Ocotea foetens
Encyclopedia
Ocotea foetens is a species
of tree
up to 40 m tall in the Lauraceae
family. It is a common constituent in the laurisilva
forest
s of the archipelagoes of Macaronesia
: Madeira
and Azores
(Portugal
), and Canaries
(Spain
). It is commonly called "Til
", "Tilo
", "Stinkwood
", Garoé, Oreodaphne foetens or Rain tree of Hierro island. Each of these terms refers to unrelated plants depending on location or island. It is a species of plant
in the genus Oreodaphne
or Ocotea
in the Lauraceae
family.
It is an evergreen fragrant tree of considerable size, which is indigenous to Macaronesian archipelago. This tree is related with Oreodaphne Californica from California and Mexico
and other tropical american species. It has also medicinal virtues like to California laurel. The tree, looking like a californian bay has a berries consumed mostly by endemic madeiran pigeon Columba trocaz.
endemic of laurel
of Macaronesia
. Like the other species of Ocotea
genus, is rich in essential oils, which give an unpleasant odor to the wood (hence the namefoetens' 'Latin
forfoul). It is rarely used as an ornamental.
It is a tree
evergreen
between 8 and 20-30 m in height, some specimens may reach 40 m. The trunk is rough and irregular, covered with a dark skin. The wood
is dark and hard, releasing a characteristic odor when freshly cut. Are common examples with multiple stems or trunks strongly branched from the base. The young branches are slender, angular, with smooth integument, sometimes reddish areas of recent growth.
The leaves, with 9-12 long and 3-5 cm wide, are oblong-lanceolate to almost elliptical, acuminate and slightly cut at the base. In adult plants, the leaves are leathery in texture, glossy on both sides, dark green on the upper face more intense, with small blisters on the underside of the ribs under the armpits. The stem
s are canicular and short (up to 15 mm in length).
The flower
s of both sexes are white, with splashes of green and pale yellow, releasing a slight odor. The perianth
is 6 pieces, and the male 9 yarn
s. The maximum flowering season from June to August.
The fruit
is a berry
hard and fleshy with about 3 cm long, covered in its anterior half by a dome, giving it a look similar to a Acorn
. The fruit is dark green, gradually darkening with maturity. The summit lenhifica up and hardens with ripening. The fruit has a single seed wrapped in a hard coat and slightly lignified. The fruits fall coming away from the dome, leaving a black past few days on the ground. The fruits are eaten several poultry
and is important in the diet of wood pigeon
. Germination is difficult and is favored by moisture and light. Seedlings tolerate evil shadow.
, a type of laurel forest
adapted to Macaronesian islands. It is found in Canary
islands, Madeira
, Azores
. His name foetens refers to its unpleasant smell. It is threatened by habitat loss.
The "Ocotea foetens" is endemic to Macaronesia: Madeira
Azores
and Canary Islands
, appearing in laurel forest
, generally between 400 and 1400 m altitude (between 200 and 700 m in the Azores). In the Canary Islands is present on all islands, except Lanzarote
and Fuerteventura
. In the archipelago of Madeira is absent from the Porto Santo.
in the Canary Islands
and was one of its symbols.
Due to its location, where tradewinds occur, the water from the clouds is condensed from the branches from the trees and it later pours rain around the island. This phenomenon takes place throughout the Canary Islands. The legend asserts that the Garoé was a large laurel tree that assured the life of the Bimbaches, providing them water in sufficient amounts for their survival. The Bimbaches later filled water chaffs and water was transported to towns to all parts of the island.
One of many legends says that the water originating from the tree was led to a hole from which the Bimbaches could provide water. It was from this form as they managed to reject the Castilian
or Spanish invasion for a certain period of time.
The original tree fell in a storm in 1610. In 1957, another laural was planted in the same location as the Garoé. It has been growing and is presently surrounded by moss
es. Clouds continue to pass through the summits of the island and, during foggy days, produce the observable phenomenon of horizontal rain. As it happens with all the legends, the Garoé has been left in herreña conscience as a sacred tree able to provide water to the island.
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of tree
Tree
A tree is a perennial woody plant. It is most often defined as a woody plant that has many secondary branches supported clear of the ground on a single main stem or trunk with clear apical dominance. A minimum height specification at maturity is cited by some authors, varying from 3 m to...
up to 40 m tall in the Lauraceae
Lauraceae
The Lauraceae or Laurel family comprises a group of flowering plants included in the order Laurales. The family contains about 55 genera and over 3500, perhaps as many as 4000, species world-wide, mostly from warm or tropical regions, especially Southeast Asia and South America...
family. It is a common constituent in the laurisilva
Laurisilva
Laurisilva or laurissilva is a subtropical forest, found in areas with high humidity and relatively stable and mild temperatures. They are characterised by evergreen, glossy-leaved tree species that look alike with leaves of lauroide type...
forest
Forest
A forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...
s of the archipelagoes of Macaronesia
Macaronesia
Macaronesia is a modern collective name for several groups of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean near Europe and North Africa belonging to three countries: Portugal, Spain, and Cape Verde...
: Madeira
Madeira
Madeira is a Portuguese archipelago that lies between and , just under 400 km north of Tenerife, Canary Islands, in the north Atlantic Ocean and an outermost region of the European Union...
and Azores
Azores
The Archipelago of the Azores is composed of nine volcanic islands situated in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean, and is located about west from Lisbon and about east from the east coast of North America. The islands, and their economic exclusion zone, form the Autonomous Region of the...
(Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
), and Canaries
Canary Islands
The Canary Islands , also known as the Canaries , is a Spanish archipelago located just off the northwest coast of mainland Africa, 100 km west of the border between Morocco and the Western Sahara. The Canaries are a Spanish autonomous community and an outermost region of the European Union...
(Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
). It is commonly called "Til
Til
Til may refer to:*Til , a book by José de Alencar*Times Internet Limited, a company focusing on Online Publishing, part of The Times Group*Til Defence Systems, develops war games and simulation systems for commanders at all levels...
", "Tilo
Tilo
Tilo is a local name for some plants:* the herb Justicia pectoralis* the tree Ocotea foetens...
", "Stinkwood
Stinkwood
Stinkwood is the common name for a number of trees or shrubs which have wood with an unpleasant odour, including:*Celtis africana – native to South Africa...
", Garoé, Oreodaphne foetens or Rain tree of Hierro island. Each of these terms refers to unrelated plants depending on location or island. It is a species of plant
Plant
Plants are living organisms belonging to the kingdom Plantae. Precise definitions of the kingdom vary, but as the term is used here, plants include familiar organisms such as trees, flowers, herbs, bushes, grasses, vines, ferns, mosses, and green algae. The group is also called green plants or...
in the genus Oreodaphne
Oreodaphne
Oreodaphne is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Lauraceae. The genus includes five species of evergreen trees, distributed mostly in tropical and subtropical regions of South America, Mauritius, California, Sudafrica and Macaronesian archipelagos. Oreodaphne is related with Ocotea...
or Ocotea
Ocotea
Ocotea is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Lauraceae. The genus includes over 200 species of evergreen trees and shrubs, distributed mostly in tropical and subtropical regions of Central and South America, the West Indies, also with a few species in Africa and Madagascar, and...
in the Lauraceae
Lauraceae
The Lauraceae or Laurel family comprises a group of flowering plants included in the order Laurales. The family contains about 55 genera and over 3500, perhaps as many as 4000, species world-wide, mostly from warm or tropical regions, especially Southeast Asia and South America...
family.
It is an evergreen fragrant tree of considerable size, which is indigenous to Macaronesian archipelago. This tree is related with Oreodaphne Californica from California and Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
and other tropical american species. It has also medicinal virtues like to California laurel. The tree, looking like a californian bay has a berries consumed mostly by endemic madeiran pigeon Columba trocaz.
Features
Ocotea foetens, (Aiton) Benth. & Hook.f., is a speciesSpecies
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
endemic of laurel
Laurel
-Botany:* Laurel family , a group of flowering plants** Azores laurel ** Bay Laurel , also called True Laurel** California Laurel ** Camphor Laurel...
of Macaronesia
Macaronesia
Macaronesia is a modern collective name for several groups of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean near Europe and North Africa belonging to three countries: Portugal, Spain, and Cape Verde...
. Like the other species of Ocotea
Ocotea
Ocotea is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Lauraceae. The genus includes over 200 species of evergreen trees and shrubs, distributed mostly in tropical and subtropical regions of Central and South America, the West Indies, also with a few species in Africa and Madagascar, and...
genus, is rich in essential oils, which give an unpleasant odor to the wood (hence the namefoetens' 'Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
forfoul). It is rarely used as an ornamental.
It is a tree
Tree
A tree is a perennial woody plant. It is most often defined as a woody plant that has many secondary branches supported clear of the ground on a single main stem or trunk with clear apical dominance. A minimum height specification at maturity is cited by some authors, varying from 3 m to...
evergreen
Evergreen
In botany, an evergreen plant is a plant that has leaves in all seasons. This contrasts with deciduous plants, which completely lose their foliage during the winter or dry season.There are many different kinds of evergreen plants, both trees and shrubs...
between 8 and 20-30 m in height, some specimens may reach 40 m. The trunk is rough and irregular, covered with a dark skin. The wood
Wood
Wood is a hard, fibrous tissue found in many trees. It has been used for hundreds of thousands of years for both fuel and as a construction material. It is an organic material, a natural composite of cellulose fibers embedded in a matrix of lignin which resists compression...
is dark and hard, releasing a characteristic odor when freshly cut. Are common examples with multiple stems or trunks strongly branched from the base. The young branches are slender, angular, with smooth integument, sometimes reddish areas of recent growth.
The leaves, with 9-12 long and 3-5 cm wide, are oblong-lanceolate to almost elliptical, acuminate and slightly cut at the base. In adult plants, the leaves are leathery in texture, glossy on both sides, dark green on the upper face more intense, with small blisters on the underside of the ribs under the armpits. The stem
Stem
-Science:* Plant stem, the above ground structures that have vascular tissue and that support leaves and flowers Also see similar:**Stipe **Stipe * Stem cell...
s are canicular and short (up to 15 mm in length).
The flower
Flower
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to effect reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism for the union of sperm with eggs...
s of both sexes are white, with splashes of green and pale yellow, releasing a slight odor. The perianth
Perianth
The term perianth has two similar but separate meanings in botany:* In flowering plants, the perianth are the outer, sterile whorls of a flower...
is 6 pieces, and the male 9 yarn
Yarn
Yarn is a long continuous length of interlocked fibres, suitable for use in the production of textiles, sewing, crocheting, knitting, weaving, embroidery and ropemaking. Thread is a type of yarn intended for sewing by hand or machine. Modern manufactured sewing threads may be finished with wax or...
s. The maximum flowering season from June to August.
The fruit
Fruit
In broad terms, a fruit is a structure of a plant that contains its seeds.The term has different meanings dependent on context. In non-technical usage, such as food preparation, fruit normally means the fleshy seed-associated structures of certain plants that are sweet and edible in the raw state,...
is a berry
Berry
The botanical definition of a berry is a fleshy fruit produced from a single ovary. Grapes are an example. The berry is the most common type of fleshy fruit in which the entire ovary wall ripens into an edible pericarp. They may have one or more carpels with a thin covering and fleshy interiors....
hard and fleshy with about 3 cm long, covered in its anterior half by a dome, giving it a look similar to a Acorn
Acorn
The acorn, or oak nut, is the nut of the oaks and their close relatives . It usually contains a single seed , enclosed in a tough, leathery shell, and borne in a cup-shaped cupule. Acorns vary from 1–6 cm long and 0.8–4 cm broad...
. The fruit is dark green, gradually darkening with maturity. The summit lenhifica up and hardens with ripening. The fruit has a single seed wrapped in a hard coat and slightly lignified. The fruits fall coming away from the dome, leaving a black past few days on the ground. The fruits are eaten several poultry
Poultry
Poultry are domesticated birds kept by humans for the purpose of producing eggs, meat, and/or feathers. These most typically are members of the superorder Galloanserae , especially the order Galliformes and the family Anatidae , commonly known as "waterfowl"...
and is important in the diet of wood pigeon
Wood Pigeon
The Wood Pigeon is a species of bird in the Columba genus in the Columbidae family. It is a member of the dove and pigeon family Columbidae.- Distribution :...
. Germination is difficult and is favored by moisture and light. Seedlings tolerate evil shadow.
Distribution
It is a species living in laurisilvaLaurisilva
Laurisilva or laurissilva is a subtropical forest, found in areas with high humidity and relatively stable and mild temperatures. They are characterised by evergreen, glossy-leaved tree species that look alike with leaves of lauroide type...
, a type of laurel forest
Laurel forest
Laurel forest is a subtropical or mild temperate forest, found in areas with high humidity and relatively stable and mild temperatures. They are characterized by tree species with evergreen, glossy, enlongated leaves, known as laurophyll or lauroide...
adapted to Macaronesian islands. It is found in Canary
Canary
The Atlantic Canary , also called the Island Canary, Canary or Common Canary, is a small passerine bird belonging to the genus Serinus in the finch family, Fringillidae. It is native to the Canary Islands, the Azores, and Madeira. Wild birds are mostly yellow-green, with brownish streaking on the...
islands, Madeira
Madeira
Madeira is a Portuguese archipelago that lies between and , just under 400 km north of Tenerife, Canary Islands, in the north Atlantic Ocean and an outermost region of the European Union...
, Azores
Azores
The Archipelago of the Azores is composed of nine volcanic islands situated in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean, and is located about west from Lisbon and about east from the east coast of North America. The islands, and their economic exclusion zone, form the Autonomous Region of the...
. His name foetens refers to its unpleasant smell. It is threatened by habitat loss.
The "Ocotea foetens" is endemic to Macaronesia: Madeira
Madeira
Madeira is a Portuguese archipelago that lies between and , just under 400 km north of Tenerife, Canary Islands, in the north Atlantic Ocean and an outermost region of the European Union...
Azores
Azores
The Archipelago of the Azores is composed of nine volcanic islands situated in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean, and is located about west from Lisbon and about east from the east coast of North America. The islands, and their economic exclusion zone, form the Autonomous Region of the...
and Canary Islands
Canary Islands
The Canary Islands , also known as the Canaries , is a Spanish archipelago located just off the northwest coast of mainland Africa, 100 km west of the border between Morocco and the Western Sahara. The Canaries are a Spanish autonomous community and an outermost region of the European Union...
, appearing in laurel forest
Laurel forest
Laurel forest is a subtropical or mild temperate forest, found in areas with high humidity and relatively stable and mild temperatures. They are characterized by tree species with evergreen, glossy, enlongated leaves, known as laurophyll or lauroide...
, generally between 400 and 1400 m altitude (between 200 and 700 m in the Azores). In the Canary Islands is present on all islands, except Lanzarote
Lanzarote
Lanzarote , a Spanish island, is the easternmost of the autonomous Canary Islands, in the Atlantic Ocean, approximately 125 km off the coast of Africa and 1,000 km from the Iberian Peninsula. Covering 845.9 km2, it stands as the fourth largest of the islands...
and Fuerteventura
Fuerteventura
Fuerteventura , a Spanish island, is one of the Canary Islands, in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Africa. It is situated at 28°20' north, 14°00' west. At 1,660 km² it is the second largest of the Canary Islands, after Tenerife...
. In the archipelago of Madeira is absent from the Porto Santo.
Folklore
It was a tree sacred to the Bimbaches, the older inhabitants of El HierroEl Hierro
El Hierro, nicknamed Isla del Meridiano , is the smallest and farthest south and west of the Canary Islands , in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Africa, with a population of 10,162 .- Name :The name El Hierro, although phonetically identical to the Spanish word for 'iron', is generally thought...
in the Canary Islands
Canary Islands
The Canary Islands , also known as the Canaries , is a Spanish archipelago located just off the northwest coast of mainland Africa, 100 km west of the border between Morocco and the Western Sahara. The Canaries are a Spanish autonomous community and an outermost region of the European Union...
and was one of its symbols.
Due to its location, where tradewinds occur, the water from the clouds is condensed from the branches from the trees and it later pours rain around the island. This phenomenon takes place throughout the Canary Islands. The legend asserts that the Garoé was a large laurel tree that assured the life of the Bimbaches, providing them water in sufficient amounts for their survival. The Bimbaches later filled water chaffs and water was transported to towns to all parts of the island.
One of many legends says that the water originating from the tree was led to a hole from which the Bimbaches could provide water. It was from this form as they managed to reject the Castilian
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
or Spanish invasion for a certain period of time.
The original tree fell in a storm in 1610. In 1957, another laural was planted in the same location as the Garoé. It has been growing and is presently surrounded by moss
Moss
Mosses are small, soft plants that are typically 1–10 cm tall, though some species are much larger. They commonly grow close together in clumps or mats in damp or shady locations. They do not have flowers or seeds, and their simple leaves cover the thin wiry stems...
es. Clouds continue to pass through the summits of the island and, during foggy days, produce the observable phenomenon of horizontal rain. As it happens with all the legends, the Garoé has been left in herreña conscience as a sacred tree able to provide water to the island.
Sources
- Press, J.R., Short, M.J. Flora of Madeira. 1994. The Natural History Museum, London.
- World Conservation Monitoring Centre 1998. Ocotea foetens. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on 22 August 2007.