Calophyllum longifolium    Willd.

Common Name: CEDRO MARÍA

Abundant evergreen canopy tree (25-30 m) found growing in moist habitats present along the Pacific coast and occasionally forming almost pure stands. With its thick, deeply fissured bark and large, parallel veined leaves, Cedro María is amply distinguished from the rest of the park's arboreal flora. This species is widely appreciated for its fine quality, orange wood.

Description: Cedro María has a cylindrical, straight trunk (70 cm) that completely lacks buttresses. The bole is clad in a thick layer of tan-brown bark that is profoundly grooved by darker, discontinuous vertical fissures. The striated appearance created is a hallmark of this species (and of its sister tree - C. brasiliense: see note below). High on the bole, thick, angular and often horizontal branches emerge. These stout limbs subdivide minimally into a small number of branches and twigs. However, a thick covering of large leaves still produces a full-looking, if narrow crown. Leaves are simple and oppositely arranged along the twigs. They are large (25 cm by 9 cm) and elliptically shaped, with drip-tips lacking and replaced by inwardly indented (obcordate) apices. The blades have a smooth, waxy feel and they are supported by long (2 cm) petioles. Though a true dicot, María leaves sport a unique, parallel pattern of venation more like that of many monocots (e.g. bananas, palms). In this configuration, a single, thick mid-rib is flanked by many fine, parallel secondary veins that extend to the leaf margin. The dark green leaves are rot-resistant and their durability is manifest by the persistence of brown Cedro María leaves on the forest floor for many months after being shed. New foliage is produced (and some old leaves are lost) mainly in November and December. Cedro María flowers (1 cm) are unisexual and the male and female varieties are borne on separate trees (the species is dioecious) by short, axillary racemes holding about five blossoms each. Four white, cupped petals are present in all flowers, and these are folded back over the receptacle. Male blossoms sport a cluster of yellow stamens in the flower center while female blossoms maintain a globular green pistil and a vestigial staminate ring at this location. Generally speaking, fertility cycles in Cedro María are erratic and complex. Flowering periods are brief, lasting only a couple of weeks at a time, and apparently semi-annual. The first occurs in June and the second sometime between October and December. Fruits grow rapidly on female trees as the green ovaries expand, though their aborted, immature stages are found abundantly on the forest floor during all phases of their development. After about four months, the remaining fruits reach maturity. At this time they are large (4-5 cm), dull, blue-green drupes of globular shape. Only a thin layer of soft tissue covers the single, woody, round seed. Fruits ripen slowly and individually in the tree crowns, creating an extended harvest that may last for several months. This, combined with the semi-annual frequency of the flowering periods, creates a situation in which fruits may be encountered at almost any time during the year. In general, the only months lacking harvest activity are those from June to September. María seeds germinate only after remaining dormant for several months in the most soil. Frequently, accumulations of seeds that have built up over the summer months germinate simultaneously with the return of the rains in May and June.

Similar Species: The only species present in its habitat that is confusable with C. longifolium is C. brasiliense - also known locally as Cedro María. These two species are identical in almost all details of trunk shape, bark color and texture, leaf venation, and flower and fruit shape. However, they may be distinguished by the relative sizes of their respective leaves and flowers - those of C. brasiliense being consistently smaller than those of C. longifolium. Leaves of C. brasiliense average 12 cm long by 4 cm wide while its flowers are only half the size of C. longifolium blossoms.

Natural History: Cedro María flowers are insect pollinated while its fruits are not strongly pursued by any of the extant Pacific coastal fauna. In fact, most of these drupes rot in place on the ground where they land. Agouties and Pacas do take some fallen fruits, chewing off the outer flesh and leaving behind the stripped seeds - and these are often seen along trails.
This tree once dominated the vegetation found at the far end of the sand bridge (or tombolo) that connects Punta Catedral to the mainland in Manuel Antonio National Park. Huge trees - some of the biggest to be seen anywhere - stood silent vigil over this isthmus for many years. Sadly, these monolithic Marías died rapidly and successively during the early eighties - the last tree succumbing in 1985. At the time, rumors suggested that a parasitic infection was causing the mortality. Fortunately, the alleged disease failed to spread to other Marias located in the surrounding forest.
It was decided by national park personnel that the still-standing dead giants posed a substantial hazard. Visitors, who walked the trails and the beaches on a daily basis, often passed directly below the heavy, decaying branches of these dead trees. The park guard elected to cut them down was a good friend: Efrain Vargas Berrocal. There being no chain saws available at that time - the park service in general could not afford such equipment - axes were the tool of choice. I will never forget the strength, dexterity, and steadiness that Efrain demonstrated as he slowly, but deliberately, swung the blade into these massive trunks. With each precisely aimed blow, chucks of wood shattered and flew as the trunk yielded to the incredible intensity of his focused spirit. Efrain's skill, stamina, and courage - brought to bare on this one task - had been honed over a lifetime spent in this frontier environment.
Systematically, Efrain would cut the boles deeply on one side, and then begin a second, smaller cut, opposite to the first. The positioning of these grooves was a serious matter, for they would determine the direction of tree-fall (in conjunction with branch distribution and wind direction and strength). When the two opposing cuts were close to joining, each ax blow would make the entire tree shudder: an experience that I found awing and humbling given my close proximity to such towering mass and bulk. At this point, Efrain would place his ear close to the inside of the cut and listen. I did the same and was amazed - and petrified - to hear the sharp crackling noises made by individual wood fibers as they snapped, one by one, under the strain of the nearly collapsing tree.
Then, everyone would clear away from the work - except Efrain. He knew that at this point in the process, despite the best laid plans, anything was possible. Every new strike of the ax could initiate a change that would require him to act quickly and instinctively to save his life. Ideally, the final blow would be signaled by a minor tilting of the bole - a slow motion movement that would allow him time to judge the tree's trajectory correctly and get out of the way. Often, there was no warning. The last crack of the ax would precipitate an almost instantaneous release of stored energy and the bole would come crashing down. It was in situations such as these that Efrain's skill in pre-determining the direction of the tree fall really paid off. They always seemed to come down in exactly the direction he anticipated.

Uses: Beneath its bark, C. brasiliense has a thick, yellow resin that is reported to have medicinal qualities. Both species of Calophyllum have easy to work, orange wood of moderate weight that is highly appreciated in furniture making and construction.

Distribution: C. longifolium is found in Costa Rica's Manuel Antonio National Park as well as the Osa Peninsula. The species ranges from Costa Rica to Brazil and Peru.

Trunk    Flower    Fruit/Leaf    C. brasiliense Leaf/Fruit