Zabila: Aloe (C)
Zacate amargo: Axonopus (CR)
Zacate de caballo: Paspalum (CR)
Zacate estrella: Cyperus (CR)
Zacate de gorduta: Melinis (CR)
Zacate de guinea: Panicum (CR)
Zacate de Honduras: Ixophorus (CR)
Zacate jacintillo: Cyperus (CR)
Zacate de limon: Cymbopogon (CR,CR/ROC)
Zacate de mula: Setaria (CR)
Zacate de para: Panicum (CR)
Zacate de raton: Oplismenus (CR); Poa (CR)
Zacate de seda: Muhlenbergia (CR); Tricholaena (CR)
Zacatipe: Bouteloua (CR)
Zacaton: Diplasis (CR); Dulichium (CR)
Zahino: Caesalpinia (CR); Goupia (C)
Zalaguena: Clibadium (P)
Zambo: Panopsis (C)
ZAMIA SKINNERI Warscz. in Otto & Dietr.: Cycad (E); Chigua (C); Elkia (Cu) . Some
species are responsible for cattle poisoning, but they are used by both Choco and Cuna Indians as
a purgative. Cooked seeds are made into a meal for gruels or breadstuffs, like the roots after careful
processing.
Zampo cedro: Guarea (C)
Zanahoria: Daucus (S)
Zancarana: Chrysochalmys (C)
Zanco de arana: Chrysochlamys (C)
Zancona: Catostigma (C); Socratea (C); Syagrus (C)
Zanora: Iriartea (P)
Zancuda: Catostigma
ZANTHOXYLUM MICROCARPUM Griseb.: Arcabu (D); Ikor (Cu). The bark of this honey tree is
regarded as analgesic and stimulant. Cuna use the dried up spines to treat sores (!).
Zapaliso: Antirrhoea (P)
Zapallo: Cucurbita (S)
Zapan negro: Diplotrophis (C)
Zapata: Pedilanthus (C)
Zapatilla: Pedilantus (CR)
Zapatilla del obispo: Crotalaria (P)
Zapatito: Solanum (C)
Zapote: Calocarpum (CR,S); Licania (CR); Matisia (P); Pouteria (CR)
Zapote blanco: Calocarpum (CR)
Zapote borracho: Licania (CR)
Zapote cabello: Licania (CR)
Zapote de mono: Couroupita (P)
Zapote del monte: Pouteria (CR)
Zapotillo: Calocarpum (CR); Couepia (CR); Lantana (C); Lucuma (CR); Plumeria (C); Pouteria (CR)
Zapotillo calenturiente: Calocarpum (S)
Zapoto longo: Pachira (C)
Zapoto de obispo: Cobaea (C)
Zapoto de venus: Cypripedium (C)
Zapoto de la virgin: Clitoria (C)
Zaragoza: Aristolochia (C); Conocarpus (P); Fittonia; Phaseolus (C)
Zarcillejo: Bocconia (C); Mutisia (C); Tibouchina (C)
Zarro: Cyathea (C)
Zarza: Byttneria (P); Lonchocarpus (C); Mimosa (P); Smilax (C,P)
Zarza colorado: Piptadenia (C)
Zarza dormilona: Mimosa (P)
Zarza hueca: Byttneria (C)
Zarzamora: Rubus (S); Lantana (C)
Zarzaparilla: Smilax (C)
Zarza redonda: Senegalia (C)
Zarzon: Smilax (CR)
ZEA MAYS L.: Corn (E); Cha (Cu); Joba (Cu); Maiz (S); Ob (Cu); Oba (Cu); Pe (Ch) . In
Darien lowlands, corn is less common than rice, but it is frequently found in the milpas. Green corn,
cob and all, may be eaten after roasting or boiling. The husks have been used in preparing a paper,
which, if ground fine enough, is so transparent, as to make a good substitute for glass. Corn oil is
bland, pleasant tasting, ans slow to turn rancis. It can be turned into a good-quality soap. Pipes can
be fashioned from the cobs, and the silks are cool smoking. Corn furnishes a nurishing astringent,
resolvent food, and may be converted into starch for making bread, or fermented to make beer and
alcohol. An American, fresh out of a high yielding American corn field, might be aghast to see the
huge forest trees that are felled and partially burned to clear off an area for a lean crop of tough corn
in Panama, hardly seeming worth the tremendous effort. In northern Central America, nearly all the
corn grown is consumed as tortillas, made by treating the maiz with lye, grinding, mixing with
water, and cooking briefly. Maya Indians let the corn dry on the stalk and then store it. Several
dishes are prepared from it. masa: mixed with lime and waater, boiled a few hours, cooled and
washed. This is ground to form a dough, the masa; tortilla: the masa is patted into a cake and
baked in ashes; atole: the masa is thinned with boiling water, and salt or sugar or honey is added
to make a beverage; pozole: boil the maiz in clear water after boiling in lime water; pour off the
water and grind, mix with sugar, honey, or salt, then ball it up and take it to the field. Add water
whenever hungry; pinole: toast maiz on a griddle, add cinnamon, anise seed, and pepper, grind
and boil in water.
Among the Bayano Cuna, corn is stored on a special shelf located directly above the
fire site. The kernels are ground, the meal added to water and boiled. After cooling, the gruel
(inaniquet) is drunk. It is sometimes mixed with sugarcane juice and ground cocoa (siva) to form
a beverage known as cainisolicuagua. Corn and meat are boiled together yielding obsa. Even at the
time of the conquest, the Darien Cuevas and the riverine Indians of the Gulf of Uraba called corn
hobba. Still among the Cuna, oba is God of Creation and God of Corn. Indians often throw
young corn on the cob in the pot. Ailigandi Cuna make a cornstick, long strings of native cornmeal
dough, baked in ashes (!).
The cob, or opkala, is often used to plug up water jugs made of totumo. There are at least 22 ways
of using corn in Colombia. Panamanian bushmen preparing for long journeys often take bollos of
corn along with them. Catios of the Gulf of Uruba have quite a corn terminology based on pe, the
Choco word for corn, peburua-ear of corn; pejansoa-corn cob; pejonumua-corn storage bin. Among
the Chame Choco, pechare-dry corn; pesintu-cornplant.
Zebra: Tradescantia (C)
ZEBRINA PENDULA Schnitz: Hoja de milagro (CR/ROC); Cucaracha (CR/ROC)
Zembe: Xylopia (C)
Zic: Capparis (C)
ZINGIBER OFFICINALE Rosco: Ginger (E); Ajenjibre (C); Genegibre (S); . Cultivated
and naturalized in Panama, the rootstocks are edible candied and are used in beverage and liquors.
In Darien and the Choco, the tea of the roots id used for pains, and for colic in children (!). The dish
Chocao is very dependent on ginger. El Real People usually have the Chocao after breakfast. It is
also used as an ingredient in an abortifacient.
ZINNEA ELEGANS Jacq.: Clavelon (C)
ZIZIPHUS MAURITIANA Lam.: India (E); Angolit (C); Aprines (S); Manzanita (C); . The
fruits are edible raw, dried or boiled with rice. They may be powdered and made into a meal or dried
like a raisin. The seeds are also edible. The dried fruit is mixed with salt and tamarind pulp to make
a condiment.
Zoncoya: Annona (CR)
Zontol: Cymbopogon (CR)
Zonzapota: Cyphomandra (CR); Dendropanax (CR); Sloanea (CR)
Zorillo: Aegiphila (CR); Astronium (P); Cestrum (CR); Hamelia (CR); Lippia (C); Petiveria (CR/ROC); Roupala (CR); Solanum (CR); Zanthoxylum (CR)
Zorillo amarillo: Palicourea (CR)
Zorillo blanco: Cestrum (CR)
Zorillo colorado: Hamelia (CR)
Zorillo real: Hamelia (CR)
Zorkakro: Miconia (CR)
Zorra: Astronium (P)
Zorrito: Lantana (C)
Zorrocloco: Crateva (C)
Zukarate: Theobroma (Ch)
Zuin: Inga (CR)
Zulia: Browallia (C)
Zumagueso: Calea (C)
Zumague: Coriaria (C)
Zuribio: Pithecellobium (C)
Zurumbo: Trema (C)
Zuza: Gynerium (C)