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Charles Zidar
ANCIENT MAYA BOTANICAL RESEARCH |
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| Family: | Bombacaceae | | Genus: | Bernoullia | | Species: | flammea | | Authority: | Oliv. | | Common Name: | locust tree, pojote | | Maya Name: | Amapola, mapola, red mapola, uacut or uakuz | | Maya Plant Use: | Food, products
This tree was most likely used to make canoes because of its light weight wood and the size of the trunk (Schlesinger 2001). | | Botanical Significance: | Hummingbirds are frequent visitors to the reddish flowers of Bernoullia flammea. These birds had great significance to the Maya, possibly due to their small size, territorial behavior and great speed (Schlesinger 2001). | | Ritual Significance: | It is possible that the plant’s association with hummingbirds gave significance to this tree. Because there are images similar in appearance to the flowers of Bernoullia flammea, the Maya also may have enjoyed the tree for the beauty of its flowers. The depictions of Bernoullia flowers diplay curled, recurved petals and multiple stamens, similar to that of the actual flower. | | Notes: | Photo: www.nybg.org |
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