The Young Ebony That Already Blooms

Among the dense vegetation of the reserve, Michel Salas stopped before a tree that stood no taller than four meters — yet carried itself as though it had no need to grow any further: an ebony, Caesalpinia ebano, its yellow flowers blazing under the March sun, its still-tender green pods hanging from the branches like quiet promises. The tree is young yet — the species can reach considerably greater stature — but it is already honoring the cycle with all the gravity that duty deserves. The ebony is a species native to the Caribbean region, drought-resistant and generous in its uses to a degree that borders on astonishing: its foliage feeds livestock, its flowers call the bees to gather, its timber endures whatever the world throws at it. Here at the Fundación we also record it by the folk name guacamayo — though it should be said that this nickname is not used in Villanueva, Bolívar — for this is a tree with names to spare, much as it has uses to spare. Michel took six photographs capturing the detail of the flowers, the pods, and the full bearing of the individual tree, the tropical vegetation standing as witness in the background. A fine discovery for the reserve's inventory.