The Flora of Guatemala Has been considered by various experts as the richest and most diversified in Central America.
Its flora is made up of a great variety of genera and native and some imported species that have been able to adapt to the lands of the length and breadth of the country.
The orchid, one of the most typical flowers of Guatemala
This variety has also led to the inclusion of many endemic orchids and valuable fruit trees for the Guatemalan economy.
Despite being located in Central America, its flora differs considerably compared to its neighboring countries, which is due to the large number of habitats that it possesses. These range from active volcanoes to subalpine grasslands with very low temperatures.
According to the most recent studies of Guatemalan national botanists and foreigners, the variety extends to almost 8000 types of species found scattered throughout the nation, being mostly native or endemic species. Numbers that according to botanists are indicative of a high variety and diversity.
The Guatemalan flora has also helped the nation's economy grow, so its overall impact has made it an important aspect to study within society.
At the same time it has had great utility in various social aspects that have been so for a long time.
You may also like This article on Guatemala's natural resources .
Main species of the flora of Guatemala
One of the most exotic species that can be seen in the flora of Guatemala Are the orchids.
Mainly we can see the stained coral orchid, a plant with a stem of up to 80 cm and a production of up to 50 flowers. Its colors are similar to those of a coral as the orchid adopts colors such as red and brown.
Another of the plants that can also be found in large quantities are the avocado trees (Known in the botanical language with the name of Persea Americana).
This fruit tree has been very exploited within the Guatemalan economy since its fruit, the avocado , Has been used for many years in local food. The tree grows easily in tropical environments and thanks to the fertility of Guatemalan soil its growth is quite fast.
In the same way, the flora of Central America are very abundant in the Caribbean pines , Especially in Guatemala, are in large numbers because of the location of acid and drained soils that are close to large amounts of water.
You can find these pine forests near the entire coast. These Caribbean pines are not native to Guatemala, their variety comes directly from Honduras, but this has not prevented large amounts from being obtained throughout the Guatemalan territory.
We can also find the I smell , Which is a very common juniper both in Mexico and Guatemala and can grow up to 15 meters.
However the huito, also known as Juniperus standleyi , Is in danger of extinction due to the constant deforestation that has been carried out over the years and the lack of a reforestation project to recover the species.
We can also find the guamatela that is part of the Guamatelacea family. This shrub owes its name to Guatemala, although they are scattered throughout most of Central America.
It is a floral plant but it does not really have an ornamental or fruity use. They are scattered by the forests and forests of the country and their extension has been with a minimal intervention by the man since the little commercial utility that has been obtained to the plant.
Utility of the flora of Guatemala
Many uses have been given to what is the Guatemalan flora, from the use of avocado in almost all its traditional dishes to the presence of various fruits and hills for medicinal matters.
One of the fruits that we can find in local and indigenous Guatemalan medicine is the white zapote (known in the botanical world as Casimiroa edulis ). This fruit is widely used to treat nervousness, high blood pressure, insomnia As well as use it as a sedative.
Another of the fruits most used for medicinal matters is the Olive (Also know as Simarouba amara).
This tree is found in almost all Central America and its use comes from the pre-Columbian stage, since these times has been used to treat various evils related to the stomach. In addition to the olive is given the culinary use that is given also in the rest.
In the commercial aspect it has been given great Black oak ( Quercus rugosa ) Due to its relevance in the world of logging and the usefulness it has given. However, this enormous use has also begun to generate risks for the continuity of the species within the Guatemalan flora.
Risks of the flora of Guatemala
As in the rest of the world, the flora of Guatemala has been greatly affected by human intervention and the absence of projects for the rehabilitation and recovery of species. The flora has also been indirectly affected by the destruction of unique habitats, which were unique to certain species.
The recovery and protection systems in Guatemala have very few species under some type of threat classification, however, certain needs have already begun to be noticed that must be ensured to achieve the sustainability of the rich variety of species.
For example the Vanilla planifolia , A kind of orchid from which they derive the popular and commercial flavor of vanilla and which occurs throughout Central America.
This has been affected by the large commercial impact that the plant has had in international markets, which has led to an exploitation that does not adapt to its reproduction rate.
References
- Steyermark, J. (1950). Flora of Guatemala. Chicago, United States: Chicago Natural History Museum.
- World Atlas. (2017). Native Plants of Guatemala: WorldAtlas.com. Retrieved from worldatlas.com.
- Swollen, J. (1955). Part II: Grasses of Guatemala. Chicago, United States: Chicago Natural History Museum.
- World Atlas. (2017). Native Plants of Guatemala: WorldAtlas.com. Retrieved from www.worldatlas.com.
- University of Wisconsin. (S.f.). Corallorhiza maculate. Wisconsin, United States: UW- Madison Department of Botany. Retrieved from botany.wisc.edu.
- Schieber, E., & Zentmyer, G. (1992). Ancestors of the Guatemalan"Criollo"(Persea americana var. Guatemalensis) as Studied in the Guatemalan Highlands, Second World Avocado Congress. Congress held in California, United States. Paper retrieved from avocadosource.com.
- Caribbean Pine. (S.f.). In Wikipedia . Retrieved on March 27, 2017 from wikipedia.org.
- Juniperus Standleyi. (S.f.). In Wikipedia . Retrieved on March 27, 2017 from wikipedia.org.
- Bold Systems. (S.f.). Guamatela tuerckheimii {species}. Retrieved from boldsystems.org.
- Zavaleta, A. (2012). Medicinal plants of the borderlands: a bilingual resource guide. Indiana, United States: AutorHouse.
- Simarouba had loved it. (S.f.). In Wikipedia . Retrieved on March 27, 2017 from en.wikipedia.org.
- Oaks of the world. (S.f.). Rugged Quercus. Recovered from Oaks.of.the.world.free.fr.
- North American Orchid Conservation Center. (S.f.) Vanilla Planifolia. Recovered from
Goorchids.northamericanorchidcenter.org.