Documentation tour of the Río Ixtinto

Posted March 4, 2022

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:

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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.

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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

Caoba, mahogany, tree fruit pods along Guatemala highway CA-9

Posted November 12, 2021

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.

As you drive from Guatemala City towards Rio Dulce (en route to Peten) you will see giant mahogany trees all along the highway in El Progresso and Zacapa areas. The mahogany trees are easiest to recognize from October onward when the giant seed pods are visible.

I have been driving this road since the 1970’s. so am familiar with these beautiful trees and their large seed pods (the size of a large pine cone, but smooth).

This week (November 11, 2021), I kept seeing these pods but they were a white color, not the soft brown color of a mature pad that I was used to. So finally I stopped to take some snapshots. Our telephoto lenses were all packed in the back of the vehicle so I had only an iPhone 13 Pro Max available to take snapshots.

We were en route to Rio Dulce, to stay as guests of the owner of Marina and Hotel El Tortegal, along the Rio Dulce south of the highway bridge.

Swietenia macrophylla King, plant family Meliaceae, mahogany in English, caoba in Spanish.

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Árbol Espino de vaca

Posted November 12, 2021

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.

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Taxonomy:

Botanical description:

Written by Vivian Hurtado & Roxana Leal
Identified Species by Victor Mendoza

Mushrooms: amazing organisms

Posted November 12, 2021

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.

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Fungi classification

Written by Vivian Hurtado & Roxana Leal
Identified Species by Victor Mendoza

Exotic blue fruits of Psychotria poeppigiana

Posted November 11, 2021

“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.

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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

Written by Vivian Hurtado & Roxana Leal
Identified Species by Victor Mendoza

Gray mangrove (Conocarpus erectus) in Lagunita Creek

Posted November 11, 2021

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.

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Taxonomy:

Botanical description:

Written by Vivian Hurtado & Roxana Leal
Identified Species by Victor Mendoza

Pheasant’s tail (Anthurium schlechtendalii)

Posted November 10, 2021

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.

Taxonomy:

Written by Vivian Hurtado & Roxana Leal
Identified Species by Victor Mendoza

Flora documented at the Temple 216 or Temple of the Red Hands at Yaxha National Park

Posted November 9, 2021

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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.

Taxonomy:

Written by Vivian Hurtado & Roxana Leal
Identified Species by Victor Mendoza

Cuajilote trees in Yaxha, Nakum and Naranjo National Park

Posted November 8, 2021

On the road between Santa Elena and Yaxha in Petén you can find Cuajilote trees (Parmentiera acueleata). On our October expedition, when we were heading to Yaxha, Nakum and Naranjo National Park, we made a stop on the road to photograph this tree.

Its fruit was just ripe, one of them almost fell on us when we were photographing it.

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Botanical Description

Greenish cauliflower flowers, stems with thorns at the nodes. Its shape is a medium tree. Its bark is slightly fissured yellowish brown. The leaves are usually opposite with three leaflets or simple. Solitary or grouped flowers 5 to 6 cm long that grow directly from the trunk or at the ends of the branches, in this case the flowers are green with light pink or purple lines. The fruit is a bay of approximately 15 cm x 6 cm usually curved from yellowish to green (Peña & Kanpp, 2011). This plant prefers warm climates, but it can thrive in all types of soil (Red de Viveros de Biodiversidad, n.d.).

Uses

It is a fodder tree, which serves as food for wildlife and shade for pasture and firewood. It has medicinal uses; the aqueous extract of the flower, fruit, bark and root is used to cure kidney stones and asthma and cough discomforts. The root is also used as a diuretic. The wood can be used for carpentry (Red de Viveros de Biodiversidad, n.d.).

Taxonomy

• PEÑA, M. and S. KNAPP
• 2011
• Árboles del mundo maya. London, England: Natural History Museum: Pronatura Península de Yucatán: Fundación ProPetén: Universidad del Valle de Guatemala. 263 pages.

• RED DE VIVEROS DE BIODIVERSIDAD
• n.d.
• Cuajilote / Parmentiera acuelata. Ficha técnica.
  
  Available Online:
  https://revivemx.org/Fototeca/Arboles/Parmentiera_aculeata/
  8_Fichas_de_venta/Cuajilote_v2.pdf

Written by Vivian Hurtado & Roxana Leal
Identified Species by Victor Mendoza