Ipê tree in bloom

In the lumber business, ipê (Tabebuia sp) is considered one of the noble woods of the Amazon and it's quite expensive, even here in Brazil. The blooming tree you see in the image is an ipê, but not the one found in the high forest. It's one of the species used for decorating the streets of Santarém and other cities in the country. But the flowers seem to be the same as Tabebuia serratifolia, the yellow blooming ipê of the forest. There is also a purple blooming variety, but it isn't as common. There must be close to a dozen varieities of the decorative type. I've planted most of them at Bosque Santa Lúcia, but road machinery and power line construction have destroyed most of them. We are well into our dry season now, which means that the forest ipês will begin blooming soon.

Taperinha clamshells

"A clamshell is just a clamshell to most of us, but the mounds of them at Taperinha, a ranch site located on Igarapé de Maicá, just east of Santarém, reveals much more about the significance of this shy shellfish. The first time I visited Taperinha, I did not realize that this had been an important archaeological site for establishing dates and lifestyles of the first human inhabitants of this region. This was January of 1991, and my stop was an impromptu one to satisfy the curiosity of my clients who were infatuated by the forest, the old colonial house and the beauty of the Amazon floodplain." "Excavations of the clam middens (scientific term for garbage pile), which are located a hundred meters back of the main house, by archeologist Anna Roosevelt and her colleagues at the Emilio Goeldi Museum, indicate that Native Americans were living in that area more than 6,000 years ago."Excerpts from my book, Santarém - Riverboat Town, A Gringo's Own Account of Tourism on the Brazilian Amazon and Tapajós Rivers. Image of Taperinha clamshells taken at Bosque Santa Lúcia on September 12, 2007

Tree fungus spreads

Good cosmetics are bestsellers and this rouge for trees has gotten around. Just this week I posted a blog entry of a tree at the Bosque with the same brand name and to my surprise Ginger at http://rosemarybrasil.blogspot.com sent me a photograph she took of a pine tree in Nova Friburgo, way down in southern Brazil. Some fungus expert might distinguish between the fungi, but they appear to be the same to me. Ginger, thanks for the return.

Chocolate tree

Day before yesterday I was wandering around an area of the Bosque where I haven't been in quite awhile. It was an old homestead site several decades old, so there are still lots of old chocolate trees (Theobroma cacao) in that location. The forest undergrowth is getting quite congested, so the number of trees and production have been reduced considerably since we bought the property in 1981. Then too, the monkeys get to the fruit before I do, which is a plus. The fruit you see in the attached image is nearly mature. When it begins to turn yellow, it's ready for harvest. Notice that the fruit comes directly off the trunk of the tree. As the botanists would say, it's a cauliforus tree.

Tribute to ... an outhouse

My wife and I have had the Bosque Santa Lúcia property since 1981, but it was only in 1987 that we began to receive visitors there. In the beginning, we had zero infrastructure, not even a restroom where people could relieve themselves. We took advantage of our next door neighbor's outhouse in cases of an emergency; I dare say, that most people just headed off to the woods to do their thing. Some folks preferred it that way because the slab of concrete with a hole in the middle didn't have much appeal, especially for the women folks. I don't remember the year but eventually we built a outhouse of our own at the new entrance to the Bosque. My use of an old glass door from Aurea's remodeling of her medical office caused quite a stir in the beginning, so it became necessary to put up a curtain inside. Nevertheless, the outdoor toilette didn't gain any more popularity than my neighbor's place. It was God sent only for old men with enlarged prostrates. Any place to urinate fast and in privacy is gold under these circumstances! Now we're living uptown because when we built the Bosque reception center, I made sure that we included two modern bathrooms in the construction. One ended up becoming the tool shed but the other is our pride and joy when we have larger groups from the cruise ships. On these days I hire a person to do nothing but keep it sparkling clean. In part this extra labor is necessary because up until a few weeks ago we didn't have electricity and water. Now we have lights, but still no water. Jugs of water flush a toilette just as well as any water box. But most people have never gone that route, so we provide the service. Hopefully in the next few months we'll have running water. That will be an occasion to celebrate. In the meanwhile, the original outhouse remains in tact. Well, not quite. As you can see from the attached image, it's neglected and abandoned. It's so much a museum piece, I hate to tear it down.

Fig tree

One of the most popular trees for urban landscaping here in the Amazon is Ficus benjamina, an exotic originally from India. Now why would a tree from so far become so popular in the Amazon, land of the forests that boasts of more than 5,000 species of trees? I'll leave that question up to the historians, but I'll take a stab at the question by saying that shade is important anywhere in the Amazon, especially in the sun-absorbing cities like Belém, Manaus and Santarém. As you can see in the attached image, this young fig tree is already producing a lot of blessed shade for the taxi drivers who hang out at their post next to the Santarém Municipal Hospital. The tree has high density foliage, allowing very little light to penetrate onto the ground. This attribute also allows for decorative pruning, which is important for us urbanites and also for the endless numbers of wires and cables stretched out above the sidewalks. Yet another important characteristic of the ficus is that it's a "clean tree", seldom does it drop its leaves, like most other trees. Furthermore, it's a tree with maximum stability because of its penetrating root system. I have never seen one blown over by the wind, as happened with a number of other trees here in the city this past weekend.

Orchid (Spatoglotis)

Just when I'm beginning to think I know something about orchids, I discover I know nothing! Take, for example, Spatoglotis in the attached image. A few days ago one of my neighbors made good her promise of giving me some plants she called "orchids". Right off the bat I recognized a few lilies in the bunch but also two plants which I hadn't seen before. I was willing to bet that they weren't orchids! That night I saw some of the same plants for sale at the Cultural Fair in Santarém and I heard the same diagnosis, "orchids". I refused to believe it, especially after hearing the the owner refer to some lilies (the same kind of lilies my neighbor had given me) as orchids. But just for the hell of it, I referred the question on to people in the know, Claúdio and Bernadette Serique. Well, I had to "eat hat" because they turned out to be orchids. Spatoglotis, a ground orchid. They are planted and I can't wait to see the flowers they're going to produce one of these days. What worries me now are the lilies! Could it be that they are orchids too? No, I don't believe it!

Orchid (Epidendrum )

I now have a name for that wild orchid I showed a few days ago, thanks to Claúdio and Bernadette Serique. It's an Epidendrum schomburgkii. Many thanks, Amigos.

Wild passion fruit flower

This is a newly opened flower from a wild passion fruit vine. I gather from talking with passion fruit experts that there are at least four species of Passiflora on the Bosque Santa Lúcia grounds. This one may be P. glandulosa, the most common of all.

Passion fruit buds

September is always a very hot and windy month in this region of the Amazon and along with it comes dust. On the positive side, it's also the month that we see lots of wild passion fruit vines in flower and fruit. I continue to post blog entries on these plants because I know there is quite a bit of interest on the part of some readers. Likewise, there is some research being done on the species at the Bosque by a group in England. We communicate via private email on these matters but if something becomes public, I'll add certainly post the findings on my blog. In the attached image, wild passion fruit vines and buds. Notice the Tapirira guianensis tree in the background. The openings in the trunk are made by silvery marmosets monkeys.

Red blooming orchid

Some years ago, Sabá asked me to check out a red-blooming plant up in a tree near the reception center. It was his impression that it was an orchid. I didn't put a lot of faith in what he was telling me because I had never seen a wild orchid blooming red. Besides, there are lots of bromeliads in this area, most of which have red flowers. As it turned out, Sabá was right. I found the very orchid he had shown me up in the treetops on the ground one day, maybe knocked off by the silvery marmoset monkeys. I placed it on a nearby ipê tree and later moved part of it to the small orchid collection on the front veranda. Yesterday, it was blooming for the first time. I know that the orchid is an epidendrum but I've forgotten the species. I'm sure that Claudio and Bernadette Serique will come to my rescue again. Somehow I remember the flowers up in the tree as being a bright red. As noted, these tend to be more on the pink side.

Fungi continued

If you and I were play the role of a tree in the Amazon, we would need to face sun, darkness, rain, sun, dust and fungi. I assure you that all trees are painted up in the forest, but some makeup is more notable than others, for example, the rouge in the attached image. I wonder if there might be a battle going on between two or more fungi here. It's amazing how segmented the colors are, as though a battlefield line has been defined.

Roasted pig

I often make the comment that visitors never leave Brazil weighing less. The food is so fantastic, it requires lots of willpower to control intake. What about those of us living here on a full time basis? Worse yet! I've know many foreigners to put on the pounds and spread out in all directions. The Brazilians are always very diplomatic in how they say things. I would blatantly say, "hey, you've really put on weight." "Gee, you must be making lots of money", or educated statements of this nature. Brazilians probably wouldn't say anything immediately. If they do, they refer to the obese person(s) as being mais forte, which translates into being "stronger." Social events, like birthdays, are always the test of moderation, especially when there's one after another. Unfortunately, the foods are so delicious, one can't always resist. Take, for example, this roasted pig, which was served at a birthday party this week. I've never tasted anything so delicious. Aside from the roasted pig, there were also two fish dishes on the table. Then came three desserts, which even a diabetic couldn't push aside. All of this followed by Coke Zero!

Vanilla with rum

As reported in earlier posts, my vanilla plants have produced fruit only twice, one bean each for two different plants. The first fruit I lost out of pure ignorance because I didn't know anything about the matter. I did, however, get some decent pictures of it and the flower. The second fruit I found recently on the ground under a tree on which I had planted the cutting. I never saw the flower and I don't know how long the bean had been on the ground but it was dark chocolate brown and already smelling of vanilla. I allowed it to "cure" for two more weeks and then placed it in a bottle of sugarcane rum, which you see in the attached image. That was last week and it has already released its color to the rum, as well as taste. Brazilians add a lot of things to bottles of rum, but I've never seen vanilla used. Probably because there's not a lot of it around. As you can see, a few ounces seem to be missing from the bottle. Hum!

Cecropia trees

Cecropia trees are so abundant people often ask if they are planted commercially. The one in the attached image found its way to my neighbor's home in the city. It's on stage right next to my bedroom window, which makes for a nice foreground view with the meeting of the Amazon and Tapajós Rivers in the background. Called embaiuba locally and “trumpet tree” in English, they are easily recognized because they remind people of a birch tree, at least from a distance. They are tall thin white-barked trees with high crowns, adorned with a “hand-spread” of large leaves. More than one hundred species exist in the tropics, but I find the ones on the floodplain unique in that the undersides of the leaves shine silver/white when hit by sunlight. Many an overturned cecropia leaf has been mistaken from afar for a “white bird”. Cecropia are pioneer trees, which means they are among the first to pop up after an area has met the right soil and sunlight conditions. In the case of high forest, the change might have come about due to the falling of a large tree, lightening burns, or logging. On the floodplain, whole islands of cecropia are formed after fast moving currents raze other vegetation. Aside from being a pioneer, it is also classified as an “ant-plant”, meaning that it harbors untold numbers of tiny, but vicious, Azteca ants in its hollow trunks and stems. All you need to do is to bump into the tree to bring them out in defense of their home. You will seldom ever find a vine making its way up into the crown of the cecropia tree. The ants keep them pruned back. Birds enjoy cecropia seeds (long finger-like fruit, called catkins) and the sloth has a way of ignoring the ants as he munches away at the tender leaves. Excerpt from my book, Santarém - Riverboat Town, A Gringo's Own Account of Tourism on the Brazilian Amazon and Tapajós Rivers.

Pink dolphin continued

And this is the penis bone of the pink dolphin. It's not exactly a "bone" but a sinew-like material that maintains rigidity. We weren't fortunate enough to find one on the rack of bones found on the Arapiuns River; indeed, it may have been a female. I bought this amulet at the Ver-O-Peso marketplace in Belém, maybe 15 years ago. The most popular legend of the Amazon, without doubt, is the one of the boto, or pink dolphin. In a personalized version, it goes something like this: "The boto loves a party, and there is always one going on among the numerous communities scattered along the river ways. As the festival gets warmed up, with the usual loud music and heavy shuffling of feet, the boto comes out of the water and transforms himself into a charming man in a white shirt, white pants and white shoes and even a white hat to cover his blowhole. He is very fast on the dance floor and also gifted for winning over the young ladies during the course of the night. Just before the sun comes up, the boto returns to his everyday life as a dolphin, and the young maiden returns home. Nine months later, the girl's parents want to know who the father of the newborn is, and more often than not the reply is, “It's the boto.”

The sexual attributes of dolphins are widely admired by people of the Amazon and it is, therefore, not surprising that organs of the animal are used as amulets. Looking at a person you would like to befriend through the dried eyeball of a dolphin is but one of many beliefs associated with this friendly mammal. Penis bones and vaginas of dolphins are also to be found among the many amulets being sold at market places around the Amazon." Excerpts taken from my book, Santarém - Riverboat Town.

Pink dolphin continued

Aside from the skull, I also salvaged some of the vertebrae of the skeleton of the pink dolphin. I used to have other bones but they have disappeared over the years. I suspect that the dolphin died of some aging condition because the teeth are quite worn down. But interesting enough, the disk pads between the vertebrae seem to be quite thick.

Pink dolphin

I came by this pink dolphin (Inia geoffrensis) skull several years ago on a deserted beach on the Arapiuns River, very near where the river flows into the Tapajós River. The crewmen of our riverboat were the first to see the dolphin bones, even though we were quite a distance out in the river. They were just as excited over the find as the rest of us because botos (the indigenous word for pink dolphins) are associated with much superstition in the Amazon. Before I knew what was going on, the crew had already dismantled the sun-dried bones looking for good luck amulets. These can include almost any parts of the skeleton but the real prizes are the eyeballs and the penis bone of the animal. Although a few of the teeth were removed, I ended up salvaging the head, which has been in my cranium collection at the Bosque for all these years. I have a penis bone too (in the collection) but I think I brought it back to Santarém from the Ver-O-Peso marketplace in Belém.

Another roadside flower

I took this picture about a month ago and it's been in my "blog pictures" folder ever since. I was hoping to find a name for it but.... It's not easy finding names for wild flowers but that shouldn't prevent us from putting them on our blog stages. After all, some of our readers may reward us with a name! Unlike some of the other seasonal flowers, there aren't many of these around. One here and one there but don't plan on gathering enough for a bouquet.

More roadside flowers

I don't know the name of these flowers but I suspect they are of the genus Convolvulus, the same as morning glories. Unlike morning glories, these flowers stay open throughout the day. The hotter and drier, the better they like it. There are lots of them now along the dirt road that goes into Bosque Santa Lúcia.