Edible plants for the Classic Mayan people from swamps, marshes, riverside and lake side ecosystems

Posted March 18, 2021

We have been accomplishing field work in the wetlands of the Municipio de Livingston, Izabal, the far eastern side of Guatemala, Central America. We have found dozens of plants, with edible fruits or other edible parts, growing in the marshes, swamps, above the sandy beaches (into the mangrove swamps), and along the edges of rivers, lagoons and estuaries.

We show here the names of the first 26 edible wetlands plants that we have learned about so far. We have found and photographed at least 23 of these and hope to find the missing species in our upcoming field trips.

First we will publish the six edible plants that grow near the sandy coastal areas and within the mangrove swamps near the coast. Then in April we will do another category, and my May or June hope to have all 26 published, with abundant photographs in high-resolution. But at least now we can show you the 26 edible plants.

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Shows the Genus species name, and common name, of each edible plant. Shows in three habitats: coastal sand and mangrove swamps. Edible plants in marshes. Edible fruits of trees that grow along the edges of swamps, rivers, and/or lagoons.	Shows the front covers with sample photograph of those trees and plants that we have found and photographed during February and March 2020, then October, November, December 2020, then January and February 2021. We will be back in these wetlands from 21 March through 28 March to do more field work.

The Maya did not need raised field agriculture engineering work to grow these plants. The Maya did not need drained field agriculture or local variations of chinampas. The Maya did not need to chop everything down to plant these 26 species: all grow naturally and happily by themselves and produce edible fruits and other edible parts every year.

Vanilla orchid vines are flowering in several parts of Municipio de Livingston, Izabal, Guatemala

Posted March 18, 2021

Our team in their office in the town of Livingston (Caribbean area at end of Rio Dulce) was kindly notified independently by two different people who have wild vanilla orchid vines giving flower this month:

• George Reneau, of the finca Where the Pirates Hide, on the outskirts of the town of Livingston.
• Cristobal Ic, of Aldea Buena Vista Tapon Creek (a Q’eqchi’ Mayan village near the coast of Amatique Bay)

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Flower of wild vanilla orchid vine, Where the Pirates Hide, outside town of Livingston, Izabal, March 2021. Photograph by Victor Mendoza, FLAAR Photo Archive of Flora.

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Flower of wild vanilla orchid vine, Aldea Buena Vista Tapon Creek, Municipio de Livingston, Izabal, Guatemala, March 2021. Photograph by Maria Alejandra Gutierrez, FLAAR Photo Archive of Flora.

Amazing fungus, we have never seen this in Guatemala before

Posted February 22, 2021

In my 50+ years in Peten, Campeche, Quintana Roo, Belize, Izabal, and Alta Verapaz I have never seen this mushroom until park ranger Teco (Moises Daniel Perez Diaz) send me these photographs today.

He said they are still small, and will continue to grow.

This is why it would he helpful to return to Parque Nacional Yaxha, Nakum and Naranjo to use macro high-resolution cameras to photograph these. I would also like to record this one with 3D scanner.

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Flower starts pure white; turns pure chocolate; is also cauliflorous

Posted February 18, 2021

This tree is worth visiting when it is in full flower. The Bellucia pentamera flowers are of photogenic size and shape. The petals are pure white when they open. As the flower matures, it turns bright rust color and then to light chocolate brown color as it wilts. The browner phase we show on our full page.

Plus, this Bellucia pentamera tree flowers directly from the main branches, so is cauliflorous (however we have not yet seen it flower from the trunk).

You can see this tree on the hill overlooking the town of Livingston, Izabal, Guatemala, at a place open to tourists named Where the Pirates Hide. Info on how to reach here and more photos are on the page that shows the more wilted stage of the flower.

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Flowers in white phase. Photo by Roxana Leal with a Google Pixel 4A, Dec. 19, 2020 Where the Pirates Hide, at edge of town of Livingston, Izabal, Guatemala.	Flowers after the petals turn bright rust color. Photo by David Arrivillaga with a Sony camera, Dec. 19, 2020. Top of the hill, Where the Pirates Hide.

Is it a leafy tree? Or a cactus tree with branches and leaves?

Posted February 16, 2021

There is a tree that grows parallel to Highway CA9, from about km. 88 to km. 100+ (but not in stream beds that cross this bosque seco; these stream beds are moist; a hundred meters away it is bone dry desert: all kinds of cacti plants here. The one we show here at first I thought was a “tree” but then Victor Mendoza identified the tree as a cactus named _Pereskia lyechnidiflora_. Vivian Hurtado prepared a web page with description and bibliography. I added my photos.

For the past decade, since we do field work in Peten and now in Izabal, we drive through the bosque seco parallel to Highway CA9 and the Motagua River. A mountain chain is several kilometers to the north (that creates a rain shadow, so the area on the north side of the mountain gets drenched with rain (caught by the mountain tops); so when the clouds finally make it over to the foothills, there is not much water in them (so not much rain except during a short rainy season)).

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Pereskia lyechnidiflora Photos by Nicholas Hellmuth with an iPhone 12 Pro Max, 2021.

Where is this blood coming from? A Bleeding Tree?

Posted February 03, 2021

This photo is a teaser, to raise curiosity of “what is out there in the jungles of Central America?” We all know the jaguars, monkeys, crocodiles, snakes, scorpions. What about the marvels of unexpected plants?

Why is the back of this sapling sticky BLOOD RED?

What is the fuzzy furry stuff on the other side? Is this a giant larva of a giant moth or butterfly crawling up the sapling?

I photographed this with my iPhone 12 Pro Max because it was pouring rain, so was not good idea to pull out a sophisticated Nikon, Canon, or Sony camera that we have lots of. But with an umbrella over my head I was able to capture this “bloody encounter.”

More next week. We are curious if anyone recognizes that is the monster generating the BLOOD.

With the cooperation of the Municipio de Livingston, and the team of FUNDAECO, we of FLAAR (USA) and FLAAR Mesoamerica (Guatemala) spent several days exploring the rain forests of Cerro San Gil, Municipio de Livingston, Izabal, Guatemala, Central America.

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Medicinal plants of the Mayan people can be found in rain forests and swamps

Posted January 21, 2021

On 22 January we will be headed to the Municipio de Livingston to continue our long range project to find, photograph, document, and publish flora and fauna which has not been fully discussed for this Caribbean part of Guatemala.

We will spend four days in swamps, marshes, rivers, and creeks (parallel to El Golfete part of Rio Dulce), to study lots of the water-related trees and plants. Many of these wild native plants have edible fruits, nuts, seeds, stems, roots, and other parts. Lots of these plants provide medicinal components help to local Mayan people.

Then we will spend four days in the hillsides and hilltops of the rather high Cerro San Gil nature reserve. Nine of our team will work together on all this field work. So lots of flora and fauna to be reported in the coming weeks.

Flowering water vine, Parque Nacional Yaxha, Nakum, and Naranjo (PNYNN)

Posted January 19, 2021

Park ranger Teco (Moises Daniel Perez Diaz) kindly sent us this photo of the buds of a vine named bejuco lambedor. It has this name because if you are on a motorcycle and driving through the rain forest and your head brushes against this vine, it leaves burning mark on your skin; leaves a wound.

The vine produces drinkable water (evidently no wounds on your throat or lips). Literally; local people out in the rain forests of Peten (chicleros, xateros, etc.) routinely drink water from four plants:

1. Bejuco lambedor
2. Bejuco de Estrella
3. Bejuco de uva
4. Raiz del palo de copo

We see these leaves everywhere, but this is the first time we have seen the flower buds. We hope in the future to be able to receive photos from Teco of the actual flowers. We (FLAAR Mesoamerica) provide mobile phone cameras and Internet to plant scouts so they can find awesome plants in the areas where they live and work.

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Flower buds of vine bejuco lambedor. It looks like a shrub but evidently is a vine since it’s local name is “bejuco.” Photograph by Moises Daniel Perez Diaz, road from Yaxha to Nakum (PNYNN), Peten, Guatemala. January 14, 2021, 12:37 pm. I estimate this may be a species of genus Cissus, but I will need to see the flowers when they open.

Trees in Guatemala that flower and fruit from the trunk

Posted January 12, 2021

Cauliflorous flowers of the trunk of Zygia gigantifloliola, paterna de montaña, Reserva Natural Tapon Creek.

This photograph was taken today by Lucas Cuz, Q’eqchi’ Mayan park ranger of the FUNDAECO managed Reserva Natural Tapon Creek (several kilometers south of the Rio Sarstun-Rio Sarstoon parks of Izabal and Belize on the north side of the border).

Lucas Cuz is a plant scout for FLAAR; this means he searches for plants of interest, takes photos and sends them via Skype or comparable. We provide the special Google telephone camera, Internet, and expenses to our plant scouts in several areas of Izabal, Peten, and Alta Verapaz.

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