Botanical Living in Zona Protectora El Rodeo

Here’s a shot of Rauvolfia littoralis, a beautiful small tree standing at the edge of pastureland, that I’ve admired for years but never knew the name of, until botanists Barry Hammel and Isabel showed up a few days ago and identified it.  Yes, Pharmacy Friends, the Rauvolfia genus is the source for the now rarely used antihypertensive, Reserpine, though that species is Rauvolfia serpentina, native to India and other points in the Far East.   I admit to grinning and giving Isabel the thumbs up when Barry called it an Apocynaceae.  That much I knew!  Students of tropical plants: you should start your study at the family level.  I subscribe to the matrix system of keying out plants, created by Humberto Jimenez Saa.  You ask yourself a series of questions:  “Are the leaves compound or simple, opposite or alternate?”; “Are there thorns or stipules?”; “Is there sap?”; “What does it smell like?” etc.  And, pretty soon, you begin to recognize patterns and, thereby, to identify some of the more common families.  However, to identify a plant to the genus or species level requires much more study – or going for a hike with a very smart botanist.    

Barry Hammel is a walking encyclopedia of tropical plants.  Thus, having him and Isabel over for a visit is a special treat – during our hikes he identifies several species new to me, which I then add to my plant list.  He is an expert but he is also very cautious.  He doesn’t guess and he doesn’t make mistakes.  If Barry isn’t sure, he will say that he needs the flower or fruit to study under the microscope in order to nail the species.  But he always knows the Family and almost always knows the Genus.  Like everyone who treks the forest, Barry and Isabel marvel at the complexity, and experience the sheer wonder, of such biodiversity.  However, he also understands that the forest habitat not only needs the ‘poster-child’, rare plant or endangered animal, but also all the other species, common and uncommon, both high-up and low-down in the food chain; that they all play important roles in the eco-system – even at the microscopic soil level, where mysteries still await discovery and understanding.

I mention this because new travelers to the Tropics will first gasp in astonishment at the biggest, most colorful species – a massive, magnificent Ceiba pentandra tree astonished and inspired me to buy and protect this particular piece of forest.  It was only later that I learned of all of the Ceiba’s cousins - and there I was hooked.  For visiting birders, there is nothing more spectacular than spotting the elusive Quetzal or a flock of brilliantly raucous Scarlet Macaws.  To quote Alexander Skutch, “Macaws are unmistakable”.  I remember seeing my first Scarlet Macaws several years ago, at Carara National Park.   The loud, squawking flock of huge, red birds was flying just overhead, and I exclaimed, “Look!  Look!”  But my companion, a long-term resident of Costa Rica, had already seen Macaws many times.  He was much more interested in a tiny Woodcreeper, nearly invisible against the tree trunk, which he had spotted for the first time – he could now check it off his list!  In the tropical forest, the more you study and learn, the more there is to see; the complexities only reveal themselves over time. 

Each time Barry visits, he casually identifies almost everything that I ask about while we are out exploring, although he is usually focused on a specific area of particular interest to him at the time.  One visit he was focused on the Acanthaceae family and I learned a slew of new plants that day, which were then, of course, added to my El Tigre list!  This visit he was looking at tiny plants in the coffee family growing in the pastureland.  So there I was gaping at the gorgeous Rauvolfia littoralis, and there’s Barry avidly scooping up tiny little plants.  It was like that Scarlet Macaw/Woodcreeper episode all over again.  What was he was looking at?  Well, I soon learned a lot about the Spermacoce Genus that day and, now that I know what they look like, I see them popping up all over the place. 

Barry can summarize best in his own words:

“As always, we had a wonderful time at your place on Saturday; I could explore out there every weekend for a year and still find much to rejoice!  Thanks very much for inviting us.
You were right on with the Apocynaceae and it's already on your list; Rauvolfia littoralis.
I also got Clusia minor, which is probably also on your list, and Souroubea venosa, which maybe isn't.


And as for the little bee witsies I was so concentrated on, the Spermacoce, these are what I got (or saw):

S. alata, recently otherwise known as S. latifolia, which is now a synonym. This one I only saw along the road down to the river, didn't collect because it wasn't in flower, probably the only one I feel at all comfortable identifying without flowers and fruits.

S. exilis--the tiny one in your pasture, often has a reddish line down the midrib of the leaves.

S. remota--otherwise known as S. assurgens, I think on your list by that name, now considered a synonym.  This is the most common one, has flowers with a slight pink or lavender blush to the buds, can get quite leggy, as in the hedge above your swimming pool.  There's also a rather smaller-leaved form growing at your place, that I thought might be something different, but I guess not.

S. suaveolens--actually I neither collected nor even saw this one, but I do know it's there, from other specimens, along the road down to Río Jaris, or along the río. This has been called S. capitata, and is on your list that way. That may actually be the correct name--an older one, in fact--but it's under study, the types have to be compared, and all that.... For now, S. suaveolens it is.

Photo by Barry Hammel

S. tonalensis--This was the prize, the one I was hoping to find, and did!  Otherwise known recently in Costa Rica by only one other collection, from the very same spot where I got it, along the road down to the river. I attach photos of that one. Probably I will put all the photos I took of plants at your place (not many this time), on my Flickr site, and send you the link.”

I so love it when Barry and Isabel come to visit.  There’s always something new just around the corner.  Most hikers walk along, enjoying the forest and convivial companions, getting some exercise.  The forest exists as just a lovely background tapestry of green for most of them.  Unless we stop to observe…

So how is it that I could not recognize the Rauvolfia littoralis when I had it on my own list?  Because another botanist identified it when I was not present and I just got hold of their notes – perhaps Luis Poveda (beloved Costa Rican expert of Medicinal Plants and Dendrology), Humberto Jimenez (Creator of the Matrix), or another visiting botanist from the one of the Universities, InBio, El Museo Nacional or beyond.

Notes from the garden: 

Last year, we decided to try an experiment growing Arracache – a delicious rhizome in the celery family that normally flourishes in much higher and cooler altitudes.  But it flourished here!  It’s funny because the celery didn’t work out at all – too stringy!  Armando harvested a bunch of Arracache and we made a delicious picadillo with chicasquil, onions and herbs from the garden.  Now we have expanded, and replanted tender Arracache roots in new areas.  Our asparagus has also done well!  Many thanks to Tommy Tomas who got us started on both plants.  We also planted corn, breadfruit, assorted varieties of chilies, beans and tomatoes – we plant the small tomatoes (thank you Hugo) that turn red on the vine, which we can pick and eat before the bugs/birds get to them. 

Armando has expanded the vivero to include tender greens, and our growing collection of culinary and medicinal herbs.  Some of the fruit trees planted years ago have now begun to fruit:  Bananas, citrus, Manzana de Agua, Avocados, Mimbros, Guanabanas, Zapotes, assorted types of berries, and the ever wonderful cactus fruit, Pitahaya.   There is no greater pleasure in the kitchen than cooking with edibles from the garden.  The guys have really mastered the alchemy of composting – that’s the secret to any garden.

Solar notes:

We’re having issues with our solar energy system.  We noticed that the batteries didn’t hold their charge over the last year, as they used to, and our solar engineer, Carlos Oreamuno, discovered that the manufacturer changed the settings for their use but never contacted anybody (they just put a technical notice on their website!).  So the negotiations began and, to make a long story short, the manufacturer is replacing the batteries under warranty, minus depreciation.  Thus, we will pay only about 20% of the cost of new batteries but – this part we really love – the Costa Rican Government will then tax us a total of 39% plus a $1,000 Customs ‘handling’ charge, and we have to pick up every cent!  You would think that a ‘green-image’ Costa Rica would provide tax incentives for alternative energy systems like solar – but no!  A few years ago, the government did remove the 13% sales tax on ‘complete’ solar systems, bought all at once.  However, if you want to upgrade, or you have to replace, particular components, which is not an uncommon situation, you will get ZERO tax relief from the government.  So for our replacement batteries, we will pay a 25% import duty, and then the 13% sales tax and then a new 1% tax for something or other on top, bringing the tax bill to 39%.   But, despite the government’s abusive tax policy, we really don’t regret living off the grid.  We never lose power, and I mean we have never had any disruptions of water or power over all the years of living with solar energy.  You can’t say that anywhere else in Costa Rica living on the grid.  In Ciudad Colon, they regularly cut power – usually at least weekly – sometimes for just a few seconds (just a nuisance going around resetting clocks, etc.) but too often for hours and hours.  They also often cut water for most of the day during the dry months, so just about everybody has a tank to store water.  Power cuts and water shortages just go with the territory living here in paradise - unless you build your own system.  It is certainly more expensive in the short-term but it’s so much more reliable, and then there’s the satisfaction, and yes, the responsibility.  We have no toasters, hairdryers, irons, or any appliances that pull too much power.  You learn a lot about wattage and electricity usage when it comes to making solar work (GRAK complains that it’s so much more than he ever wanted to know…).  And you would be amazed at how easy it is to give up say, the iron.  After washing clothes, let the sun partially dry them, and then flatten and mold them into shape before finishing the drying.  No ironing needed!