Fauna and Flora

Flora

The Amazon is known primarily for its forest, which stands out for its vastness, the robustness and diversity of its vegetation, and the beauty of its flowers and fruits. Many scholars, scientists, and curious individuals have visited and continue to visit the biome to explore its uniqueness and mysteries. In this context, it's important to remember Margaret Mee¹, an English illustrator passionate about the forest and who beautifully portrayed it in her works. She is known for taking 24 years to find the Moonflower, a rare Amazonian species that blooms only one night a year.

Like Margaret, many seek to discover the hidden beauty of the Amazon. The exact number of species is still a mystery; what is known are estimates that increase daily. According to the MMA, large trees total 2.500 species (1/3 of all tropical timber in the world) and there are more than 30 plant species (of which 100 are in South America).² More than 2.000 plant species have been identified as useful for food and medicine, as well as for the production of oils, greases, waxes, etc.³

What's most striking when you arrive in the forest is the sheer size of the trees. It's magical to come across a Samaúma tree, considered sacred to many peoples, whose trunk is immense. Its exposed roots provide a firm foundation for the tree and are even used by Indigenous peoples to communicate over miles—tapping the roots produces a loud, deep sound. On the other hand, imagine a tree 88 meters tall, almost the size of a 30-story building: this is the largest tree recorded in the biome, a Red Angelim (Dinizia excelsa), located in a sanctuary of giant trees on the border of Pará and Amapá.⁴

Other Amazonian trees are well-known for their fruits, including the majestic chestnut tree, whose fruits, called "ouriços" (sea chestnuts), are used in crafts, and the world-renowned chestnuts. There are countless trees of great importance in the biome, including açaí, rubber, andiroba, pupunha, mahogany, cedar, cocoa, cupuaçu, guarana, and tucumã. Their uses for the local populations are numerous, from food, income generation, the use of wood, resins, and latex, medicinal and ritual preparations, to their presence in the popular imagination, in tales, legends, and stories.

A good example of this is the uniqueness of the Victoria Regia, the symbolic flower of the Amazon, which invites us to immerse ourselves in a universe of exotic beauty. This species is considered one of the largest aquatic plants in the world, with reported medicinal and culinary uses. From it sprouts a flower of unparalleled beauty, the source of inspiration for the popular legend that tells of a young indigenous woman who so admired the Moon who disappeared after trying to touch its reflection in the waters of a river. The Moon felt sorry for the now-lost young woman and transformed her into a Victoria Regia, a giant flower with petals that open in the water to receive the Moon's light.⁵

In the Amazon, it's common to hear about the famous dishes⁶ duck in tucupi and tacacá, a soup made with tucupi (a sauce made from wild cassava), shrimp, and jambu leaves (a vegetable that numbs the mouth). In fact, these leaves are also used to make the famous jambu cachaça, and there are reports of its use in folk medicine due to its anesthetic effect⁷. A food that has become popular in Brazil and even other countries, we can't forget the famous açaí, a highly nutritious fruit that has won over many healthy eating enthusiasts. In the Amazon, it's consumed with tapioca flour and fish, but it has spread throughout Brazil in its sweet form, prepared in various ways, mainly with banana and guarana syrup.

Speaking of which, guarana also comes from the Amazon. According to Amazonian folklore,⁸ it originated from the death of an indigenous boy, murdered by an evil deity. Tupã then instructed his mother to bury the boy's eyes near the village, where a plant later sprouted, its seeds closely resembling human eyes. This small fruit has stimulating properties, is used in powder form, as a syrup, in medicines, and as a raw material for the famous soft drink that bears its name.

Thus, the Amazon rainforest enchants us with all its beauty, colors, and endless flavors. With its diverse trunks, leaves large and small, of all shapes and textures, flowers and fruits for every taste. All the forest's diversity is a living presence in the popular imagination, revealing an ancient relationship between plants and forest peoples. Seeking to understand its mysteries is to break down the boundaries that separate humanity from nature. It is to accept that, yes, the Victoria regia must be preserved, because more than a beautiful flower, a symbol of the Amazon, it is an Indigenous woman who died worshipping the moon.