The Aromas of the Caatinga
In the Caatinga, how many different fragrances must the German naturalists Spix and Martius have experienced during their travels in Brazil?
CRIA - Centro de Referência em Informação Ambiental
Luiza F. A. de Paula & Peggy Fiedler
Map of the floristic provinces of Brazil (1858) by Carl Friedrich Philipp von Martius Original Source: Wikimedia Commons
Botanical provinces
During his travels in Brazil (1817-1820) , Martius mapped the different regions that today make up part of what we call biomes, dividing the country into five areas according to vegetation . On the map, these areas are presented in different colors.
Caatinga
Coming from cold and temperate regions, it was in the Caatinga, with a semi-arid climate, that they encountered vegetation much different from what they were used to. On the map, this region in northeastern Brazil is represented by the color pink.
Greek nymphs
These five floristic domains were associated with the names of Greek nymphs ( learn more
):
- Dryad: Nymph of the forests;
- Oread: Nymph of the hunting fields;
- Napaea: Nymph of the ravines;
- Naiad: Nymph of the waters;
- Hamadryad: Nymph who dies and is reborn.
Hamadryads
The hamadryad, the nymph who dies and is reborn, chosen by Martius to rule the Caatinga, also represented the seasonality of this biome. In Greek mythology, the hamadryads are nymphs born with the trees with which they share a destiny, and must protect them.
Upon seeing the Caatinga, Martius described:
"(...) during the dry months, the low trees are without leaves and shade and, among their thin branches, the sun roasts the traveler who seeks shade in vain. As a result, the Tupinambá people called them by the name of ‘caa-tinga’ (...)”
Caatinga vegetation during the dry season (2019) by Luiza Paula CRIA - Centro de Referência em Informação Ambiental
Meaning of the name
"The name “Caatinga” has a Tupi-Guarani origin and means “white forest”. This name represents the characteristics of the vegetation of this ecosystem, whose leaves fall during the dry season. The climate is semi-arid and the plants need to develop adaptations to these environments.
Vol. I, Part I, Fasc. See Urban Plate 10 (1906) CRIA - Centro de Referência em Informação Ambiental
What are the aromas of the Caatinga?
Because it is vegetation adapted to xeric conditions, i.e., little water and much light, many think that the Caatinga is poor in terms of species. However, this biome is highly biodiverse and its aromatic plants are surprising. Would the travelers have smelt these aromas?
Imburana
A tour through this beautiful plate from Flora Brasiliensis, representing the Caatinga, takes us to the imburana ( Commiphora leptophloeos ), from the Burseraceae family. In addition to its timber and ornamental uses, the aromatic resin from its trunk is used to make varnishes.
Martius wrote about the imburana: “It is remarkable because of the resin it contains, with a strong aroma, and because of the inciting principle, it can be shown with its almost clear, weak, transparent stem (...)”. The bark of the imburana is smooth and comes off in thin, curved and irregular sheets.
The ripe fruits are edible and have a sweet and sour pulp. The seeds produce oil used in folk medicine, for example in the preparation of syrups and healing agents.
Vol. I, Part I, Fasc. See Urban Plate 10 (1906) CRIA - Centro de Referência em Informação Ambiental
Other aromas of the Caatinga
The Cereus jamacaru , a tall cactus on the left margin of the image, is popularly known as mandacaru. It is a typical species of the Caatinga, adapted to the adverse conditions of this biome.
Its flowers open at night and are pollinated by bats. To attract these animals, its flowers give off an odor of fermentation or fruit, or a sour smell, usually with the presence of sulfur. Because of this peculiar odor, this fragrance is not used for human perfumes, but it seems to please bats.
Caatinga Lily
Another aromatic and typical plant of the Caatinga, but one that went unnoticed by Spix and Martius, is the Caatinga Lily ( Griffinia gardneriana ). This species was not recorded in Flora Brasiliensis, but only described in the 20th century.
An explosion of perfume in the Caatinga
Griffinia gardneriana , from the Amaryllidaceae family, is an endangered, odorous, and ornamental species. It has massive flowering that occurs for only one or two nights, emitting a striking odor in the Caatinga night.
Its white flowers, with a sweet aroma, open at night and are pollinated by moths. The moth Agrius cingulata (Sphingidae) has been recorded as a pollinator of Griffinia gardneriana .
The perfume of the Caatinga
Did the naturalists, during their journey, smell the perfume of the Caatinga?
Research and writing:
Luiza F. A. de Paula (UFMG/CRIA) & Peggy Fiedler (The Red List Project)
Assembly:
Luiza F. A. de Paula (UFMG/CRIA)
Review:
João Renato Stehmann (UFMG), Renato De Giovanni (CRIA)
References:
Flora Brasiliensis ( http://florabrasiliensis.cria.org.br/opus
), Travels in Brazil ( https://www2.senado.leg.br/bdsf/handle/id/573991
), The Red List Project ( https://www.theredlistproject.org/
)
Additional information:
http://florabrasiliensis.cria.org.br/stories
Acknowledgments:
All the authors of the photos, characters in the story and Antônio Campos-Rocha
*Every effort has been made to credit the images, audio, and video and correctly recount the episodes narrated in the exhibitions. If you find errors and/or omissions, please email contato@cria.org.br
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