanacaste Province, Costa Rica. Guanacaste flowers are heavily visited by bees which pollinate the tree. The pods of the tree are ignored by the native fauna, causing them to accumulate at the bottom of the tree. |