Camíbar
is one of the relatively few trees that is classifiable as an
emergent for it routinely reaches heights that project its crown
well above the average level of the forest canopy. In terms of
crown diameter, trunk circumference, height and sheer mass, Camíbar
ranks among the three or four largest trees to be found along
Costa Rica's Pacific coast. Superlative in every respect, this
tree is also notable for the strong and penetrating, camphor smell
emitted by its fruits and the beauty and artistic grace of its
leaves. Camíbar is a primary forest species found growing
on moist soils located on hills and ridges as well as in valleys.
Description: Camíbar has a mostly cylindrical, straight and columnar trunk (exceeding 1.2 m in diameter in large individuals), occasionally possessing stout, low, rounded buttresses. High above the surrounding forest, the bole supports thick limbs that give way to a multitude of fine twigs, forming a wide, hemispherical or flattened crown. A nearly continuous shell of fine leaflets, arranged in a single, tenuous layer, complete the open Camíbar canopy. Distinctively reddish or orange in color, Camíbar bark is relatively smooth and it makes this tree stand out from surrounding vegetation. In the oldest and largest specimens (>1 m), the bark on the lower bole becomes gray, rough, and vertically fissured, as the outer, smoother cortex is shed in thick, rectangur strips. Camíbar has very characteristic and memorable leaves (20 cm by 9 cm) that allow its rapid identification. Each is compound, paripinnate, alternate, and made up of eight to twelve asymmetrical leaflets. The leaflets (6 cm by 2.5 cm) are elliptical but strongly falcate (forward-curving) in shape, tapering to a sharp drip-tips. Some amount of leaf-folding is evident in this species at night. Trees shed and then regenerate their entire crown of foliage sometime between late January and May, remaining bare only briefly. Great numbers of small, white flowers (4 mm) are borne on large, frond-shaped axillary panicles. Each flower consists of four narrow petals, eight stamens, and a single, wide and flattened pistil. During peak activity, these blossoms whiten the entire crown and Camíbar trees suddenly become visible from a distance, amid the jumble of forest vegetation that lines the ridges and hills surrounding parks such as Manuel Antonio. Flowering occurs sporadically - though simultaneously - from late June until October, though most frequently in August. The fruit (3.5 cm) is a coin-shaped, dehiscent woody pod with a central bulge. Splitting longitudinally, each reveals a bright yellow aril that covers three-quarters of a single, round, glossy black seed (1.5 cm). Also within the pod is a small amount of thick, clear, odorous resin - smelling strongly of camphor. During their development, large quantities of immature fruits are usually aborted and can be found on the ground beneath Camíbar crowns. Harvests occur over the course of about a month, sometime between November and March. These variably timed and unsynchronized events do not occur annually, with individual trees producing large harvests every three or four years. Seeds germinate at the beginning of the next rainy season.
