Environment

Trees

Despite the cliché to the contrary, it's often a good thing to be able to identify specific trees within a forest. We've included illustrations of the leaves, flowers, seeds, or fruits to get you started.

Ceiba

Scientific Name -- Ceiba pentandra

Worth Noting -- Also known as the kapok tree, ceiba trees are typically emergent (their large umbrella-shape canopies emerge above the forest canopy), making the species among the tallest trees in the tropical forest. Reaching as high as 200 feet (60m), their thick columnar trunks often have large buttresses. Ceiba trees may flower as little as once every 5 years, especially in wetter forests.

Prime Viewing -- Countrywide.

Guanacaste

Scientific Name -- Enterolobium cyclocarpum

Worth Noting -- The guanacaste, or tubroos, tree is one of the largest trees found in Central America. It can reach a total elevation of over 130 feet (39m), its straight trunk generating 30 to 40 ft. (9-12m) of the height (the trunk's diameter measures more than 6 ft./1.8m).

Prime Viewing -- Countrywide. A particularly impressive specimen gives its name to Guanacaste National Park.

Gumbo Limbo

Scientific Name -- Bursera simaruba

Worth Noting -- The bark of the gumbo-limbo is perhaps its most distinguishing feature: a paper-thin outer layer is red when peeled off the tree, revealing a bright green bark underneath. The bark is reportedly used as a remedy for gum disease; and gumbo-limbo bark tea allegedly alleviates high blood pressure. Another remarkable property of this tree is its ability to root from its cut branches. When a branch is cut and planted right end up, roots will develop and leaves will sprout, forming a new tree within a few year's time.

Prime Viewing -- Primary and secondary forests, countrywide.

Strangler Fig

Scientific Name -- Ficus aurea

Worth Noting -- This parasitic tree gets its name from the fact that it envelops and eventually strangles its host tree. The strangler fig actually begins as an epiphyte, whose seeds are deposited high in a tree's canopy by bats, birds, or monkeys. The young strangler then sends long roots down to the earth. The sap of the strangler fig is used to relieve burns.

Prime Viewing -- Primary and secondary forests, countrywide.

Caribbean Pine

Scientific Name -- Pinus caribaea

Worth Noting -- This fast-growing pine species is the defining tree of the Mountain Pine Ridge area of western Belize. The tree is actually fire resistant, and benefits from controlled burns. The resin is used as an adhesive and insect repellent.

Prime Viewing -- Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve.

Mahogany

Scientific Name -- Swietenia macrophylla

Worth Noting -- The national tree of Belize, the mahogany tree can grow to heights of over 100 feet (30m). Mahogany wood is heavy and strong, and resists rot and termites. From its wood, artisans and carpenters craft the world's finest furniture.

Prime Viewing -- Primary and secondary rainforests, countrywide.

Craboo

Scientific Name -- Byrsonima crassifolia

Worth Noting -- The craboo's flowers are beautiful orange and yellow racemes about 6 inches (15cm) long. The tree also bears a small orange-yellow berry, whose flavor varies from bland to sweet, acidic, or even cheeselike. The flowers usually bloom around April, with fruits gathered around June. Hurricane Iris destroyed many Belizean craboo trees in 2001.

Prime Viewing -- Countrywide.

Flowers

Belize has over 4,000 species of flowering plants, including some 250 orchid species.

Black Orchid

Scientific Name -- Encyclia cochleatum

Worth Noting -- The black orchid is the national flower of Belize. The plant's most distinguishing feature is its lip, which resembles the shape of a clamshell valve. The flower is a deep blackish color with purple veins, and its leaves are a greenish-yellow with purple spots. The black orchid is sometimes likened to an octopus because of its straggling "tentacles," and its ability to thrive in a damp environment.

Prime Viewing -- Countrywide, particularly in moist environments.

Heliconia

Scientific Name -- Heliconia collinsiana

Worth Noting -- There are over 250 species of tropical heliconia. The flowers of this species are darkish pink in color, and the underside of the plant's large leaves are coated in white wax.

Prime Viewing -- In the Toledo and Stann Creek districts.

Hotlips

Scientific Name -- Psychotria poeppigiana

Worth Noting -- Also called "devil's ear" in Belize, its small white flowers (inside the red "lips") attract a variety of butterflies and hummingbirds.

Prime Viewing -- In the undergrowth of dense forests, countrywide.