A Neotropical Savanna

There’s a tree in the gully near our orchard.

Last February, when several plants of the myrtle family (Myrtaceae) were in bloom with their small white flowers and many stamens, this tree, too, was in bloom with its small white flowers and many stamens.

Like the other representatives of the myrtle family, the leaves are simple and opposite, and with my hand lens I can persuade myself that the leaves have small translucent dots, called punctations, like all members of the myrtle family.

However, Read more »

A couple of years ago I wrote about two Mimosa species that we have in the area. They are sensitive to the touch, and I was quite taken by them, at first. Now that we have a few good healthy stands here and there, and now that I’ve walked barefoot upon them, and now that the dogs carefully avoid them, I’m a little less enamored. Here’s a sample stand:

And here’s a representative thorn:

We now have plans to remove at least the stands near the house.

Nevertheless, I continue to marvel at how the leaves shrink upon touch. And now I’ve read a very interesting post at Niches explaining exactly how and why the leaves shrink. He has some nice pictures, too. Definitely worth reading if you’re at all curious about this famous sensitive plant.

It’s the time of year for the Miconia rubiginosa bloom – possibly my very favorite Miconia tree.

All of the Miconias in this area have small white flowers in what is called a panicle inflorescence, that is, more or less pyramid-shaped. The Miconia rubiginosa have small tufts like little cotton balls within the inflorescence.

Two other Miconias in the area bloom earlier in the year. Miconia impetiolaris has large shiny leaves and produces a bright red berry. Its inflorescence  looks like a robust cluster of bottle brushes. 

The third Miconia, which may be Miconia argentea, is a looser inflorescence than the other two.

I have a special fondness for M. rubiginosa, though. It’s pretty dominant in this area, and I see many stands of it on the road between Potrerillos and Dolega. Locally it’s known as canillo. It’s really difficult to get a shot that gives you a sense of trees everywhere blooming white. This will have to do for now:

If the ordinary-looking beach plant, the sea rocket, notices unrelated plants on the beach nearby, it will sprout aggressive nutrient-grabbing roots. But if it detects a sibling nearby, it restrains itself. The research is described in the Science Section of today’s New York Times. That’s surprising enough behavior for a plant, and there’s a little discussion about it. But the box-office smash in the article is a time-lapse movie of a parasitic dodder seedling sniffing out, and then coiling around a hapless tomato plant. Check it out!

A little diversion today.