qr-code 2 ENG

Rubber vine / Palu di lechi / Rubberwijnstok

Cryptostegia grandiflora

The rubber vine is a plant that grows almost everywhere on Curaçao, from our national parks to along the road. As a shrub it can grow up to 2 meters high, but with enough water this plant can grow and climb up to 5 meters high in one month! Pale pink flowers grow on it.

The rubber vine originates from Madagascar. During the First World War the plant was imported to many places, including Curaçao. The main reason for importing this plant was the latex that could be processed into rubber. That is why the plant is also called ‘rubber plant’. Making rubber from the latex is easy: by rolling the drying liquid between your palms, a small rubber ball is created. However, the rubber industry did not seem to be very interested in this plant because of the arrival of synthetic rubber.

The palu di lechi is a pest for forests. The plant multiplies quickly and overgrows all other local shrubs and trees, suffocating them.

Roughbark lignum-vitae / Pokhout / Wayaká

Guaiacum officinale

Roughbark lignum vitae is an evergreen with a spherical crown and blue flowers. The wood is extremely hard and was used as a seal around ship shafts and for making furniture and pulleys, among other things. The wood is self-lubricating. Centuries ago, this tree was mainly known for its medicinal use, for which the resin was extracted from the wood.

The tree grows very slowly, but that is because hardwood grows more slowly than less hard types of wood. This tree has a recognizable ‘spotted’ trunk, because the bark comes loose in several places as the tree gets older. Roughbark lignum vitae does not float in water.

This tree is found in the tropical parts of North and South America and on the Caribbean islands.

What many people do not know is that this tree is a protected species according to the CITES-II appendix, just like the other species in the genus Guaiacum.