Author: canopytower

Rough Ginger Costus scaber Photo by Jerry & Linda Harrison Rough Ginger, also known as Indian Head Ginger, is one of the “spiral-gingers” of the genus Costus, named for the way that the leaves wrap around the stem. This plant forms an orange cone on the top of the stem, and orange tubular-shaped flowers emerge one or two at a time from the bracts of the cone, each lasting one day only. The flowers have no fragrance but are edible, have a crunchy texture and make a nice addition to salads. The plant grows 4-6 feet tall, and cones of the Rough Ginger can grow to a length of 8 inches. It is native to Central and South America and grows in warm lowland climates. Rough Ginger grows in the gardens and open areas surrounding the Canopy Tower and Canopy Lodge.

Cabbage Bark Andira inermis Photo by Jerry & Linda Harrison Named for the pungent odor given off by its bark, the Cabbage Bark Tree grows tall, up to 35 meters in height and up to 70 cm in diameter (on occasion larger to 1 meter or more), and is distinguished by its straight, cylindrical trunk, usually unbuttressed or forming small buttresses. It is evergreen and the bark is smooth and gray. It has a large, dense crown of shiny dark green leaves with clusters of fragrant purplish-pink flowers. Leaves are compound, alternatively arranged, 15-40 cm long with 7-17 leaflets. They have a stipel (a tiny, pointed stalk) at the base of each leaflet. Flower clusters are 16-60 cm long. The bell-shaped calyx is 3-5 mm long with 5 small teeth, the corolla is 12-15 mm long, and deep pink to purplish in color. The fruit is a pod containing 1 seed, fleshy on the outside. A member of the legume family, Fabaceae, Cabbage Bark is very widespread, found primarily in riparian areas in forests along rivers; also roadsides, pastures and woodlands. It is tolerant to a wide variety of conditions, habitats, rainfall and soil types. Flowers are self-incompatible and are obligate outcrossers (meaning flowers must be fertilized by pollen from a different tree), requiring pollination by insects, particularly bees and butterflies. When blooming, it attracts insect pollinators, and is a source of nectar for bees and birds. Bats are the main seed dispersers. Its many-branching crown offers suitable places for epiphytes, mosses, ferns and orchids to thrive. It has a symbiotic relationship with bacteria in the soil—bacteria forms nodules on the roots of the tree, which fix atmospheric nitrogen. Some is used by the tree, and some is distributed and used by other plants growing nearby. The very hard wood

Stinking Passion FlowerPassiflora foetida Photo by Jenn Sinasac Passion flowers are some of nature’s most strikingly beautiful flowers, and this one is no exception! This herbaceous vine produces a beautiful white flower with bluish or purplish coronas and that is no doubt very attractive. Get a little closer, however, and you may be turned away by its unpleasant smell when disturbed—in fact, the word foetida means “bad smelling.” Stinking Passion Flower is distinguished by its inflorescences with 1-2 flowers up to 5 cm in diameter, with 5 light green sepals and 5 white petals. It has corona filaments in multiple series that bluish or purplish at the bases and white at the tips. Flowers are surrounded by 3 deeply divided bracts densely covered in large sticky hairs. Fruits, 3 cm in length, are yellow or yellowish green, and turn to orange-red when mature, containing small black seeds. Flowers and fruits are produced most of the year. Leaves have 3-5 lobes, up to 10 cm long, and are alternately arranged. Stinking Passion Flower is covered with sticky hairs over most of the plant. At the base of each leaf there is a tendril and a long, threadlike stipule covered in sticky glands. Beyond its beautiful flower, this species is easy to recognize in the field by its disagreeable odor when disturbed. It grows in open areas, including pastures, roadsides, edges of secondary forests and plantations. Flowers open at dawn and are visited by Ptiloglossa bees. It is a host plant for the larvae of several species of Nymphalid butterflies including Gulf Fritillary, Julia and Mexican Fritillary. Fruits are edible when ripe, but can be toxic if eaten when unripe, as the young fruits contain cyanide. Seeds are dispersed by birds. The plant is able to trap insects on its bracts, which

Columnea billbergiana Photo by Jerry & Linda Harrison A lovely epiphytic plant of the lowlands and foothills of central Panama, Columnea billbergiana is a member of the violet family, Gesneriaceae. It is recognized by its branched, brown stems, paired leaves 2-3 cm long, smooth and dark green above, pale below with short, fine bristles, and elongated tubular red flowers covered in short, visible hairs. The fruits are white berries filled with pulp and yellow seeds. Columnea billbergiana flowers sparingly throughout the year, but especially during the rainy season from May to December. Its long, tubular red flowers are pollinated by hummingbirds, and its contrasting red flowers and white berries indicate that this plant exhibits “ornithochory,” seed dispersal by birds. Known only from Panama, Columnea billbergiana is found in the lowlands and foothills of central Panama. This epiphyte is most abundant around the Canopy Lodge and Cerro Azul, but also in the Caribbean wet forest and lowland rainforest of central Panama. This is one of the beautiful plants to keep an eye out for around the Canopy Family lodges and during our Panama’s Incredible Flora tours!

Prestonia trifida Photo by Jerry & Linda Harrison Prestonia trifida (also known as P. obovata as a synonym) is a liana (woody vine) in the family Apocynaceae that is easily recognizable when flowering. The inflorescence consists of a cluster of several flowers, each tubular with a raised rim in the center with five yellowish appendages (petals) that flare off the end of the tube. The tube is 2 cm long. The rim is pinkish to white. Fruits are dry paired follicles, 25-35 cm long, often woody in appearance like the stem. Seeds contained in the fruits are 2 mm long, and are dispersed by wind. The leaves are opposite, 14-28 cm long by 9-18 cm wide. The vine, when broken, produces a milky sap, or latex. Prestonia trifida is found in the forest; in Panama, it flowers during the dry season and early rainy season (January to September), and especially in July. Fruits mature in the late rainy season and early dry season (October to January). In Panama, this species can be found in the lowland forests around Canopy Tower and Canopy Camp. It is also found in the foothills of central Panama. It ranges from southern Costa Rica to Peru and Brazil.

Palo Santo Triplaris cumingiana Photo by Jenn Sinasac The Palo Santo tree is a medium-sized tree found along the forest edges of the Canal area and Pacific lowlands of Panama. Growing up to 20 meters in height, it has a straight trunk with small buttresses. Its creamy brown outer bark peels to leave patches of the light inner bark exposed. Its leaves are simple and alternate in arrangement, regularly spaced along branches, and have prominent parallel veining. Palo Santo is dioecious, meaning that male and female reproductive structures develop on different individuals. The masculine “staminate” flowers are tiny, whitish to greenish and are arranged on long stalks above the crown. The feminine “pistillate” flowers are approximately 5 cm long, a very showy red or pink. The fruit, produced by the pistillate flowers, is yellowish brown, and has three reddish wing-like sepals. Fruits are dispersed by the wind. The female tree therefore is showier due to its colorful flowers, and makes this species very recognizable. Palo Santo flowers in February to April, and the fruits ripen in April and May. The branches of the Palo Santo tree are hollow, and are most often inhabited by ants Pseudomyrmex triplaridis, aggressive ants with powerful stings. Tapping the branches or saplings often results in the ants coming out in view. For this reason, the Palo Santo is also known as the “Ant Tree.” It is occasionally cultivated as an ornamental, and the wood is used in the construction of open-air huts. Palo Santo is found from Costa Rica to Ecuador and Peru, and the beautiful flowery crowns of the female trees are enjoyed right outside the windows of the Canopy Tower during Panama’s dry season. Photo by Jenn Sinasac