<div class="field field--name-field-common-name field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Hampea

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Comments (24)

WOW! Congratulations Nosarasue and thanks to Jonathan for unlocking the mystery. :))

Up until this week I just called it "The Miracle Tree". Toucans, Aracaris, trogons, and everything else (though I haven't seen an orpendola in it yet). This morning I reckoned there were probably 6 species of bird in it at any given time. And there was the sloth, too.

That is a great tree to attract wildlife

Gilma Jeannette Ospino Ferreira-Norman

Gilma, I very much doubt it, the seed pods are only about 2.5 cm and there's a very tiny amount of flesh. You'd need hundreds of them to make anything. Anyway, since I've asked a number of local tour guides (for Tortuguero National Park) what it is and none really knew - though they did get the family right eventually - I'd say it's not a common tree at all. Interesting, all the birds here love it - except my neighbour's chickens, who seem to live here now. They won't touch it. I'd like to know if it needs to pass through a bird or something to germinate. Going to experiment.

Sckel

That's cool that you got an ID for your tree. I looked at some plants Malvaceae family and found nothing that could help in ID. Good job, Jonathan, you unravel the mystery.

Nice spotting, nosarasue. I do not know that fruit but I wonder if here in C.R. we eat it, cook it or make refreshments out of it?

I'm curious, there is a list of about 15 individuals of this tree at the link below (all here in CR). Do you suppose those folks would have any interest in information from me? http://sura.ots.ac.cr/local/florula4/find_sp3.php?key_species_code=LS001287&key_kingdom=&key_phylum=&key_class=&key_order=&key_family=&key_genus=&specie_name=appendiculata#

It is great when needing an ID to have enough pictures just like you did...

So glad we have the ID, my pleasure.

Jonathan! You are my hero. This has been driving me bonkers. There doesn't seem to be a lot of info out there but at least now I know. A thousand thanks. (if I just put "hampea" in google I get a few pics of the tree and then, mysteriously, lots of pictures of bowls of soup - clicked on them and they turned out to be "ham, pea" soups. lol)

I think it is Hampea appendiculata

I can't get the seeds open, but today the aracaris & toucans landed in the tree for the first time this season and they're having no problem.

LarryGraziano

Not sure, I've asked for help. Pura Vida!

The guides have suggested "burio" but when I search that there are differences. That name takes me to a CR site & the name Apeiba tibourbou, which we do have on the property but it's not the same.

LarryGraziano

You'll just have to ask your neighbour the 'Tico' name of this tree.

Hi Nosarasue, i am sorry for the delay. The more I search the more I find this is similar to many other fruits. But we will find it. :))

The fruit of the guarana is actually very, very similar inside, though the husk colour is different.

Hi Chief - while I'd love to have a Annona reticulate, the fruits on this are about an inch long.

Nosarasue hope I am not misguiding you, this fruit and the tree reminds me of Annona reticulata of Family: Annonaceae. Just sharing my thought.

Congratulations! Nice spot!

Thank you Yasser, I have the folks at COTERC trying to help too. I really want to know because it's such an amazing tree, and it's right beside my house. I doubt it's very common here since the local guides don't seem familiar with it.

Latimeria

Not sure about the tree, but the insects look to be nymphs of the family Pyrrhocoridae or Lygaeidae, but I can't say for sure.

Yasser

Very interesting! I wonder if Larry or Jonathan in our community might be able to help out. They're both based in CR as well. I will reach out to them and some other members to see if we can help solve this mystery.