Licania operculipetala Standley
& L.O.Williams
Common Name: CAMARÓN, SAPOTILLO
Abundant evergreen canopy or emergent tree (25-35 m) notable
for its solid crown, scaly white bark, and reddish, exceedingly
hard wood. This very hardy species is found in almost all Manuel
Antonio habitats, including the coastal zones, the well-drained
ridges and hills, and the bottomlands of the wetter valleys. Majestic
in its spectacular height and tremendous bulk, Camarón
dominates the flora of Manuel Antonio National Park. Nevertheless,
the tree is of limited distribution, and it is otherwise rare
in Costa Rica.
Description: Camarón has
a straight, towering and branchless trunk (1.1 m) that
is nearly, but not quite, cylindrical in cross section. The roughly
textured bark (very characteristic of this species) is white or
pale gray, thick, and very scaly, with exfoliation occurring in
irregularly shaped plates. If the reddish inner bark is exposed,
a strong
odor reminiscent of shrimp (or pejivalles) is clearly discernible
and this is the source of the tree's common name. Buttresses are
generally not present. Major limbs are thick and angular, and
they taper rapidly to the abundant and stiff grayish twigs. A
moderately dense layer of dark-green leaves complete a crown that
is thick, rounded, and compact - small for a tree of this size.
The simple, alternately arranged leaves (13 cm by 4.5c
m) are very thick, leathery, smooth, and sturdy. Blades are elliptical
in shape (though they are usually somewhat curled), ending in
stubby drip tips and supported by short petioles (0.5 cm). Late
in the year, about half of the foliage fades from green through
yellow to brown and is finally shed in late December and January.
Simultaneously, new growth appears at the tips of the branches.
(Often, these new shoots break off and they can be found on the
ground in large numbers). Growth and leaf emergence continue
for two months before ending with the production of large panicles
of tiny flower buds (10 cm). Terminally located, these
pyramid-shaped panicles are positioned outside of, and slightly
above, the rest of the canopy. As they mature, the panicles yellow
and begin to bear hundreds of minute (3 mm in diameter) blossoms.
Each Camarón flower consists of a five pointed, cup-shaped
green calyx; five tiny and delicate white petals; five short,
inwardly-curving stamens; and a short, green pistil. The blossoms
emit a strong, bread or yeast-like odor that is clearly discernible
from the ground beneath these trees. Flowering periods are prolific
and highly synchronized, with all trees participating annually
for a three week period between mid-February and late March.
Fruits grow rapidly thereafter, but many are aborted during
all stages of their five month development. They mature as 4 cm,
ovoid, green drupes (resembling small avocados) with a thin layer
of flesh surrounding a large, stony seed. When ripe, the fruit
is soft and sweet smelling. Harvest begins in the last days of
June and continues through the beginning of August. Seeds germinate
within two months of fruit fall (typically in September) and the
seedlings - using the stored food in the large seed - grow twenty
centimeters during their first two weeks of life. The young saplings
are easily distinguished from the other vegetation of the forest
floor, thanks to the presence of small, linearly arranged dots
on the small tree's leaves.
Similar Species: The best way
to recognize sterile Camarón trees is through their emergent
size and unique bark characteristics. During the months of April
through August, look for the round, green (aborted or mature)
fruits that litter the ground beneath these trees.
Natural History: Camarón's
myriad flowers are visited by bees and other insects. They can
be seen in great numbers from the ground, swarming around the
mature and odorous panicles. After the ripe fruits have fallen
to the ground, they are much sought after 
by opossums, agoutis, pacas,
and other rodents. Usually, the gnawed-clean seed and discarded
shards of the fruit's skin - frequently seen along trails in the
morning - are all that remains of the drupe. Sometimes, the stripped
seeds are encountered in clumps on the forest floor, evidence
that they were collected and then consumed in one place. Bats
may be responsible for such seed distribution patterns, the winged
mammals repeatedly returning to specific roots from which to feed
on foraged fruits.
Camarón's minute flower petals are interesting in that
they do not remain attached to the flower for long. Instead, they
help protect the bud by covering it as it matures and they are
shed soon after it opens. The abundance of trees populating certain
regions within Manuel Antonio and the millions of flowers present
during the flowering season combine to create a continuous drizzle
of these tiny petals during March. Dust-like and scaly, they carpet
the forest floor with their numbers. The air is also filled with
a pungent, sweetish, bread-like fragrance during peak periods
of flowering activity.
Uses: The reddish Camarón
wood is locally famous for its hardness and density. It is said
that sawmills generally reject it as a timber tree because of
the difficulty encountered by blades in cutting through Camarón
wood. Apparently, some sections of the wood contain deposits of
silicate minerals (drawn in through the roots) - literally giving
these fibers a rock-hard texture.
Distribution: Camarón
trees are found in all humid ecosystems, preferring well drained
soils to continuously saturated ones. Though it can be locally
common, it is a tree species of very localized and restricted
distribution. Endemic to Costa Rica, Camarón is known only
from the area around Palmar Norte, Carara, Manuel Antonio, Punta
Leona, and the Osa Peninsula.
Trunk Flower Leaf Fruit
odor reminiscent of shrimp (or pejivalles) is clearly discernible
and this is the source of the tree's common name. Buttresses are
generally not present. Major limbs are thick and angular, and
they taper rapidly to the abundant and stiff grayish twigs. A
moderately dense layer of dark-green leaves complete a crown that
is thick, rounded, and compact - small for a tree of this size.
The simple, alternately arranged leaves (13 cm by 4.5c
m) are very thick, leathery, smooth, and sturdy. Blades are elliptical
in shape (though they are usually somewhat curled), ending in
stubby drip tips and supported by short petioles (0.5 cm). Late
in the year, about half of the foliage fades from green through
yellow to brown and is finally shed in late December and January.
Simultaneously, new growth appears at the tips of the branches.
(Often, these new shoots break off and they can be found on the
ground in large numbers). Growth and leaf emergence continue
for two months before ending with the production of large panicles
of tiny flower buds (10 cm). Terminally located, these
pyramid-shaped panicles are positioned outside of, and slightly
above, the rest of the canopy. As they mature, the panicles yellow
and begin to bear hundreds of minute (3 mm in diameter) blossoms.
Each Camarón flower consists of a five pointed, cup-shaped
green calyx; five tiny and delicate white petals; five short,
inwardly-curving stamens; and a short, green pistil. The blossoms
emit a strong, bread or yeast-like odor that is clearly discernible
from the ground beneath these trees. Flowering periods are prolific
and highly synchronized, with all trees participating annually
for a three week period between mid-February and late March.
Fruits grow rapidly thereafter, but many are aborted during
all stages of their five month development. They mature as 4 cm,
ovoid, green drupes (resembling small avocados) with a thin layer
of flesh surrounding a large, stony seed. When ripe, the fruit
is soft and sweet smelling. Harvest begins in the last days of
June and continues through the beginning of August. Seeds germinate
within two months of fruit fall (typically in September) and the
seedlings - using the stored food in the large seed - grow twenty
centimeters during their first two weeks of life. The young saplings
are easily distinguished from the other vegetation of the forest
floor, thanks to the presence of small, linearly arranged dots
on the small tree's leaves. 
