With bright red, orange or yellow flowers, this tree provides a brilliant splash of color during the dry season. The native range of the plant is Western Madagascar where it is endangered of extinction. It has been since introduced across the tropics occurring from South Florida, Brazil, Australia and Southeast Asia. The dried pods and rattling seeds can be used as natural maracas.

Growing to be over 90 feet tall, this grand tree is common sight in the dry tropical forests on the road up to Monteverde. From January to March, this tree sheds all of its leaves with only the growing seed pods at its tips. In April as the rains return, the leaves sprout and hundreds of 8 inch brown pods drop to the ground. Each ear-shaped pod has 10-13 seeds and a pulpy flesh that can be used as a soap substitute. The shiny brown seeds need to pass through an animals gut to be scarified before being able to germinate.

Plants of the Rain Forest. There are hundreds of different types of plants throughout the topics. From minute orchids to towering trees, every corner of the tropics are a filled with amazing diversity. Some of the determining factors for tropical plants are the amount of rain, the timing of the rains, soil types and altitude. The seeds in our project come from the dry tropical and wet cloud forests of the western volcanic slopes of Costa Rica.

Please keep seeds away from small kids and pets - they can be choking hazards and are non-edible.

All of the seeds are in their natural state - we do not dye or varnish them. Do not immerse in water as swelling and expansion will result.

Guanacaste Tree - Guanacaste - Enterolobium cyclocarpum

Tears of Saint Peter - Lagrima de San Pedro - Coix lacryma-jobi

This member of the grass family is frequently found along streams, ditches and other wet areas throughout the region. This plant occurs world-wide and is used in jewelry from the Amazon to Hawaii. The pea-sized seeds range in color from black, gray, light tan and white. These seeds are easy to work with due to their natural openings at either end. They are also quite durable with a rock-hard shell that has a naturally varnished look.

Machete Flower Tree - Nene - Erythrina berteroana

This quick-growing member of the bean family is often used as a living fence post. Cut branches are placed along the fence row and quickly grow strong enough to support barbed wire. Using living fence posts saves having to cut more trees and it also provides shade and forage for livestock. This tree grows to be 20 feet and is covered with heavy spines.

Western Soapberry - Jaboncillo - Sapindus saponaria

These round black seeds are covered by a leathery yellow shell which can be used as a natural soap. The genus of Sapindus translates to mean soap of the Indies and was named as such by Carolus Linnaeus, the father of modern taxonomy. The dried yellow fruit is sold under the name of Soap Nuts. This tree grows to a height of 30 feet and ranges across western Central America.

Common Name - Spanish - Scientific

Flamboyant Tree - Malinche - Delonix regia