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You have to plant these in Costa Rica; there's no getting around customs. If you don't have a place to plant here, then I'll happily swap information and seeds with you. (If are looking for a place to conserve or reestablish rainforest in Costa Rica, I hope you'll be my neighbor!) We always need more seed sources (and information sources).
There are two requirements: 1) Come here (Escazu, Costa Rica) and get them 2) Take care of them. Remember that these become large trees! Keep them watered in the dry season, weed them in the rainy season for the first two years. The trees should have 6 foot tall stakes, maybe with colored markers so you don't accidentally weed them.
Get a map before you come so you don't get lost. We're available any weekday from 8 to 12.
I have cocobolo (Dalbergia retusa) - one of the most beautiful kinds of rosewood, a very valuable and scarce wood. Prefers the lowlands. This is a very tough tree, easy to germinate, easy to propagate. I sucessfully moved a 12' tall tree, didn't appear to slow it down at all. In fact, the roots keep sprouting up from where I moved it. A weed. It will not grow straight for some time; branches tend to divide and curve around, but this is not so bad, makes for beautiful grain. Cuttings from branches always sprout, but don't always root. I'm experimenting with rooting hormone now. Since cocobolo is in the legume family, I'm also trying some cuttings with dirt from around an established tree. I thought perhaps the microflora might help it root. Any experts out there care to venture a guess? Root cuttings are slower but more foolproof.
Palo de vaca (translates as "cow tree") or Brosimum utile. The sap is used as a cream substitute in coffee. A beautiful big tree, useful wood, edible fruit, bark used by the Indians for blankets. I don't have many left in the nursery, the seed has been hard to get. Grows in the Pacific lowlands.
Cereza (I don't know the names for this one) Toucans like it. A medium sized tree with red berries.
Cristobal (Platymiscium pleiostachyum). Large tree, beautiful wood. Endemic to Costa Rica and Nicaragua. On the CITES list of endangered species. Medium dry areas on the Pacific lowlands.
Guapinol (Hymenaea courbaril) Produces large edible fruits, good forage for peccaries, agoutis, other mammals. Large tree in the legume family, grows in the Pacific lowlands.
Lignum vitae (Guayacan real, Guacium officialis or Guacium santum). Not to be confused with the other guayacan. Jade green wood, heaviest and hardest wood comercially used in the world. I finally got a hold of some seed, and trying *once again* to get it to germinate, using scarification and soaking for 24 hours. Cross my fingers. This one is on the CITES endangered list, grows in limestone soils.
Purpleheart (Peltogyne densiflora or Peltogyne purpurea) has bright purple wood, needs a lot of moisture (southern Pacific lowlands). Threatened species.
My guapinol negro seed is sprouting! (Cynometra hemitomophylla) This is on the CITES list of endangered species. Available only if you're very nice to me. This tree is endemic to Costa Rica.
Ron ron (Astronium graveolens or tigerwood) I have a kilo of seed I'm germinating. Very beautiful wood, but quality is variable from seed. Threatened species.
I have a variety of trees intended for wildlife fodder including wild nutmeg. My doberman really likes the taste of the wild nutmeg, she'll eat the seed right out of the nursery bags if I don't watch out.
I have a fair bit of guanacaste seed to give away. My trees are always getting mildew.
Just got some neem trees (not many). This is a tree from India. It's a natural insecticide and also used as toothpaste! Worked very well on my leafcutter ants.
The walnuts are big enough to give away. (scion from Joe Tosi of the Tropical Science Center). Beautiful wood, edible nuts and grows pretty fast in this climate. Not native, obviously.
e-mail address: Sarah Blanchet de Biesanz - biesanz@sol.racsa.co.cr
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e-mail address: biesanz@sol.racsa.co.cr |
