Plants

Saragundí | Saragundi | Senna retigulata | Saragundí is a small tree native which grows up to a maximum of 6 meters. It is planted as an ornamental. 

Palma real | Royal palm | Roystonea regia | Roystonea regia, commonly known as the Cuban royal palm, Florida royal palm, or simply the royal palm is a species of palm which is native to southern Florida, Mexico and parts of Central America and the northern Caribbean.A large and attractive palm, it has been planted throughout the tropics and subtropics as an ornamental tree.The royal palm is a large palm which reaches a height of 20–30 metres (66–98 ft) tall,(with...

Pochote | Pochote | Pachira quinata | Pachira quinata, commonly known as Pochote, is a species flowering tree in the mallow family, Malvaceae.  It inhabits dry forests in Costa Rica,Nicaragua, Honduras Panama, Venezuela, and Colombia.[2] Pochotes bear large, stubby thorns on their trunk and branches and are often planted as living fence posts with barbed wire strung between them. Those thorns are also often used to make...

Guayaquil, Gavilan | Guachapele | Pseudosamanea guachapele | A large tree with a spreading crown, well-formed bole without significant buttresses.Habitat :Often near rivers or waterway is in dry and wet forests, sometimes isolated in pastures, indicating ancient meanders.Phenology:Flowers seen in January, February, March,April and December. Fruits observed in March.Uses:It has been used for diarrhea and as piscicida in Panama. Heartwood light orange brown when freshly cut becoming yellow brown or brown with a golden luster on...

Palma Bambu Costa Rica | Costa Rican bamboo palm, Parlor palm | Chamaedorea costaricana | Trunk type: Clustering?, heavily ringed from leaf scars, to 5 centimeters,(2") in diameter. Height: To 3.6 meters, (12'), cluster to 1.5 meters, (5'). Leaf detail: Pinnately compound, diametrically opposed, closely knit ovoid pinnae, average frond holds up to 60 pinnae. Flower detail: Creamish yellow flower, separate male, and female plants. Flower stalk coming from below the leaves, erect or pendulous. Becoming orange when carrying fruit....

Iguano, Largartillo | Iguano | Dilodendron costaricense | Grows in seasonally wet forests to dry. It is used infrequently as an ornamental species in urban areas and in a limited way as a timber species.http://darnis.inbio.ac.cr/ubis/FMPro?-DB=UBIPUB.fp3&-lay=WebAll&-error=norec.html&-Format=detail.html&-Op=eq&id=848&-Find

Madera negra, mata raton | Gliricidia | Gliricidia sepium | Gliricidia sepiumis a medium-sized tree and can grow  from 10 to 12 meters high. The bark is smooth and its color can range from a whitish gray to deep red-brown. is found on volcanic soils in its native range in Central America and Mexico. However, it can also grow on sandy, clay and lime stone soils.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gliricidia_sepium

Roble primavera | Guayacan trumpet tree | Tabebuia guayacan | Guayacan- a rare and attractive tree from a mature rainforest has something unreal and magical. Discovering a blooming, shining yellow Guayacan is like finding a treasure. Guayacan let’s you foresee the starting date of the green season – the tree is said to bloom one month before the rains start. The origin of Guayacan is in Central America, as well as the other countries in tropical America. The tree grows slowly and reaches up to 50 m (164 ft) tall...

Palma Bambu | Multiplex, Bamboo Palm, Butterfly Palm, Areca Palm | Dypsis lutescens | D. lutescens grows 6–12 m (20–39 ft) in height. Multiple stems emerge from the base. The leaves are arched, 2–3 m (6 ft 7 in–9 ft 10 in) long, and pinnate, with 40-60 pairs of leaflets. It bears panicles of yellow flowers in summer.One of several common names, "butterfly palm" refers to the leaves which curve upwards in multiple stems to create a...

Roble de Sabana | Pink trumpet tree, Savannah oak, | Tabebuia rosea | Often planted in parks and gardens. It has beautiful crown of pink flowers during the dry season and offers wonderful shade during the rainy season. "The tree crown is wide, with irregular, stratified ramification and only few thick branches. The bark can be gray to brown, in varying darkness and may be vertically fissured. Leaves are compound,digitate and deciduous. Each leaf has five leaflets of...

Sahíno | Saino | Caesalpinia eriostachys | This tree is found from Mexico to Costa Rica in the Pacific and Central regions.It is most notable for its ornamental quality because of its  yellow flowers. 

Ceiba | Kapok, Silk-cotton tree | Ceiba pentandra | A giant in the rainforests, the kapok tree can reach up to 200 feet in height, sometimes growing as much as 13 feet per year. Due to its extreme height, the kapok, or ceiba tree, towers over the other rainforest vegetation. The trunk can expand to nine or 10 feet in diameter. In the nooks and grooves of this huge plant live a diverse number of species including frogs, birds and bromeliads. The kapok tree is deciduous, shedding all of its leaves during the dry season....

Cenízaro | Rain Tree, cow tamarind | Samanea saman | Native to the tropics,.Beautifully shaped shade tree Large rounded crown. Excellent street or park tree. Flowers late in dry season.  Showy pink flowers with clusters of stamens. Dry tolerant. 

White mata palo | Strangler fig | Ficus costaricana | Broad shiny leaves, sculptural in feel, scenic impression in fields, good wind breakers etc. Sculptural feel to the tree and when mature wonderfully wide mushroom canopy. 

Ronrón | Ron Ron | Astronium graveolens | Native to Central America this flowering tree is in the Cashew family. The leaves turn red and make a nice contrast to other vegetation. 

Plumeria rosada | Frangipani (pink) | Plumeria | The genus consists of shrubs and trees deciduous. P. rubra native to Mexico , Central America , and Venezuela , produces yellow flowers or pink depending on the type of culture. From Mexico, Plumeria has spread throughout all tropical regions of the world, particularly in Hawaii ( United States ), where it is grown so abundantly that is believed to be a native flower. It...

Copa de oro | Bush Allamandra | Allamanda neriifolia, Allamanda schottii | This shrub blooms repeatedly with bright yellow flowers and shiny glossy evergreen leaves. Allamandra  is originally from southeast Brazil but now found throughout Central and South America. 

Carao | Pink Shower, Stinking Toe | Cassia grandis | Cassia grandis, one of several species called Pink Shower Tree, and known as Carao in Spanish. Native to the neotropics it  grows up to 30 m (98 ft). The species is distributed from southern México, to Venezuela andEcuador. It grows in forests and open fields at lower elevations, and is known to be planted as an ornamental. When in bloom this tree gives a phenomanal...

Guayaba de mono | Monkey apple, Needle flower tree, Perfume | Posoqueria latifolia | Species: Posoqueria latifolia Synonym: Solena latifolia Origin: Mexico to Northern South America Zone: 10a – 12b, 28°F minimum Growth Rate: Fast Flowering Month(s): March - May Leaf Retention: Evergreen Messiness: Medium Salt Tolerance: Low Drought Tolerance: Low Nutritional Requirements: High Typical Height: 8-20 ft. (2.4m-6 m) Uses: Garden, Park, Specimen, StreetscapeOther details: This plant is attractive to bees, butterflies...

Ponciana, Malinchillo | Red Bird of Paradise | Caesalpinia pulcherrima | This shrub is evergreen. The combination of its fernlike foliage with small bright delicate delicate flowers  make this an appealing plant to have in one's landscape. Fanciful feeling makes it a great edge or border plant to pass by.  We also have  them in  yellow, red/orange, and pink variety. Butterflies are also attracted to this plant. 

Golden spoon | Nance | Byrsonima crassifolia | Byrsonima crassifolia is a slow growing large shrub or tree that is native to tropical America. It is valued and therefore sometimes cultivated for its small, sweet, yellow fruit, which are strongly scented. We love the the shape of the tree, the trunk texture, and the flowers and fruit. We have several mature wild ones on our finca that bring us, the birds, and squirrels,(and who knows what other creatures)  great delight!

Cas Ácido, Guyaba de Costa Rica | Cas | Psidium friedrichsthalianum | The fruit of a very tart species of guava. This is especially good as a fruit drink. Often the locals mix some sugar into it. 

Guayacán real | Lignumvitae | Guaiacum sanctum | This species is very scarce and highly valued for its wood, oil,  and various medicinal properties like resin used in the US and Europe. They grow extremely slowly. The story goes it was thought to also cure syphillis causing much of the original trees to be  cut down by Spanish explorers. We had the opportunity to see one glorious specimen reported to be over 1200 years old. The young bark  is interesting and soft and cork like in nature.  In...

Surá | Surah guayabón | Terminalia oblonga | Sura has a mostly straight trunk (80 cm or more) that has a mildly irregular cross-section. Though close to cylindrical, the bole is marked by lumps and shallow dents along its entire length. These irregularities are accentuated bye silky-smooth, thin bark that catches the eye with its unusual texture, sheen, and pale-orange color. Often Sura bark peals in randomly shaped but large, sheetlike sections. Large, thin, and planar buttress roots are always present, merging...

Flor Blanca | Frangipani (white) | Plumeria rubra, | Plumeria (common name Frangipani[citation needed]) is a genus of flowering plants in the dogbane family,Apocynaceae.[1] It contains seven or eight species of mainly deciduous shrubs and small trees. They are native to Central America, Mexico, the Caribbean, and South America as far south as Brazil [2] but can be grown in tropical and sub-tropical...

Cortez negro | Ipe | Tabebuia impetiginosa, | Native to Costa Rica and distributed from Mexico to Northern Argentina. Its showy pink flowers during the dry season are spectacular. The wood has long been highly valued for years,  known in the trade as "brazilwood". Although difficult to work with it is strong, dense, and insect resistant. 

Guachipelin | American Diphysa | Diphysa americana | A slow growing native decidous tree that creates a carpet of beautiful yellow when it is in bloom 

Cortez amarillo,Corteza, Guyacan, Piuva | Gold trumpet tree | Tabebuia ochracea | During the driest of days, T. ochracea outdoes itself with a spectacular flower display. Most trees growing close together bloom in near unison, making an unforgettable show. T. ochraceais an open crowned tree. Its flowers are golden yellow and appear on bare branches, in bountiful terminal clusters. Each flower lasts for only one day, but the inflorescence may persist for up to 12 days. After flowering, many fuzzy and slightly curved pods...

Jicarillo | Winged Calabash, Mexican Calabash | Crescentia alata | This native tree has an interesting shape with unique flowers and  gourds that grow directly off the its  trunk  and branches. The seeds and pulp are edible. The Nicaraguans make a special drink from the gourd called horchata "Semilla de Jicaro " that is exported to the US. Hondurans and El Salvadorians produce a similar type of horcatta. This is a good tree for hosting  for epiphytes. 

Jicaro | Calabash tree | Crescentia cujete | Unusual ornamental tree . Often seen in the fields in Guanacaste. The flowers and  gourds  grow directly off the trunks and branches. The tree is resilent. When the fields are burned these trees seem to survive fine. 

Chirca | Yellow Oleandar | Thevetia peruviana | Thevetia, known here as Chirca, is a  tropical small ornamental shrub or small  tree.It is  native to Mexico and Central America. The shape. leaf texture and trumpet like yellow flower make this an appealing plant.