Low trees and shrubs

The three low trees that dominate the visual landscape are a Miconia sp., the nance tree , and the crecopia. I’ll take these one at a time.

Miconia. I first believed the common name for this tree was canela negra (black cinnamon), but now I’m not so sure. It definitely is not a cinnamon tree, although the leaves have three main longitudinal veins as does the cinnamon. The tree itself averages about 4-5 meters in this area. It flowered in June this year and I was able to take some pictures of the flowerhead. I also scanned an individual flower.

The leaves occur in opposite pairs, with each pair at right angles to the pair below.
As mentioned, the leaves, usually 3-5 inches long, have three longitudinal veins.The bark is cracked or channeled, with a rusty-red hue.

The characteristic arrangement of the flowerhead, the loose, branching clusters at the ends of the stems are characteristic of Miconia. The genus is a member of what I call the Black Mouth Family – Melastomataceae. The family derives its name from the genus Melastoma, mela- black, stoma – mouth. The berries of this genus turn your mouth black after you eat them.

Two-thirds of the genera of this family, which is the seventh largest family of flowering plants, are from the New World Tropics. There are about 200 genera and 4500 species, most of them recognizable as melastomes by the “checkerboard” venation of their leaves

Nance. When I think of the nance tree, I think of being “under the spreading nance tree” in my hammock. But most people here think of the fruit, from which they make a refreshing drink or flavor ice cream. The tree bloomed before I got started on this project, so I have pictures of the flowers only from a distance, but the fruits are now being sold in jars or plastic bags filled with the fruit immersed in water at the fruit and vegetable markets.

The nance tree is Byrsonima crassifolia and may grow to 10 m in height. It is a member of the Malpighiaceae, which includes the acerola plant (Malpighia glabra). The genus was named for Marcello Malpighi, 17th century Italian professor and anatomist, who discovered the link between arteries and veins, human fingerprints, and many other anatomical features. His book on plants, the most exhaustive treatment at the time, Anatomia Plantarum, was published in 1671. My nephew remembers the name of this family by calling it Bad Piggy. Mal – bad. Pighi – well, pijy, actually.

Many nance trees around here also host orchids on their branches.

Cecropia. The cecropia tree is not that numerous in our area, but it is distinctive. When I see it through the bathroom window when taking a shower, it gives me a small thrill because I know I would not be seeing that tree were I not living in the tropics. It has large, deeply lobed leaves.

A trunk that looks a little like bamboo. Cecropia are members of the Nettle Family, the Urticaceae. Just as nettles are known in temperate climates for their medicinal properties, so cecropia are known in the tropics for medicinal properties. Nearly all parts of the plant are used for one symptom or another.