Endangered

Mauritia flexuosa

Moriche palm

The Mauritia flexuosa, also known as Buriti or Moriche palm, is a species of palm tree from the Arecaceae family, native to the Amazon region. Buriti is widely distributed throughout the Amazon basin, but can also be found in the Cerrado (Brazilian savanna) and Caatinga. The Buriti fruit is immensely relevant for traditional populations in arid Brazilian hinterlands, as it provides food with high nutritional value in periods of scarcity and in areas considered inhospitable. Furthermore, the presence of a Moriche palm grove indicates there is water in the ground – it symbolizes an oasis. Its leaves can be used to produce strong ropes, nets and hammocks, and it is a significant part of ancient indigenous nomadic cultures, who relied on this palm tree for different aspects of their lives. This vast utility indicates that the abundance of this species in certain areas of the forest points to the result of semi-cultivation in antiquity, and is therefore seen as an archaeological site. Today, ranching threatens the survival of this species, which is why there are protection measures put in place by Conservation Units in northeastern Brazil.

Jacaranda mimosifolia

Blue Jacaranda

In several Brazilian cities, the Blue Jacaranda is used as an ornamental species in urban forestation, due to its exuberant blue and purple flowers that attract hummingbirds. However, in its original habitat of southern Brazil, Argentina and Bolivia, this tree is considered vulnerable. Kate Sessions, one of the first women to study at Berkeley, graduated in natural sciences and is revered for bringing the Jacaranda mimosifolia to California at the end of the 19th century. Her landscaping work was highly coveted, and today a statue of her in San Diego's Balboa Park is the only one in the city to honor a feminine historical figure. These Blue Jacaranda seeds were acquired for the Seeds and Tales project from seed guardians in the State of Minas Gerais, Brazil.

Cedrela fissilis

Argentine cedar

The Argentine cedar is a tree that occurs naturally from Costa Rica to southern Brazil. Its wood has pink and red tones, and is used to “perfume rooms”. Unfortunately, this tree is considered a vulnerable species, as its population declines due to urban expansion, agriculture and logging. The wood of Cedrela fissilis was iconic in the creation of the “Guaraní Baroque” style, an artistic identity from the beginning of the formation of Brazil as a country, composed of religious sculptures. It is said that the Guaraní Indians see this tree as the one that gave rise to all trees, after a “cataclysm that destroyed the world”. Its seed was brought by a bird, and from it, all vegetation was reborn. Christian missionaries used this legend to evangelize indigenous people in the group of villages called Sete Povos das Missões (or Misiones Orientales). Through representations of figures from Christian mythology carved into reddish cedar, figures with features similar to those of indigenous peoples were generated. Eventually, in the middle of the 18th century, these Jesuit-Guarani communities went to war with the Portuguese crown in what we today call the Guaraní Wars. A group of seed collectors in Minas Gerais, Brazil, provided this specimen for the Seeds and Tales project.

Swietenia macrophylla

Big-leaf mahogany

The Brazilian big-leaf mahogany is a variety of the endemic neotropical tree found in Brazil. Today, it is classified in appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). This means that it is considered at risk of extinction if its commercialization as timber is not controlled. In the Classic Maya period, around a millennium ago, Swietenia macrophylla was abundant. This abundance was provided by the Mayan farming culture, and combined swiddening with intense agriculture. The highly profitable harvest of this tree during the colonial period decimated this population and the environmental legacy of the Maya. This seed was acquired from a collector in Brasília, Brazil, specialized in identifying and mapping wild parent trees. These parent trees are central to the propagation potential of their family, like a matriarch.

Dalbergia nigra

Bahia rosewood

The Bahia rosewood is sought after as it is considered to be of high quality for 3 centuries, especially for the production of musical instruments. Unfortunately, it was nearly driven to extinction, and today it is a challenge to combat its illegal trade in Europe. This wood was one of the first to be prohibited in international trading due to its vulnerable state. This seed was donated to the Mário Lago settlement in Ribeirão Preto, in the state of São Paulo, Brazil.

Araucaria angustifolia

Paraná pine

The Paraná pine is found in the Atlantic forest of the southern plateau, which covers a large area of ​​southern Brazil. It is gigantic, reaching 50 meters in height, and it is critically endangered. The ‘Parque provincial de la Araucaria’(A Nature Reserve named after the pine), in the province of Misiones in Argentina, is dedicated to the preservation of the Alto do Paraná forest, one of the most threatened biomes on the planet. This threat is due to the expansion of agriculture in general, but also because it was the scene of the biggest armed dispute in Latin America, the War of the Triple Alliance. The Province of Misiones, originally home to the Guarani people, became the target of dispute over the boundaries of Nation States in formation, which followed the European model of government administration and agricultural development. The seeds, called ‘pinhão’ (pronunciation: ping-auwm), are notoriously consumed and dispersed by birds such as the blue jay. For the Xokleng indigenous people, the pinhão is a cultural symbol that led them to nomadism, and was crucial in their diplomatic relations with people of other ethnic groups. Today, they are pioneers in the preservation of Araucaria, in Santa Catarina.

Copdiferd ldngsdorffii

Diesel tree

This seed was collected in the city of Caxambu, in the south of Minas Gerais, Brazil. In the state of São Paulo, Copaíba is listed as endangered, and preservation efforts take place “ex situ”, that is, outside its natural habitat, as well as within it. In a city in the State of Paraná, Brazil, one of the incentives for preservation has been tax discounts of urban properties that ensure the maintenance of these trees. For the Kuikuro indigenous people, Copaíba has a divine owner, who provides paint for fighters to put on their skin, and thus protect themselves. In fact, it is possible to extract an oil with healing properties from this tree’s trunk. More recently, this resin has also been tested as biofuel for cars.

Pterodon emarginatus

Sucupira branca

[pronunciation: Sue-coo-pee-ra Bran-kah; meaning: ‘White sucupira’]

The Sucupira tree is large and much sought after for its high quality wood. Which is perhaps why it is listed as endangered in the state of São Paulo. Its medicinal properties, such as its seed oil, include anti-inflammatory qualities and have been developed into pharmaceutical products. This seed, in particular, was acquired from a reforestation project in the Cerrado biome.

Euterpe edulis

Jussara

[pronunciation: ju-sa-ra] Jussara is a palm tree native to the Atlantic Forest and in danger of extinction. The pulp of the Jussara fruit is similar to the açai berry, and from its trunk is where heart of palm is extracted. It is highly nutritious and appreciated, its cultivation is responsible for guaranteeing income to agroecological farmers, mainly in the southeast and south of Brazil. This seed was collected from a site in the mountainous region of Rio de Janeiro.

Jussara without pulp

This seed is pulpless, from the Jussara palm. The Jussara is an endemic species of the Atlantic Forest under risk of extinction due to the extraction of its heart of palm. Palm cultivation to extract the fruit pulp has been encouraged as an agroecological alternative to increase the preservation of the species. This seed was collected from a farm in the mountainous region of the State of Rio de Janeiro.

Jussara, germinated

This Jussara palm seed is in the process of germinating. The germination of the Jussara palm occurs thanks to the moisture present in the forest environment, the cover provided by the tall tropical vegetation, and the accumulation of organic matter in the soil. After approximately 10 years, the palm tree breaks this cover as it seeks direct sunlight and starts to produce fruit. The name “Euterpe”, in the scientific term for this plant, refers to a Greek goddess, one of Zeus’ daughters, “the giver of delight” that presides over the world of music.