By Dagmar Reinhard
During the Spheres´ Festival at the Palmar Sur Park, we were fortunate to admire and enjoy this evergreen tree, which is native to the tropical northern South America, Central America, and the southern Caribbean.
The beautiful tree grows 20-35 m tall; its alternate leaves seem to spiral down from the branches. The delicate flowers grow from the stems sprouting from the trunk; they develop in clusters, in a variety of colors such as orange, scarlet, or pink.
The tree bears, directly on the trunk, large woody fruits. They look like coconuts or cannon balls, with a diameter between 15-24 cm, and containing from 200 to 300 seeds. Its pulp oxidizes and then turns blue and gets an unpleasant odor. In some countries, it is called smelly coconut.
Bats and bees are responsible for pollination. Its propagation by seeds is difficult because they don’t dry well due to their
unresponsive nature.
This tree has antibacterial, anti fungal and analgesic properties. In some native Amazonian communities, the extract from several parts of this tree had been used to treat malaria, stomach pains, colds, and skin diseases.
The species is a true attraction in the world of trees, be careful when you walk under one of these trees, one of those heavy bullets could fall on your head.
