Plants of Belize

The breadfruit tree grows up to 60 feet tall and produces large, round fruit about 10-12 inches in diameter. The tree is monecious, bearing both the male and female flowers on the same tree. The male flower grows on a club-shaped stalk, and the female flowers are round. The fruit of the breadfruit tree can be eaten boiled, roasted, baked, or dried and made into flour. It needs high humidity and temperature for proper growth. The tree is native to Sunda Islands, and was brought to the Americas by Captain Bligh. Bligh's voyage on the Bounty was made infamous after a mutiny rose up after the captain gave water to the plants before the sailors. James Cook, who initiated the voyage, hoped that the breadfruit would replace the plantain as the staple food for the Caribbean Islands, but the endeavor failed. The local name for the breadfruit is "mazapan," and the proper name is Artocarpus altilis.

The poisonwood tree (Metopium browneii), [on the left] is not a tree to be messed with before finding out more about the plant. From the common name, one would be wary of it. The sap of the poisonwood is extremely toxic and causes blisters and rashes on the skin. The sap can be seen oozing out of any wounds on the bark of the tree. The leaves of the tree are also toxic topically, and some who are extremely allergic to the tree can break out by standing too close to it. The tree bears red berries that is a food source for many local birds. The wood is used to make furniture because of its dark luster and durability. Getting lumber from the poisonwood tree is risky, and one must know how to remove the bark and sap before proceeding.
The cure for the poisonwood tree is the gumbolimbo tree [on the right], which is often found growing close to the poisonwood. Bark from the gumbolimbo should be applied to the affected area, and the wound should be washed three times a day with water in which the bark has been boiled.

The seabean tree has a very unique way of spreading its seeds, and the seeds can be found naturally hundreds of miles away from the plant. This native tree forms nuts, or beans, in the pods seen at the right. While some of these nuts germinate somewhere close the the tree, most of them are washed down to the ocean, where they are often picked up by children or tourists. Once they hit the ocean, however, they can be washed hundreds or even thousands of miles away. Sea beans from Central America have been found in Florida and Lousiana. The many different species of these trees drop different sizes and shapes of seeds. Some of the larger seeds are known as "horse eyes." Smaller seeds are known as "deer eyes," and these retain heat very well. Children will rub them against a hard surface and harass their friends with the hot beans.

The poinsettia, a native to Central America, naturally grows quite high and has flowers only near the terminal end of the stems. We have cultivated them, however, to grow much smaller and produce many flowers. The actual flower of the poinsettia is small with yellow petals, and large red bracts growing around the flower. The poinsettia was named after J.R. Poinsett, the first Ambassador from America to Mexico. The Aztecs called the flower "cuetlaxochitl," while the Spanish referred to it as the Christmas-Eve flower. The plant is a popular Christmas flower, and represents 85% of the potted flower sales during the Christmas holidays, and America grows 60 million pots of poinsettias every year.

The hibiscus is native to rainforests around the world. It has been cultivated to live in different habitats, however. The tropical hibiscus plant is a member of the mallow family. This makes it a relative of cotton, okra, and the Confederate Rose. The flower is used most often as an ornamental plant, but all species of hibiscus except one are edible, so remember that if you are ever stuck in the rainforest.

Popcorn bush	Japanese lantern
Rubber tree	Crazy plant
Strangler fig	Jungle growth