Pachira inyursteinsis

Revision as of 18:32, 18 November 2018 by old>ContraViper (→‎Economic Significance)
(diff) ← Older revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)
Jump to navigation Jump to search

Inyurstan Chesnut
File:Pachira.jpg
Left: adult P. inyursteisis; Right: Profile of flower and leaves
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Plantae
Phylum:
Angiosperms
Order:
Malves
Family:
Malvaceae
Genus:
Pachria
Species:
P. inyursteinsis
Binomial name
Pachira inyursteinsis
Linneaus, 1830

Pachira inyursteinsis, commonly called "Pochoté" or "Inyurstan Chesnut" is a common species of tree found in upland environments across the country and into neighboring Gran Cuscatlan. It holds economic significance to the Inyurstan timber and exotic plant industries.

Description

P. inyursteinsis is a large tree, growing anywhere from 20-40m tall, with a Diameter at Breast Height (DBH) maxing out at around .72m wide. It has a nondescript patchy gray bark, often covered with moss or lichens; however, it is distinct due to its vibrant, fibrous flower with five long white, yellow or light orange petals. The leaves are arranged in a radical array of five leaves per stem.

Habitat

Inyurstan Chesnut is found in low, poorly-drained and seasonally flooded soils. Riverine systems, including flood plain forests, the banks of oxbow lakes and shoreline environments provide the main habitat for this species, where it acts as both a mid-story species and an edge community plant. It can also be found in upland wooded ephemeral wetlands as a true mid-story tree, and in the Parallanos, where it often grows as tall, singular trees in ditches or other damp areas.

Economic Significance

Pachira inyursteinsis is valued abroad for its ornate, light-colored wood. In parts of Topoguya and Borasoles, this tree is farmed for its timber, as part of the Inyurstan exotic wood trade. Domestic logging is also used to gather the wood of P. inyursteinsis; however, watershed and forestland protection laws have made it harder to log, and paired with relatively short growing times make it more profitable to farm the plant. A dwarf breed of the tree is also grown and sold as a form of bonsai plant, usually including a double or triple-twisted trunk and a single-digit number of leaves featuring only one or two flowers.

It is estimated that the cultivation, harvest and export of this species brings in around Y$82 million a year, and employs roughly 1.7 million people.