Célus trail

8 points of interest

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  Flora

  Jackfruit

  The jackfruit belongs to the same family as breadfruit. It is the biggest fruit in the world. It can weigh up to 20 kg.

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  Flora

  Common guava

  A bird probably first brought the seed here. It is a great boon to hikers, if they manage to get to the fruits before the animals living in the wood.

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  Fauna

  Guadeloupe woodpecker

  The Guadeloupe woodpecker (Melanerpes herminieri) is between 26 and 28 cm long. It has a long, slender beak. The male's beak is longer than its head, in contrast to the female. Its plumage is black, its breast is blood red and its black bluish black. You will see it quite often on tree trunks, where it hammers away with its powerful beak (hence its Creole name "Toto bois" ("wood comforter") or "Tapè" ("hitter"), leaving a lot of holes in the bark.
  The Guadeloupe woodpecker is the only bird species endemic to Guadeloupe and is listed as an endangered species.

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  Flora

  "Bwa Bandé"

  The tree is often used for its alleged aphrodisiac qualities (it contains a vasodilating substance). The name comes from the activity of pit sawyers who once went into the forest to cut wood. When they were cutting this particular tree, which is very dense, and due to the substance mentioned above, their arms were anaesthetised, enabling them to work for hours on end without feeling any pain.

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  Flora

  Wild pineapple

  They are generally small in size. It is hard to find them in the forest because they are very popular with local animals.

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  Flora

  Wild plantain

  Heliconia caribaea is a member of the musaceae family. It is a sort of long grass characteristic of the tropical rain forest in the Lesser Antilles. The plant belongs to the same family as the bananas and can grow up to 5 metres high.
  It blossoms all the year round, especially from April to June. The inflorescence looks like wheat's ears. It is either red, yellow-edged red or completely yellow.
  It is grown to be sold by florists.

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  Flora

  "Bwa Lansan"

  The "Bwa lansan", Potrium attenuatum, produces a smell of resin, like candlewood or gumbo-limbo. In contrast to candlewood, the tree's sap is not sticky and is less inflammable.

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  Flora

  Vanilla

  Vanilla is a spice consisting of the fruit of different climbing tropical orchids, and especially the Vanilla planifolia species.
  Growing and preparing vanilla calls for lengthy and painstaking care to produce a richly aromatic spice. This makes it one of the world's most expensive products. It comes in the form of black, shiny sticks, usually known as "pods".