Plant Parts

I took photos of amazing seed pods and natural things that the Grobergs have picked up on their walks in Ecuador. They are avid walkers and have found some cool things. I took the photos below during the birthday party and didn't get a chance to ask questions. Someday I hope I can learn more. I do know that the fluffy white stuff (kapok) and some of the pods are from the Ceibo (Spanish name) trees. There are several different species. Here is some info I found about these special trees:


"The flowers open during the nighttime and are pollinated by bats.  Usually, the trees flower every five years and only when the tree is leafless. This generally occurs during the dry season.  Fruits and seeds from the tree contain lightweight fibers that are water-repellent.

The ancient Maya of Central America believed that a great Ceiba tree stood at the center of the earth, connecting the terrestrial world to the spirit-world above.  The long thick vines hanging down from its spreading limbs provided a connection to the heavens for the souls that ascended them.  Even today, these grand trees are regularly spared when forests are cut — it is a common event to see lone, isolated Ceiba trees proudly spreading their shady branches high above a pasture or agricultural field, a relict of the great forests that once were there.

Ceibas have had a long commercial history.  During the 1940s the fluff, or kapok, that surrounds the seeds was harvested commercially for stuffing life preservers, seat cushions, mattresses and saddles. Being lighter than cotton, buoyant and resistant to saturation by water, it made an excellent filler for life preservers.  Until the middle of the 1900′s, nearly every stuffed life preserver and upholstered automobile seat was filled with kapok fibers.  As modern materials fell more in favor, demand for kapok fluff has fallen, and the Ceiba fruits are no longer harvested commercially. This is a blessing in disguise as deforestation of these trees has greatly diminished.

The trunks have been adapted for use as canoes.  Indigenous peoples traditionally prized the Ceiba for constructing enormous dugout canoes out of the tree’s large and cylindrical trunk.  The construction process normally takes months to complete, and may involve over a dozen men’s labor.  For many villages nestled in the forests of the tropical lowlands, these giant canoes provide the only connection to their neighbors and the rest of the world, as they are plied on the winding waterways of the rain forest.

While the wood of Ceiba is soft and light, and thus not suitable for furniture, it has been used commercially for pulpwood and plywood.   The low desirability of the wood however, may have been the Ceiba’s saving grace and one of the reason one still sees these giant trees gracing the tropical agricultural landscape."

These seeds have a very large wing attached to them:

The large dark oval below is what chocolate comes from...

I'll bet you recognize these if you have lived in Camarillo:

Remember the helicopters that would fall out of the trees in front of Christie's house on Boise Street? This is a much larger version:

Here is a side view and a top view of the same thing. Any idea what it is? Ni yo tampoco.

These are beautiful.

Alyssa, Rachel and Lydia: Do you remember the very large pods we found in the park in Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic. These pods (below) are much smaller but in our last Family Home Evening Sister Groberg brought a pod that was even larger than the ones we found. She broke it open (that wasn't easy) and there were large black seeds covered in a cottony white stuff. She explained that we were supposed to dig one out and pop it into our mouths and chew off the white part. I was courageous and tried it. The texture was strange but the taste was very mild and somewhat sweet. They call it guava here. It is not the same as the guava that is available in the USA.

Isn't it amazing how many different kinds of plants there are? We live in a wonderful world that has been created for us to take care of and enjoy.

Enjoy whatever nature you have around you. I've heard it is mostly ice and snow in many places this month.

 Love, Los Pettingill