50th Anniversary of Guanacaste Being Named
‘National Tree’ Celebrated
(InfoWebPress ) Last Aug. 31, Costa Rica
celebrated 50 years of having declared the
guanacaste (Enterolobium cyclocarpurm) as
its official “national tree.”
The guanacaste tree became a national symbol
during the presidency of Mario Echandi
Jimenez via decree No. 7. It was chosen as a
way to recognize the people of Guanacaste
province for their decision to become a part
of Costa Rica in 1825. The word “guanacaste”
comes from the Indigenous Nahuatl, meaning
“ear tree” because its fruit resembles a
human ear.
In parts of Guanacaste where the dry season
gives way to hot weather, guanacaste trees
are protected so they can provide shade to
cattle ranches or farms. The tree’s wood is
easy to work with and is used for boards and
beams in rural construction, kitchen
utensils, canoes, oxcart wheels, furniture,
truck beds and many other uses. The wood is
also resistant to fire and termites and
lasts long even when exposed to water and
wet soil. While guanacaste dry wood is
odorless, its sawdust has a very strong
smell. It is said that this wood shouldn’t
be thrown in rivers because it kills fish
and cattle.
The tree’s aromatic sap has been used in the
country for various medicinal applications
dealing with respiratory diseases. The
guanacaste’s tannin has high value as a
tanning material. Additionally, the tree’s
bark has been employed as a medicine against
colds and as substitute for soap, same use
given to the pulp of its fruit —
particularly to wash wool fabrics.
The tree’s fruits or pods are commonly eaten
by cattle, which like to graze under the
shade of guanacastes and swallow the pods
whole — reason for which so many seedlings
sprout in corrals and other places where
cattle are kept.
The guanacaste’s habitat includes lowlands
with high temperatures. Its range goes from
Mexico to the northern parts of South
America. It can reach up to 30 meters (90
feet) in height, with a trunk measuring 2.5
meters (7.5 feet) in diameter. This tree
flowers from January to March, fruiting in
January to May. Its fruit is a very
important food source for wildlife during
the dry season.
The guanacaste tree’s seeds have a hard
covering, reason for which germination
requires some kind of mechanical action or
that the seeds be eaten and excreted by
animals. The seeds can also be made to
germinate by soaking them in water for a
while.
The tree’s flowers are white, grouped in
small, spherical blooms, with very long
stems. Its leaves — compound, alternate, bi-pinnated
— fall during the dry season.
In 2005, the Costa Rican Biodiversity
Institute (INBio) gave a guanacaste tree
located at Liberia’s Hector Zuñiga Park the
“Exceptional Tree Award.” The judges based
their decision on the tree’s natural
characteristics — 44 meter canopy, 5.2 meter
diameter trunk, 40 meter shade, and 15
meters in height, approximate age of 75
years — and its importance for the
community.
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