Category Archives: Panama

The Algarrobo Tree and its Denizens

Posted on February 5, 2009 by mary

John Bennett reported in December that the algarrobo tree was preparing for the dry season by changing to brown dry season leaves which he assumed had fewer stomata and therefore would lose less water than the green leaves. Here are the … Continue reading →

Posted in Fabaceae, Panama | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Leaf Gall

Posted on February 4, 2009 by mary

Last June, I saw a couple of galls on one of our very attractive trees, one in the myrtle family, called Myrcia splendens – the “splendid myrtle.” Galls, you may remember, are plant growths that have been stimulated by an … Continue reading →

Posted in Ecology, Myrtaceae, Panama | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

A Day in the Life of a Sandpaper Plant

Posted on February 1, 2009 by mary

Sunrise (6:49 AM): After watching this plant, the sandpaper plant, Davilla kunthii, for an entire month, I was beginning to wonder whether it would ever bloom. But on the evening of January 29, I saw quite a bit of yellow … Continue reading →

Posted in Dilleniaceae, Ecology, Flowers, Panama | 14 Comments

The Gall of It

Posted on June 29, 2008 by mary

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 … Continue reading →

Posted in Ecology, Myrtaceae, Panama | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments