Catemaco Trees & Bushes

published by the Field Museum of Chicago, IL - 6.9mb pdf file

Catemaco Reforestation

According to well informed paternal sources in beautiful downtown Catemaco, a recent attempt to seed by helicopter some areas in the Sierra Santa Marta, which is the southern section of the Sierra de Los Tuxtlas, was successful.

The intrepid founder of the Tuxtlas Defendors organization (DEMATAC), Jessica Hitandegüi Swanson accompanied Mexican navy pilots on their mission to seed scarred areas in the southern sierra by dropping small spheres, filled with germplasm, a bit of fertilized growth medium, and lots of hope upon vacant areas and unsuspecting villagers.

While interviewing some of the affected villagers, many of whom are enjoying acreages of land freely bestowed by the Mexican government less than 50 years ago, a frequent paraphrased comment was “It is a lot of fun watching these balls run down the hills, our cows love eating them. But our children prefer the Chicken McNuggets served in Coatzacoalcos restaurants.”

Reference: Seed Balls

Catemaco Viveros

Catemaco and Los Tuxtlas, Veracruz are a reservoir for hundreds of botanical species, rarely seen anywhere in the world. Los Tuxtas probably has more shades of green than any painter’s palette. and counts upwards of 2,700 species from 215 plant families.

10 per cent of the area’s tree species plus dozens of other plants are considered unique in the world, and the list of threatened or endangered species keeps expanding.

Catemaqueños love plants. To accommodate them, there are dozens of tiny viveros (landscape nurseries) in the county. Many congregate along the road in La Victoria on the edge of the Laguna. Others crowd the surounding hill sides.

Those not satisfied with local selections may visit Tapalapan, just outside Santiago Tuxtla for tropical fauna rarely seen outside of Veracruz. Orchid lovers are fascinated by the selection in the Orchidario Selva, a few miles south of Catemaco.
20 years ago the Veracruz government established a state run vivero in Pozolapan, stressing its importance to the renovation and protection of the Los Tuxtlas environment. But somehow funds for its maintenance keep disappearing.

Three years ago, in a major press conference, the vivero was proposed to be refurbished with 6 million pesos. Although budgeted twice, that money apparently was reassigned leaving Pozolapan with 6 employees, a foreman, and a manager apparently resident in Xalapa.
Most of the 600 hectares of the vivero are unused and most of the land in use requires maintenance. According to neighbors biological agents necessary for control of invasive plants and insects are not available.

Although almost weekly one Mexican government organization or other expresses its support for reforestation of Los Tuxtlas, presumably the seedlings will be grown in other areas of the state.

Meanwhile, judging by the number of private landscapers, locals are doing their best to keep beautiful downtown Catemaco vibrant and flourishing.

Catemaco Yellowing

Coconut palms were introduced to Veracruz in the 16th century. Many of the more than 2,600 species of palms are economically important as providers of both oil, fruit, fiber, roofing and furniture. At one point, Mexico was the largest coconut producer in the Americas.

Aesthetically coco palms are what makes most beaches beautiful. That beauty has been tremendously scarred by the “lethal yellowing” disease of coco palms. After wiping out most of the southern palms in the US and the Caribbean, the disease was first diagnosed in Mexico in 1982.

Since then, most Coconut plantations in the Yucatan and Tabasco have been destroyed and many miles of beachfront resemble a hurricane holocaust. The disease invaded Veracruz a few years ago and inexorably is destroying the local palm population.

Apparently the disease is caused by a phytoplasm (almost a bacteria) and transmitted by an ugly miniature cockroach like bug (Myndus Crudus). Repeated injections of tetracycline during the disease’s early stages produce remissions, but no cure.

Most palm species are resistant to lethal yellowing, but most coco producers are not resistant. The exeptions are mostly Malayan dwarf palms and their hybrids.

Veracruz recently initiated a major replantation scheme for coco palms with Malayan dwarfs. Concerned coco producers elsewhere have concentrated on a hybrid species (”Maypan”), which grows more rapidly, is more resistant and produces substantially more coconuts. In addition, small scale coco productions have often been cited as money losing ventures. Nevertheless, Catemaco is now being blessed with 6 hectareas of various coco plantations.

Meanwhile though, anyone loving their palms, should seriously consider planting one of the disease resistant varieties next to the existing palm, which will probably die sooner or later.
(Hello! beautiful downtown Catemaco municipio street beautification department, wherever you are!)

Reference: Lethal Yellowing of Palms

http://flrec.ifas.ufl.edu/Hort/Palms/lethal_yellow_facts.htm

Fiery Catemaco

Beautiful downtown Catemaco also has some beautiful weeds. Locals don´t even have a name for this weed, but some English speaking botanists call it “Fiery Spike”. It grows wild on my land, and sort of becomes ugly when the leaves turn brown, the flower disappears, and new spikes are getting grown.

But when the plant is in flower, Hummingbirds love it, and passerbies steal it.