Trichilia tuberculata (Trich. & Planch.) C. DC.
Meliacea CAMFIN
Common evergreen subcanopy (rarely canopy) tree (15-23 m) found uniformly distributed throughout Manuel Antonio’s primary forest ecosystems – except for those present along the extreme sandy coastline. Camfin usually grows sandwiched between taller canopy or emergent rain forest trees where its access to direct sunlight is limited. The species is notable for its dense, emerald-green canopy and prominent, golden fruits with eye-catching red-ariled seeds.
Description: Camfin trunks (40-50 cm) are moderately irregular in cross-section and not very straight, showing gradual bending as they rise through the understory. They are clad in mostly smooth, dark brown or gray bark that is marked by vertical, creme-colored lenticels. Camfin trees branch profusely, with short, thin limbs covering one half to two thirds of the bole. Thickly covered with dark foliage, they from a narrow, vertically organized, opaque crown.
Leaves (30 by 20 cm) are imparipinnately compound and alternate, usually with seven smooth and dark-green leaflets alternately arranged along the dorsally grooved petiole. Leaflet size and shape varies according to position: distal blades are large (15 by 4 cm), narrowly elliptical in shape, and taper slowly to points at both ends (one of which is a well developed drip tip) while proximal blades tend to be short (7 cm by 2.5 cm) and abruptly tapering. In addition, laterally located leaflets are sometimes mildly falcate, curving inwards toward the petiole. The juxtaposition of this particular set of features happens to create one of the more esthetic foliage forms to be found in Manuel Antonio forests. Short, sporadic, and unsynchronized bursts of leaf growth occur within the Camfin population over a period of several months, beginning in late October.
Flowers (0.3 cm) are minute, green-yellow in color, and produced in abundance on large, axillary panicles (25 cm). Each contains four sepals and about eight stamens – petals are lacking. Strongly aromatic, the panicles often fill the air with a sweet fragrance. Coming on the heels of new leaf production, Camfin’s flowering period is equally extended and poorly synchronized, with the timing of tree fertility varying widely between individuals. While most blossoming occurs sometime in the early to mid dry season (from December to March, with a peak in February) flowers have been observed as early as October and as late as May.
Fruits develop rapidly and grow into green, and later yellow, ovoid capsules (2.5 by 1.5 cm), thickly and characteristically covered by short, stout, waxy tubercules. Clusters of these capsules are positioned in exposed locations near the fringes of the canopy, and they open by splitting into three symmetrical sections. Inside, each contains 3 or 4 seeds, all enclosed in a single, bright red, football-shaped, aril. Long and gray, the seeds share several rounded as well as flattened faces. Harvests begin in July and last through September. Individual trees are again highly variable in the frequency and abundance with which they produce fruits. Large harvests have been observed on some trees during two out of three seasons while others seem to generate small crops on an annual basis. Still others have yet to set any fruit in over five years of observations. Camfin seeds germinate rapidly and easily, usually within a month of falling to the moist forest floor.
Similar Species: All Trichilias have similar, compound leaves. However, this species is unique in its alternate arrangement of leaflets along the petiole. While Camfin fruits are easy to recognize and they do serve to positively identify this species, their color pattern may be confused with that of Fruta Dorada (Virola koschnyi). In fact, Virola produces a much larger, smooth yellow capsule that splits into equal halves and reveals a shredded, red aril surrounding a single, rounded seed. Though the fruit structure is markedly different, the color match between the capsules and arils of the two species is striking.
Natural History: Camfin flowers are pollinated by insects and bees. The fruits are consumed by arboreal mammals (e.g. squirrel monkeys) and birds. The brightly colored fruit capsule and aril serve well as a signpost to foraging fauna. Radetsky (1995) reports from Panama’s Barro Colorado Island that spider monkeys consume Camfin fruits there. This animal and others – originally native to the Manuel Antonio area – are now gone from it due to the destructive loss of habitat that resulted when the surrounding lands were cleared for agriculture. When the park became a small, isolated island of arboreal vegetation, it lost its ability to support many of the larger bird and mammal species – including spider monkeys. One wonders how the loss of such an effective vector for seed dispersal will affect the long term survival of T. tuberculata in Manuel Antonio. How many other species – whose fruits appear to have little appeal to the current faunal population – are in a similar predicament?
Uses: Trichilia tuberculata would be an ideal ornamental species, thanks to its moderate size, thick, emerald green crown, and attractive fruit pods.
Distribution: In Manuel Antonio National Park (MANP), this tree is found as a subcanopy species, frequently growing in the shade of other, larger trees. It is common along the Punta Catedral and Puerto Escondido trails. Trichilia ranges from southwestern Costa Rica to Darien, Panama.
Images: Leaf. Flower Flower2 Fruit Fruit & Seed
Trees of Costa Rica's Pacific Slope 
