Baba: Gliricidia (P)
Babaco: Carica (C)
Bacaba: Oenocarpus (C)
Bacao: Theobroma (C)
BACCHARIS spp. Chilca (C); Chilco (C); Ciro (C)
Bachelor's button: Gomphrena (E)
Baco: Gustavia (C)
BACTERICIDE: A substance used to kill bacteria. Allium, Genipa, Neurolaena.
BACTRIS MINOR Jacq. Black Palm (E); Cana brava (C); Lata (C); Lata hembra (C); Lata de playon
(C); Uvero de lata (C). The pulp of the fruit is edible (fruits of Bactris species are edible). The
leaves furnish forage during the dry season.
BACTRIS sp. Black palm (E); Mongololo (D). The young fruit is edible, with the flavor of coconut.
At maturity it is nearly as hard as the ivory palm (!).
Badea: Magnolia (P); Passiflora (C)
Badu: Xanthosoma (C)
Bagala: Renealmia (C)
Bagamani: Tapirira (P)
Bagari: Piptadenia (C)
Bagata: Dussia (C)
Bagre: Adelia (C); Trichilia (C)
Baho: Platymiscium (C)
Bailador: Guarea (C)
Bajagua: Cassia (C)
Bala: Gliricidia (P); Spondias (CR)
Bala de canon: Couroupita (C)
Balaustre: Centrolobium (C)
Balazo: Monstera (C)
Ballico: Lolium (C)
Balloon vine: Cardiospermum (E)
Ballotica: Calliandra (C)
Balsa: Bombax (CR); Heliocarpus (N); Ochroma (S)
Balsa blanca: Hampea (C)
Balsam Capivi: Copaifera (J); Myroxylon (J)
Balsam copaiba: Copaifera (P)
Balsaminito, Balsamito: Momordica (S); Myrospermum (C)
Balsamo: Momordica (S); Myroxylon (N)
Balsamo de Malagalpa: Myroxylon (N)
Balsamo de Maracaibo: Copaifera (C)
Balsa Montanero: Trema (C)
Balsam Pear: Momordica (E)
Balsam of Peru: Myroxylon (E)
Balsillo: Croton (S)
Balso: Apeiba (C); Heliocarpus (C)
Baltran: Phragmotheca (C)
Balu: Erythrina (C)
Bambali: Scabiosa (CR)
Bambito: Nectandra (P); Ocotea (P)
Bambito colorado: Ocotea (P)
Bamboo: Bambusa (E); Guadua (E)
Bamboo palm: Oenocarpus (E)
Bambu: Bambusa (P); Guadua (E)
Bambudo: Pterocarpus (C); Pachira (C)
BAMBUSA ARUNDINACEA Willd. Bamboo (E); Bambu (S); Chogro (Ch); Nala (Cu). In Latin
America, bamboos are used mostly for construction, not for the culinary role that they play in the
Orient. Various bamboos are cultivated, but mostly for ornamental and construction. Most bamboo
species produce shoots, or "spears", which are edible. Bitterness is
removed by changing the water several times during cooking. Toughness can be ameliorated by
cutting the shoots into thin slices. Shoots about 15 inches tall and 3 inches in diameter are at a good
stage for cooking, but Panamanian Chinese prefer them before they have emerged from the soil (!).
Leaf sheaths should be peeled away, as should be parts of the shoot that were in contact with the
ground, especially if they have turned gray. The thin core should be cut into small disks, at least
eight to the inch, and boiled for at least 20 minutes, changing the water. They are ready for eating
then, but can be much improved by frying in coconut oil or butter. In times of scarcity, bamboo
grain has saved the lives of thousands of Asian Indians, and the grains have sold at higher prices
than rice. when other grains are plentiful, those of bamboo are rarely eaten. It is said to be a
somewhat unsafe food, being apt to produce diarrhea and dysentery. Crops of grain in some species
are produced only at intervals of about 30 years. Seeds of Bambusa arundinaceae usually appear
when drought occurs, at least in India. Fluids in bamboos are often accumulated in the joints,
especially in the hollow kinds. Water in these culms is potable. Young, vigorously growing stalks
may have a considerable amount of liquid in each hollow internode, which can be located by
shaking the stalk and listening for splashing. Some of the Darien species have water with much the
flavor of a pipa (!). Old, dry, and cracked stems also tend to accumulate potable rainwater. In India,
pieces of hollow bamboo 3 to 6 feet long, with the partition perforated so as to form long pails, are
carried by hill watermen, suspended over the back by a bamboo string that passes over the forehead.
The water stays cool for a number of days. One entire section about a foot long is cut out, and a
small hhole is bored in one of the joint partitions with the machete point to make an effective
canteen. then sand and water are put in the hole and shaken around to clean out the interior. A plug
is fashioned from some softwood tree. the flange on the bamboo stem forms a handle to which a line
is tied to fashion a strap (!). Rice and water are placed inside and covered. The primitive waterproof
pot is placed on the fire until the rice is done. A simple ladle is made by cutrting one end of a joint
down to a handle leaving a few inches of the bottom as a ladle. With the ladle the rice is served, and
the meat course may be cut up with bamboo knoves. Milk pails and churns are also made of bamboo
in India. without too much imagination, one can fashion anything from a barbecue grill to a smoking
pipe from bamboo. Bamboos are not only used for fishing poles; the fishermen of Bengal have one
of tghe most curious fish-hooks in the world. It consists of a short sliver of well-seasoned bamboo
cane, 3x1/8 inch. the string is attacdhed near the middle
of the sliver, which is then bent into a U-shape. A green grasshopper's head is plucked off and the
two ends of the U are insesrted in the open end of the body. The upper end of the string is attached
to a piece of bamboo about a foot long, which is left floating in the water. When the fish cuts the
bait, the bamboo sliver is extended in its mouth, the ends being caught in its gills. Large fish are
often caught this way, the pain more or less inactivating the fish. boats are sometimes caulked with
shavings of bamboo mixed with lime and tung oil. The common and characteristic harpoon of
Bengal consists of a piece of Dendrocalamus strictus about 6 feet long, split apically into eight or
ten long pieces, about as thick as the little finger. These are smooth and rounded up to within a foot
of the top, where the bamboo is firmlybound to keep it from further splitting and metal points are
inserted. The fisherman rattles this against the side of the boat to alarm the fish from their hiding
places in the weeds. The harpoon is then hurled, the prongs opening out on hitting the water and
greatly enhancing the fisherman's chance by expanding the area of coverage with the metal points.
Pointed bamboo stakes have been used to spear lobsters. Fish traps are also made of bamboo slivers.
Split bamboo, heated in a fire to harden the wood, will take an edge. Some people shave with
bamboo knives. Bamboo knives are superior to pocket knives for removing leeches, since they
scrape rather than cut them off. Nagas and other hill tribes in India use the hardened outer portions
of spiny bamboos as knives and spears. Jungles and forests about villages are often covered for
miles with these formidable weapons. Short, sharp bamboo knives called pangis are vburied along
the footpath so as to go right through the foot of the unwary traveler approaching the village. The
foot is by accident placed between these, and being cut by the one in front, is rapidly withdrawn,
only to have the other two violently driven in from behind. Sometimes thousands of these surround
a village. Pits are also dug and lined with spears so that the unwary animal or traveler falls to a
certain death. Cuna Indians are reported to line animal snares with bamboo slivers (!). Emergency
footwear has been devised from beaten and flattened bamboo stalks. The "Malayan Gate" consists
of a cut sapling about 3 inches in diameter sprung horizontally between two trees with one end
projecting a few feet. The end is armed with bamboo spears and triggered so that someone tripping
on a string will release the sapling and be impaled with bamboo. On festive occasions, Malays put
green bamboo in specially prepared fired. The air enclosed in the joint gets heated and the joints
burst with a heavy report, like a small pistol. To remove worms from ulcers, some people place a
poultice, made by pounding the leaves of Bambusa arundinacea on the ulcer, after first pouring the
juice on the vermin. In the interior of the hollow stems of some bamboos, e.g., Bambusa
arundinacea, is found a siliceous and crystalline substance known in India as tabashir. Tabashir is
considered aphrodisiac, demulcent, emmenagogic, expectorant, febrifugal, and pectoral. It is used
to combat flatulence and jaundice. leafe sheaths have been used as splints, and bamboo joints have
served as peg legs, the stumps of the leg being merely inserted at the open end of the culm.
Toothbrushes are fashioned by chewing at the ends of a sliver until they are soft and the fibers
separated. Bamboo has been fashioned into needles by some people who used threads stripped from
fibrous bark or coconut leaves.
Banak: Virola (N)
Banana: Musa (E)
Banco: Dendropanax (C); Gyrocarpus (C)
Bandera espanola: Canna (P)
Bandera de uribe: Canna (C)
Banderita: Masdavallia (C)
Banyan: Ficus (E)
Bao: Campomanesia (C); Platymiscium (C)
Baobob: Adansonia (E)
Baquero: Croton (P)
Bara: Spondias (CR)
Baraboja: Tithonia (S)
Barajo, Baraja, Barajillo: Cassia (P)
Baranca: Dugandia (C)
Barano: Caesalpinia (C); Senegalia (C)
Barbabisco: Erythrina (C)
Barba chele: Vochysia (N)
Barbadina: Passiflora (C)
Barbados aloe: Aloe (E)
Barbados gooseberry: Pereskia (E)
Barbados pride: Caesalpinia (E)
Barba gallo: Warszewiczia (C)
Barba de jolote: Pithecellobium (P)
Barbancito: Phyllanthus (C)
Barba de palo: Grimmia (C)
Barba de rey: Gynandropsis (S)
Barbarito: Trophis (C)
Barbascillo: Daphne (C)
Barbasco: Bidens (CR); Clibadium sylvestre (C); Ichthyothere scandens (C); Jacquinia (C); Paullinia (C,P); Phyllanthus (C); iPolygonum (C); Rumex (C); Serjania (CR); Salmea (C)
Barbasco de agua: Lonchocarpus (C)
Barbasco de fruto: Muelleria (C)
Barbasco montero: Croton (C)
Barbasco de pua: Jacquinia (C); Zanthoxylum (C)
Barbas de viejo: Tillandsia (C)
Barbas de mono: Triplaris (C)
Barbas de guasco: Acalypha (C)
Barba de viejo: Clematis (S); Tillandsia (CR)
Barbatuco: Erythrina (C)
Barbon: Caesalpinia (S)
Barbudo: Piptocarpha (CR)
Barcino: Calophyllum (C)
Barenillo: Croton (S)
Barillo: Symphonia (P)
Baripozo: Sesbania (S)
BARK CLOTH: Primitive clothing made from the inner bark of plants. Brosimum, Castilla,
Cecropia, Ficus, Hibiscus, Muntingia, Poulsenia, Pseudolmedia.
Barley: Hordeum (E)
Barniz de Pasto: Elaegia (C)
Barnyard grass: Echinochioa (E)
Barrabas: Euphorbia (CR)
Barredera: Tessaria (C)
Barrigon: Pseudobombax (P)
Barsalito: Baccharis (C)
BASELLA RUBRA L. Ceylon spinach (E); Bretana (S). This excellent potherb is rarely cultivated
in Panama.
Bashful plant: Mimosa (E)
Basil: Ocimum (E)
Basquin: Senecio guicanensis (C)
Bastard cacique: Prunus (B)
Bastard cedar: Guazuma (E)
Bastard mahogany: Carapa (E)
Bataba: Jessenia (C)
Batatilla: Cucurma (C); Ipomoea (P); Rivea (S)
Batatilla amarilla: Ipomoea (P)
Batatilla macho: Jacquemontia (P)
Bateita: Pithecoctenium (CR)
Bateo: Carapa (P)
BATIS MARITIMA L. Saltwort (E); Barilla (S). The leaves serve as a presalted salad, potherb, or
pickle.
Baura: Piscidia (C)
Bayeto antioquena: Albizia (C)
Bayra: Ichthyothera terminales (C)
Beach carpet: Philoxerus (E)
Beak-sedge: Rhynchospora (E)
Bean: Phaseolus (E)
Beardgrass: Andropogon (E)
Becerra: Antirrhinum (C)
Beefsteak: Heliconia (E)
Beefwood: Casuarina (E)
Beet: Beta (E)
Beggarlice: Desmosium (E)
Beggartick: Bidens (E)
Bego: Persea (Ch)
BEILSCHMIEDIA ANAY Kosterm. The fruit is edible and oily.
Bejucillo: Vanilla (C)
Bejuca agraz: Tetracera (C)
Bejuco de agra: Cissus (C); Davilla (P); Pisonia (C); Vitis (P)
Bejuco de aja: Petraea (P)
Bejuco alcalde: Desmoncus (C)
Bejuco amarillo: Liabrum megacephalum (C)
Bejuco amarrar: Securidaca (S)
Bejuco azul: Cissampelos (CR)
Bejuco de bruja: Cuscuta (C)
Bejuco caballuno: Rhynchosia (C)
Bejuco de cadena: Bauhinia (P)
Bejuco de canjura: Tontelea (P)
Bejuco carare: Aristolochia (C)
Bejuco Carleno: Bauhinia (C)
Bejuco castana: Smilax (CR)
Bejuco castro: Cissus (C)
Bejuco catebrero: Cydista (C)
Bejuco de cerca: Cissampelos (C)
Bejuco chaparro: Tetracera (C)
Bejuco chinche: Philodendron (C)
Bejuco chirrador: Cissus (C)
Bejuco clavellino: Mutisia clematis (C)
Bejuco colorado: Muehlenbeckia (CR)
Bejuco comemano: Cissus (CA)
Bejuco de corral: Serjania (S)
Bejuco curamuelas: Manettia (C)
Bejuco de culebra: Bauhinia (CR,P)
Bejuco deshinchador: Philodendron (P)
Bejuco escalera: Bauhinia (C)
Bejuco de garza: Entada (C)
Bejuco espinosa: Serjania (CR)
Bejuco esquinero: Cydista (C)
Bejuco de estrella: Anthodon (P); Marcgravia (C)
Bejuco de garrote: Rourea (C)
Bejuco de gloria: Ipomoea (P)
Bejuco guaco: Mikania guaco (C)
Bejuco de hierro: Entada (N)
Bejuco iasu: Cissus (CR)
Bejuco juriso: Serjania (S)
Bejuco de leche: Funastrum (C)
Bejuco lengua de vaca: Philodendron (P)
Beujco loco: Aristolochia (P); Cissus (P)
Bejuco de mono: Bauhinia (S)
Bejuco mulatto: Securidaca (S)
Bejuco de murcielago: Monstera (P)
Bejuco negro: Smilax (C)
Bejuco de panume: Entada (S)
Bejuco pedorro: Chamissoa (S)
Bejuco picador: Gurania (P)
Bejuco de pipa: Marcgravia (P)
Bejuco de puerco: Calonyction (S)
Bejuco quemador: Davilla (C)
Bejuco real: Anthurium (CR)
Bejuco de reuma: Gouania (C)
Bejuco de sangre: Machaerium (C)
Bejuco de saina: Dioscorea (P)
Bejuco de salud: Cissampelos (C)
Bejuco de San Juan: Allamanda (CR)
Bejuco de sapa: Bomarea (C); Marsdenia (CR)
Bejuco de sengra: Cnestidium (C)
Bejuco tome: Davilla (C); Doliocarpus (C); Tetracera (C)
Bejuco trompeta: Calonyction (CR)
Bejuco de vaca: Calonyction (S)
Bejuco de volantin: Muehlenbeckia (C)
Bejuquillo: Vanilla (C)
Bek: Byrsonima (CR)
Bekira: Manihot (Ch)
Belacho: Helosia (C)
Belladama: Incidium (C)
Bellisima: Antigonon (S)
Bellorita: Bellis (C)
BELLUCIA spp.: Coronillo (CR); Papaturro agrio (CR) . The fruits are edible.
Bencenuco: Asclepias (C)
Benju: Styrax (C)
Beo: Persea (Ch)
Berba: Helicostylis (P)
Berbequi santo: Helicteres (P)
Berbiqui: Helieteres (C)
Berenjena: Croton (C); Cucurbita (C); Solanum (CR,S)
Berenjena cimarrona: Solanum (S)
Berenjena espinuda: Solanum (S)
Berenjena silvestre: Solanum (S)
BERIBERI: A disease due to thiamin deficiency. Treated with Hymenaea.
Bermudagrass: Cynodon (E)
Bernabe: Cordia (CR)
Berraco: Brunellia (C); Celtis (C); Roupala (C); Trema (C)
Berraquillo: Ryania (C)
Berros: Nasturtium (S)
BERTHOLLETIA EXCELSA H.&B. Brazil nut (E); Nuez de para (C). The seeds are edible and yield
a cooking oil. the bark is used for caulking boats.
BETA VULGARIS L. Beet (E); Remolacha (S). The beet is rarely cultivated in Panama.
Betsura: Ficus (CR)
Bi: Helicostylis (CR)
Bichichinejo: Annona (Ch)
Bicho: Adipera (CR); Cassia (C)
Bicutema: Cassia (C)
BIDENS CYNAPIIFOLIA H.B.K. Cadillo menudo (C)
BIDENS PILOSA L. Beggartick (E); Arponcito (P); Cadillo (P); Chipaca (C); Cadillo de huerta (C);
Masiquia (C); Duarte (C); Papunga (C); Pacunja (C); Cadillo de perro (C); Sirvulaca (P). The young
shoots serve as a potherb not really requiring salt. They are sometimes mixed with half-boiled rice
grains and fermented to make a kind of saki. Warm juice of the plant is styptic. Leaves are
vulnerary, and used to wash wounds in the choco. A heated infusion of the plant is used as a bath
to relieve pains of rheumatism. Flowers cooked with sugar are taken internally for colds. The root
is used in Antioquia for hepatic infections.
BIDENS PILOSA var. RADIATA Sch.-Bip. Masiquiara (C); Papunga (C); Papunga de arbolito (C)
Bienmesabe: Blighia (C)
Bien-te-veo: Gurania (P)
Bien vestido: Gliricida (C)
Bigari: Poponax (C)
Bigure: Campomanesia (C)
Bija: Arrabidaea (C); Bixa (C,Ch); Bursera (C)
Bijagua: Calathea (CR); Canna (CR)
Bijao: Calathea (P)
Bitter wood: Quassia (E)
Bolador: Erechtites valerianifolia (C)
Bogamani: Virola (P)
Bogamani verde: Dialyanthera (P)
Bola: Chamaedorea (P); Synechanthus (P)
Bolador: Erechtites valerianifolia (C); Persea (CR)
Bolao: Ruprechtia (C)
Boldo: Peumus (C)
Bolita de perro: Bunchosia (C)
Bollo blanco: Pterocarpus (C)
BOMAREA sp. Bejuco sapo (C); Papa-guasca (C). The vine, used in house construction, produces
a tuber, edible when roasted. Some species are eaten to overcome sterility.
BOMBACOPSIS QUINATA Dugand. Spiny cedar (E); Cedro espinoso (P); Ceiba colorado
(C); Ceiba tolua (C); Tolu (C) . This lulmber tree is favored for making dugouts in Darien.
Bombillo: Chamaefistula (C); Passiflora (C)
Bombito: Cassia (C)
Bombon: Cochlospermum (N)
Bombona: Iriartea (C)
Bombonaza: Carludovica (C)
Bonche: Hibiscus (C)
Bonewood: Faramea (E)
Bongo: Cavanillesia (P); Ceiba (D)
Boniato: Ipomoea (C)
Boquiabierto: Antirrhinum (C)
Borajo: Posoqueria (P)
Borboro: Scaveola (CR)
Bore: Colocasia (C)
Borla de San Juan: Lobelila (C)
Borla de San Pedro: Begonia (C)
Borlas: Acalypha (C)
Borlitas: Emilia (C)
Borojo: Borojoa (Ch)
Borojo de monte: Duroia (C)
BOROJOA PATINOI Cuatr. Borojo (Ch) . This favorit fruit tree, one fruit making a bowl
of chicha, has followed the Choco into Panama. (I am called "Borojo" among the Darien Choco,
because, for a while, I was distributing borojo seedlings like "Johnny Appleseed".) Nursing Salaqui
Choco mothers avoid the fruit in the belief it will cause colic in the infant.
Borrachero: Datura (C)
Borracho: Piscidia (C)
Borraja: Malachra (P)
Borrajon: Wigandia (P)
BORRERIA LATIFOLIA Schum. Hierba dulce (C). Used as a diuretic in the Choco.
Botoncillo: Borreria (C); Spilanthes (C)
Boton morado: Hyptis (C)
Boton de oro: Helichrysum (C); Spilanthes (C)
Boton de plata: Helichrysum (C)
Botonsillo: Spilanthes (C)
Bototo: Cochlospermum (C)
Box-briar: Randia (E)
Bracino: Styrax (CR)
Brasil: Chlorophora (CR); Mora (CR); Tara (C)
Brasilete: Sickingia (C); Guilandina (C)
Brasil nut: Bertholletia (E)
BRASSICA spp. To this genus belong several leafy vegetables, which are not in demand in Darien,
e.g., Brussels sprouts, cabbage , cauliflower , collards, kohlrabi, mustard
, rutabaga, and turnips . These are rarely, if ever, seen on Darien tables (!). In
Colombia, rebanca is an equivalent of turnip greens .
BRAVAISIA sp. Naranjilo bobo (P). This ant-infested small tree is considered to be an expectorant.
Brazilian rose: Cochlospermum (E)
Brazilian tea: Stachytarpheta (E)
Brazo de tigre: Cordia (C)
Brea: Parkinsonia (C)
Bread and cheese: Paullinia (E)
Breadfruit: Artocarpus (E)
Breadnut: Brosimum (E); Trophis (E)
Bretana: Basella (S)
Breva: Ficus (C)
Brevo de monte: Ficus (C)
Bribri: Inga (P)
Bribri guavo: Inga (P)
Brinca-brinca: Blechum (S)
Brir: Genipa (CR)
Broad bean: Vicia (E)
Broma, Broma real: Pitcairnia (CR)
BROMELIA NIDUS-PUELLAE Andre ex Mez. Piraju (Ch); Piro (C); Pinuela (C). Used for
living fences, this produces a good antiscorbutic fruit.
BROMELIA PINGUIN L. Chibe-chibe (C); Oa (Cu); Pinuela (S); Piro (CR) . The acid
antiscorbutic fruits are edible and good for making beverages (!). The fried inflorescence is eaten
in El Salvador. Shoots at the base of the plant are eaten raw or cooked. they are supposed to curb
stomach pains suffered by women in menstruation, by causing the blood to flow more freely.
BRONCHITIS: Inflammation of the bronchial tubs. Treated with Allium, Cicer, cocos, Hymenaea,
Mangifera.
Broom: Sida (E)
Broom Sweep: Scoparia (E)
Broom weed: Cassia (E)
BROSIMUM ALICASTRUM Sw. Breadnut (E); Ojoche (S). The fruits are boiled and eaten; the leafy
branches are cut and fed to livestock. Seeds are boiled and eaten as a vegetable or dried and ground
into flour.
BROSIMUM TERRABANUM Pittier. Breadnut (E); Ojoche (S). The latex is sweet; the fruits are
edible, made into toritllas in Nicaragua. The wood is said to burn green.
BROSIMUM UTILE Pittier. Cowtree (E); Arbol de leche (P); Guaimaro (C); Lechero (CR);
Mastate (CR); Palo de leche (C); Palo de vaca (CR); Sande (C); Vaco (CR). The copious latex is
mixed with balsa charcoal to make embil, which, wrapped in Manicaria leaves, serves as a torch.
The latex is potable, sometimes made into a cheese. The fruits are edible raw or cooked and can be
used as a breadstuff. Their resin is used for candles and for adulterating chicle. The latex is used to
cure asthma and inflammation. The bark is used to make cloth and the wood is supposed to burn
green. The bark of other species is regarded as a galactagogue. (Illustrating the Doctrine of
Signatures: the bark of the tree produces milk; superstitiously perhaps, it is used by the people to
induce lactation.) The tree is used to make dugouts called potros in Colombia.
BROWALLIA AMERICANA L. Chavelita de monte (P). This common weed is used to treat various
skin diseases.
BROWNEA spp. Ariza (C); Palo de cruz (P); Palo rosak (C); Rosa de monte (P). The trees are
considered antidysenteric.
Brucha: Cassia (C)
Bruja: Rubia (C)
Brujito: Lagenaria (P); Posadaea (P); Abrus (C)
Brukra: Erythrina (CR)
Brusca: Cassia (C)
Brussels sprouts: Brassica (E)
BRYOPHYLLUM PINNATUM Kurz. Air plant (E); Colombiano (C); Hoja de aire (P); Hoja
santa (S). The leaf decoction is regarded as emollient, hemostatic, vulnerary, good for ulcers and
boils.
Buaibinu: Anacardium (Cu)
Bucare: Erythrina (C)
Bucaro: Erythrina (C)
Buche: Pithecellobium (C)
Buchon: Eichhornia (C)
Buchona: Pistia (C)
Bucida: Bucida (C)
Buckwheat: Fagopyrum (E)
BUDDLEIA AMERICANA L.: Salvia santa (C); Salvia virgen (CR/ROC); Wild sage (CR/ROC)
Buena mico: Pisonia (C)
Buenas tardes: Bradburya (P); Mirabilis (P)
Bufa: Guilielma (P)
Buira: Petrea (P)
Buk-oro-mo: Inga (P)
Buk-udra: Inga (P)
Bullet-tree: Bucida (E)
Bullet-wood: Mimusops (E)
Bullhorn acacia: Acacia (E)
Bully tree: Hieronyma (E)
BUNCHOSIA spp. Ciruela (S). The fruits are edible .
Buquet de novia: Ixora (P)
Burikri: Gliricidia (CR)
Burilico: Xylopia (C)
Burillo: Apeiba (N); Guatteria (CR); Hampea (P)
Burio: Apeiba (CR); Guatteria (CR); Hampea (B,CR); Heliocarpus (CR)
Burio extrangero: Hibiscus (P); Wercklea (CR)
Burio falso: Heliocarpus (N)
Buriogre: Cordia (CR); Hampea (CR); Heliocarpus (CR)
Buriogre amarillo: Cordia (CR)
Buriogre de montana: Cordia (CR)
Burriada: Cecropia (C)
Burriquita: Jacaquinia (CR)
BURSERA SIMARUBA Sarg. Naked Indian (E); Almacigo (P); Carana (CR); Carate (P);
Caratero (C); Gumbolimbo (C); Indio desnudo (P); Jinocuavo (CR); Jinote (CR); Resbalamono (C)
. Tea is made from the leaves. This may be used to treat venereal diseases and obesity. The
gum is used to mend dishes and to caulk dugouts, preventing worm damage. The Choco say that a
decoction of the bark applied to the body three times and not washed for a week is depilatory (!).
Experiments to prove this failed (!). Some say that this only works when applied before puberty (!).
The resin is used to treat wounds, to apply to the navel of the newly born, and to bring boils to a
head. Water put in a piece of the wood is used the following day to cure renal afflications (!).
Among the Maje Choco, cuts are washed with an infusion of the bark and then ashes of the bark are
applied to the wound. The tree is often used as a living fence post (!). Wood of this and related
species is supposed to burn green.
Burukra: Erythrina (CR)
Busu: Manicaria (C)
Butago: Musa (C)
Buttercup: Allamanda (E)
Butterfly orchid: Oncidium (E)
Button mangrove: Conocarpus (E)
Buttonwood: Conocarpus (E)
BYRSONIMA CRASSIFOLIA H.B.K. Goldon spoon (E); Wild cherry (E); Manteco (C); Nance
(P); Noro (C); Peraleja (C) . Rich in vitamin C, the fruits are used for a fermented drink,
which ismuch better cold than tepid. Often the Chicha is frozen on a stick (!). Edible butter is
extracted from the fruits with hot water. The fruits are eaten by domestic and wild animals. The bark
is used as a fish poison. The flowers are much visited by bees. The epidermis and green frujits are
used to stain cotton. The bark is also used for tanning; the wood is used for charcoal, fuel, and the
extraction of a red dye; further it is used as a remedy for skin afflictions.
BYTTNERIA ACULEATA Jacq. Espina hueca (P); Rabo de iguana (P); Rangay (P); Zarza (P). The
plant is regarded as antivenereal and depurative.