The trees that were born before Christ in the Amazon

The Flora Brasiliensis is a landmark in global botany. Although started in 1840, Volume 1 was only published in 1906, with 59 illustrations of Brazilian landscapes. In this story, we will embark on a 'botanical journey' through one book, highlighting the plants.

On October 4, 1819, accompanied by Spix and a large team of indigenous people, the botanist von Martius departed from Vila Nova da Rainha (now Parintins in Pará) heading south, aiming to collect his first samples in a terra firme (dryland) forest of the Amazon.

Upon arriving at the site, the natives shouted “Aique caâ-etê,” meaning “this is the primitive jungle”. It was a mysterious and dark forest with immense trees and towering canopies, intertwined in such a tight web that the sun’s rays seldom found their way through.

He noticed the fact that there were not many trees, shrubs, or herbs in the lower stratum of the forest. But what most impressed Martius were the three gigantic trees that surpassed all others. “I had never seen anything like it!”

“We ordered nine natives to encircle the tree, but they were not enough. It took 15 men to encircle it. The circumference reached 25.5 meters at the base of the trunk.” The tabular roots were enormous and spread over a large area around the trees.

Martius estimated that these giant trees were between 2,052 and 4,104 years old, meaning that they had been there since long before Christ. “Entire civilizations have arisen and disappeared without leaving any trace [...], and these trees continue living out their days.”

The three trees appeared to be of the same species, but their name remains unknown. Their towering canopies, about 30 meters high, did not allow the scholars to collect a sample for identification. The natives called them “jataí” or “jutaí” (perhaps Hymenaea coubaril).

The dead tree that appears prominently is a 'cipó-matador' or 'mata-pau' (Ficus sp.). It is a parasitic plant that usually surrounds the trunk of host trees to the point of suffocating them to death.

The 'araça-da-mata' (Eugenia muricata) that appears next to one of the giant trees was probably sown by some kind of mammal, perhaps a monkey. It must be about 200 years old. Elsewhere it would look like a large tree, but here near the others, it looks more like a shrub.

On the other side, we see two "açaí palms" (Euterpe oleracea). The fruits are consumed as food or a juice drink, and the heart of palm is widely enjoyed as a delicacy. The leaves and trunks have numerous important uses and the clean seeds can be used in crafts.

Despite the environmental changes caused by humans in recent times, the Amazon still harbors numerous ancient trees. Some of these trees are absolutely gigantic, such as the angelim-vermelho, the Brazil nut tree, and the kapok tree. Let’s not allow them to disappear!