Enterolobium cyclocarpum (Jacq.) Griseb.
EOL Text
This taxon is found in the Southern Pacific dry forests ecoregion, which is situated along the southeastern versant of the Sierra Madre del Sur Mountains including the Pacific Ocean coastal plain. These forests are a key locus of endemism for butterflies, and has the greatest diversity of scorpions and spiders in the entirety of Mexico. This ecoregion is classified in the Tropical and Subtropical Dry Broadleaf Forests biome. The Southern Pacific dry forests exhibit a moderate to high faunal species richness; for example, there are a total of 744 vertebrate taxa recorded in the ecoregion, with a particularly large number of endemic reptiles.
The ecoregion elevation ranges from sea level to 1400 metres. The climate is tropical and dry, with precipitation levels of 800 millimetres (mm) per annum. There is an extended arid season, which factor drives the prevalence of deciduous vegetation. The forests grow chiefly on shallow, well-drained soils derived from limestone. Closer to the base of the Sierra Madre del Sur Mountains, the soils are more rocky, and are derived from igneous rocks.
The dominant plant species include Mauto (Lysiloma divaricatum), Bursera excelsa and Fragrant Bursera (B. fagaroides), which are typically found in association with Pochote (Ceiba aesculifolia), Comocladia engleriana, and Trichilia americana. In the Mexican state of Michoacán, the macro plant species more generally in evidence are Ficus insipida, F. pertusa, Breadnut (Brosimum alicastrum), Licania arborea, Sideroxylon capiri and Elephant Ear (Enterolobium cyclocarpum).
There are a number of anuran species present in the ecoregion, including: Blunt-toed Chirping Frog (Eleutherodactylus modestus VU); Cloud Forest Stream Frog (Ptychohyla euthysanota NT), found from southeast Oaxaca to Guatemala and eastern El Salvador; Matuda's Spikethumb Frog (Plectrohyla matudai VU). A special status caecilian found in the ecoregion is the Mexican Caecilian (Dermophis mexicanus VU), a fossorial species that can attain lengths up to sixty centimetres. A special status salamander found in the ecoregion is the Sierra Juarez Salamander (Pseudoeurycea juarezi CR), a near-endemic known only between Cerro Pelón and Vista Hermosa in the Sierra de Juarez, north-central Oaxaca. The White-lipped Peeping Frog (Eleutherodactylus albolabris CR), a near-endemic known chiefly from Agua del Obispo, central Guerrero.
The Southern Pacific dry forests contain numerous reptilian taxa, including the following endemics: Bocourt's Anole (Norops baccatus); Taylor's Anole (Norops taylori), known only to Puerto Marquez area, in northern Acapulco, Guerrero; Simmons' Anole (Anolis simmonsi), restricted to the vicinity of Pinotepa Nacional, Oaxaca; Stegneger's Blackcollar Spiny Lizard (Sceloporus stejnegeri), restricted to the Pacific versant in the state of Guerrero, Mexico; Red Earth Snake (Geophis russatus), found in a very narrow range outside of Putla, Oaxaca; Sierra Mije Earth Snake (Geophis anocularis), known only from around Totontepec on the Atlantic versant of the Sierra Mixe, Oaxaca; Ramirez`s Hooknose Snake (Ficimia ramirezi), restricted to the Pacific versant of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, Niltepec, Oaxaca; Halberg's Cloud Forest Snake (Cryophis hallbergi), found only in northern Oaxaca, at Sierra de Juarez and Sierra Mazateca; Isthmian Earth Snake (Geophis isthmicus), known only from the vicinity of Tehuantepec, Mexico; the endemic Macdougall's Spiny Lizard (Sceloporus macdougalli).
Characteristic mammalian fauna include the endemic Oaxacan Pocket Gopher (Orthogeomys cuniculus), restricted to several sites on the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, Oaxaca. Other mammals seen in the ecoregion include the: Lesser Long-nosed Bat (Leptonycteris yerbabuenae VU), Tropical Hare (Lepus flavigularis EN), restricted to Salina Cruz, Oaxaca to the extreme west of Chiapas; Greater Bulldog Bat (Noctilio leporinus), Coati (Nasua narica), Buller’s Pocket Gopher (Pappogeomys bulleri), Javelina (Tayassu tajacu), and Mexican Long-tongued Bat (Choeronycteris mexicana NT).
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| Source | http://www.eoearth.org/view/article/51cbeeee7896bb431f69b425/5290f1100cf2cad8a99b6b3f/?topic=51cbfc79f702fc2ba8129ee0 |
Perennial, Trees, Woody throughout, Nodules present, Stems e rect or ascending, Stems greater than 2 m tall, Stems solid, Stems or young twigs glabrous or sparsely glabrate, Stems or young twigs sparsely to densely hairy, Leaves alternate, Leaves petiolate, Extrafloral nectary glands on petiole, Stipules inconspicuous, absent, or caducous, Stipules deciduous, Stipules free, Leaves compound, Leaves bipinnate, Leaf or leaflet margins entire, Leaflets opposite, Leaflets 10-many, Leaves glabrous or nearly so, Inflorescences racemes, Inflorescences globose heads, capitate or subcapitate, Inflorescence terminal, Bracts very small, absent or caducous, Flowers sessile or nearly so, Flowers actinomorphic or somewhat irregular, Calyx 5-lobed, Calyx hairy, Petals united, valvate, Petals white, Stamens numerous, more than 10, Stamens long exserted, Filaments glabrous, Style terete, Fruit a legume, Fruit unilocular, Fruit indehiscent, Fruit strongly curved, falcate, bent, or lunate, Fruit twisted, Fruit spirally coiled or contorted, Fruit fleshy, Fruit coriaceous or becoming woody, Fruit exserted from calyx, Fruit glabrous or glabrate, Fruit 11-many seeded, Seed with elliptical line or depression, pleurogram, Seeds ovoid to rounded in outline, Seed surface smooth, Seeds olive, brown, or black.
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| Rights holder/Author | Compiled from several sources by Dr. David Bogler, Missouri Botanical Garden in collaboration with the USDA NRCS NPDC |
| Source | http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=ENCY |
Enterolobium cyclocarpum, called elephant ear or Guanacaste tree, is found from Mexico to northern South America and the Antilles (Zuchowski 2007). In Costa Rica, it is conspicuous in the canopy of deciduous and semi-deciduous lowland forests up to 1,300 m (Janzen 1983, Zuchowski 2007). This towering species dominates pastures and grasslands of the Pacific slopes of Panama and Costa Rica (Condit et al. 2011), especially the seasonally dry Guanacaste region, named after the tree.
Guanacaste trees have broad crowns, sometimes wider than tall. Leaves are alternate and bipinnate, with small dish-like glands on the leaf raquis between pairs of leaflets. Leaflets are narrow, oblong, and feathery (Condit et al. 2011). In the Guanacaste region, entire leaf crops can be destroyed by the moth Coenipita bibitrix in July (Janzen 1983). Bark is gray and relatively smooth, with fine vertical furrows (Gentry 1993). Although the heartwood is fungus-resistant, fallen branches and logs readily decompose. Wounded trees seal gashes with water-soluble gum (Janzen 1983). Flowers—small white balls of stamens produced from January to May—are visited by small moths and beetles.
Trees yield dark reddish-brown indehiscent ear-shaped pods, which take one year to mature. Pods, approximately 12 cm in diameter, hold about 14 seeds from 1.5 to 2 cm long (Zuchowski 2007). Seeds contain insecticidal amino acid (Rehr et al. 1973) and are rich in protein and starches (Jiménez-Hernández et al. 2011). In Costa Rica, these defenses prove effective against bruchid beetles and other insects that commonly predate legume seeds (Janzen 1983). Green seeds contain saponins (Janzen 1983), plant compounds that deter herbivory or predation (Potter and Kimmerer 1989, Hoagland et al. 1996, Osbourn 1996). Nonetheless, Amazona parrots are vigorous seed predators (Zuchowski 2007). To germinate, the seed coats must be punctured, such as during digestion or soil abrasion (Janzen 1983). In Costa Rica, Liomys salvini, the spiny pocket mouse, collects seeds from dung or fallen pods. The mice hoard seeds, later nicking the seed coats to encourage germination and feeding on the seedlings, which are less toxic (Janzen 1982, Zuchoski 2007). Janzen (1982) posits that L. salvini predation ensures that guanacaste cannot reproduce in forests occupied by the mice.
Janzen and Martin (1982) suggest that Guanacaste seeds were once dispersed by Pleistocene megafauna; seeds today are dispersed mostly by the modern day equivalents, cattle and horses. Where these animals are absent, germination is usually unsuccessful, and new saplings are rare in forested areas (Condit et al. 2011). In pastures, trees receive significantly less pollen and produce fewer seeds per fruit than in continuous forest. Moreover, saplings are less viable in pastures than in forests (Rocha and Aguilar 2001). Trampling, fire, competition with grasses, and desiccation from heat keeps seed reproduction low (Janzen 1983).
Throughout Central and South America, Guanacaste trees are planted for myriad uses. Saponins in the bark and pods make them effective soap substitutes. The fungus-resistant hardwood is used for furniture, fence posts, and firewood. The distinctive spotted seeds are used in jewelry. The sap is collected to treat bronchitis, and the green fruits, to alleviate diarrhea (Zochoski 2007).
Distribucion en Costa Rica: Ambas vertientes, siendo más común a lo largo de la Vertiente del Pacífico. Elevación entre 0-1300 m.
Distribucion General: Nativo desde México hasta la parte norte de América del Sur.
Árbol hasta de 30 m de altura. Hojas bipinnadas, alternas, con 4 a 5 pares de pinnas, las pinnas con 15 a 30 pares de folíolos, de 0.8 a 1.5 cm de largo, linear-oblongos.
Flores blancas, en cabezuelas axilares de 1.5 a 2 cm de diámetro, sobre pedúnculos de 1.5 a 3.5 cm de largo. Frutos legumbres anchas, curvas, lustrosas, de 8 a 10 cm de diámetro. Frutos curvados, semejantes a orejas humanas de ahí el origen de su nombre común en dialecto Nahuatl.Tronco con numerosas lenticelas rojizas, evedentes a la distancia.Isotype for Albizia longipes Britton & Killip
Catalog Number: US 1420061
Collection: Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History, Department of Botany
Verification Degree: Original publication and alleged type specimen examined
Preparation: Pressed specimen
Collector(s): Bro. Elias
Year Collected: 1928
Locality: Sabana Larga near Barranquilla., Atlántico, Colombia, South America
- Isotype: Britton, N. L. & Killip, E. P. 1936. Ann. New York Acad. Sci. 35: 132.
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| Rights holder/Author | This image was obtained from the Smithsonian Institution. Unless otherwise noted, this image or its contents may be protected by international copyright laws. |
| Source | http://collections.mnh.si.edu/search/botany/?irn=2153974 |
Localidad del tipo: No localizada
Depositario del tipo:
Recolector del tipo:
Tierras bajas y calientes.
The following is a representative barcode sequence, the centroid of all available sequences for this species.