Botanical Foundation of Reforestation
TREES AND PLANTS
Creating a sustainable source of níshi and other sacred plant medicines begins with a thriving, balanced forest. Each tree and plant plays a vital role in this balance. We are restoring this biodiversity by cultivating native species that contribute to soil health, carbon sequestration, and the survival of countless animal and fungal species. Explore the plants and trees at the heart of our reforestation efforts and their role in creating a vibrant, balanced forest.
Native Tree Species
The following species of trees have been selected for a variety of reasons, including their rapid growth rate, mature height, strength of the wood, and nitrogen-fixing properties. By planting a diversity of trees to serve as hosts for lianas, we also create a habitat to bring a diversity of birds, pollinators, and other plant, animal, and fungi contributors in for a dynamic and balanced ecosystem.
Common Name: Acacia
Taxonomy: Acacia sp.
Shipibo: Pancha Bero
Acacia trees are fast-growing tropical species that thrive in nutrient-poor, alkaline, or acidic soils and are highly resistant to high temperatures, typically reaching heights of 8 to 12 meters. They bloom from May to June, producing purple and white flowers, with 15 cm pods and small, thin, round seeds.
Scientific studies indicate that Acacias significantly improve poor soils through rapid leaf and branch decomposition, enhancing biomass. Additionally, their nitrogen-fixing capabilities enrich the soil, making them essential for ecosystem sustainability in degraded environments. While they are not as tall as many other hardwood trees, their strong wood is also capable of supporting níshi lianas in the early stages of forest growth while slower-growing hardwood trees reach maturity.
Common Name: Amasisa
Taxonomy: Erythrina
Shipibo: Kaxo
Amasisa is a fast-growing tree with abundant orange flowers. Amasisa is a nitrogen fixer tree that helps to restore nutrients in degraded soil. The tree branches are cut and replanted directly in the soil to propagate additional trees. The surrounding boundary of the experimental plot uses closely spaced Amasisa trees to experiment with growing níshi horizontally. It also provides a more effective resistance to fire as compared to other trees.
Common Name: Caoba
Taxonomy: Swietenia macrophylla
Shipibo: Wishtininti
Commonly known as Mahogany, the Caoba is considered an endangered species popular for its valuable hardwood. It’s very adaptable to different soils. The resin can be extracted from the bark and oils extracted from the seeds. After reaching maturity, the Caoba produces light yellow flowers and bears long fruits that grow upward (known as “sky fruits”). Each fruit can contain 30 to 70 winged seeds.
Common Name: Capirona
Taxonomy: Calycophyllum spruceanum
Shipibo: Axo
Capirona is a fast-growing tree that can reach 30 meters at full maturity. Once or twice per year the tree will shed its bark to prevent fungus and other vines from climbing its trunk. The bark has a notable polished and smooth texture with a reddish-brown color followed by a green color after the bark is shed. It produces an abundance of fragrant white flowers followed by seed pods. The bark is used as an antifungal treatment to heal wounds, cuts, and burns and can also be used as an insect repellent.
Common Name: Carahuasca
Taxonomy: Guatteria hyposericea Diels
Shipibo: Nishi Jiwi
Carahuasca is a popular hardwood used in carpentry, furniture construction, and tool handles. It grows to reach 20 to 30 meters in height. Many species within the Guatteria genus have been used in traditional medicine. Extracts from the bark, leaves, and other parts of the plant are used to treat a range of ailments, including fevers, digestive issues, and inflammatory conditions.
Common Name: Cedro
Taxonomy: Cedrela odorata
Shipibo: Konxan
Timber from the Cedro tree (known as “Spanish Ceder” in English commerce) is popular for its aromatic lightweight wood and natural termite and rot-resistant properties. As a result of overharvesting, the Cedro tree is considered a vulnerable species. Mature Cedro trees can reach 30 meters in height and after about 10 years begin to produce flowers, fruit, and seeds.
Common Name: Chuchuhuasi
Taxonomy: Maytenus macrocarpa
Shipibo: Chochowaya
The Chuchuhuasi tree is a known medicine throughout the Amazon Rainforest for its tonifying, anti-inflammation, anti-spastic, metabolic, anti-fever, anti-cancer, painkiller, tumor-preventing, and antihistaminic properties. The word Chuchuhuasi (and other variations such as chuchuhuasha, chucchu huashu, and chuchasha) is Quechua and translates to “trembling bark” as the bark of the tree is effective in relieving back pain, as well as the discomforts of arthritis and rheumatism. Chuchuhuasi can reach 30 meters and produces small white flowers.
Common Name: Copaiba
Taxonomy: Copaifera reticulata
Shipibo: Bomshis
Copaiba often refers to the oleoresin obtained from the trunk of several South American leguminous trees in the Copaifera genus. At Jakon Rate we have selected a native variety that, like many in this genus, produces copaiba-balsam, the resin is used as a food additive and as flavoring in food and beverages, in perfumery, cosmetics, varnishes, and lacquers, and as substitute to diesel oil. Medicinally, it is used to treat various conditions with the skin, urinary tract, respiratory system, and reproductive systems. It can also be used as a pain reliever, to soothe headaches, sore throats, and mouth sores. It also treats inflammation and wounds and is considered one of the most important natural remedies in some rural regions where people live far from pharmacies and hospitals and have little access to public health care.
The Copaiba tree grows to 30 meters (and in some cases can be found as tall as 45 meters). Leaf litter and root dieback are known to contribute to nitrogen-fixing in the surrounding soil.
Common Name: Guaba
Taxonomy: Inga edulis
Shipibo: Xenan
Guaba (also known as Ice Cream Bean) is a fruit-bearing tree known for its rapid growth and ability to improve soil properties. Like many other species in the genus Inga, Guaba can fix nitrogen in the soil through a symbiotic relationship with nitrogen-fixing bacteria in its root nodules and decomposed leaf litter. This makes it valuable in agroforestry systems, where it can improve soil fertility and support the growth of other crops. As a result, it’s used in coffee, cacao, tea plantations, and other agroforestry systems to provide shade and improve soil. It can reach 30 meters in height at full maturity. The pulp of the fruit is sweet and is often said to taste like vanilla ice cream.
Guaba plays a significant role in the ecology of its native habitat by providing food for a variety of animals, including birds, bats, and insects. It also contributes to the overall biodiversity and ecosystem functioning of tropical forests.
Common Name: Huayruro
Taxonomy: Ormosia coccinea
Shipibo: Reposh
Huayruro (also known as the “Scarlet Bean” tree) is a medium-sized flowering leguminous tree reaching 20 meters. While the seeds are toxic when raw, after proper processing, they are valued in jewelry making with their distinct half-black and half-red color. The Huayruro tree grows quickly and contributes to soil health and atmospheric nitrogen through symbiotic relationships with nitrogen-fixing bacteria in its root nodules and the decomposition of fallen leaves.
Common Name: Lupuna Blanca
Taxonomy: Ceiba pentandra
Shipibo: Josho Xono
The Lupuna Blanca tree is among the tallest and largest trees throughout the Amazonian rainforest reaching up to 70 meters in height. Commonly referred to as Kapok it can be found throughout the world in tropical rainforests in the Americas, Africa, and Asia. The trunk can reach several meters in diameter with large buttress roots extending from its base.
The Lupuna produces large and showy white, pink, or reddish flowers followed by woody seed capsules filled with seeds and a fluffy cotton-like fiber which is used as a sustainable cotton alternative as a stuffing for pillows and mattresses and in other textile applications. Older Lupuna Blanca trees that tower over the canopy can be an anchor in the ecosystem providing food and habitat for numerous species of birds, reptiles, pollinators, and mammals.
Common Name: Pashaco
Taxonomy: Macrolobium acaciifolium (Benth.) Benth.
Shipibo: Awapishi
Pashaco is a medium to large tree ranging from 10 to 30 meters in height. The tree typically produces small, inconspicuous flowers that give way to seed pods. The wood is dense, strong, and resistant to decay and as a result, is valued and used in construction, furniture making, and boat building.
Research on nitrogen-fixing trees suggests that, like other legume trees, the Pashaco tree has the potential to contribute to soil restoration and fertility improvement in degraded environments.
Common Name: Quinilla
Taxonomy: Manilkara bidentata
Shipibo: Texo
Quinilla is a large latex-producing tree with white flowers and yellow berries reaching 45 meters in height and as much as 2 meters in diameter at maturity. The wood is valued for being strong, durable, hard, and resistant to rot and insects. The wood (known as bulletwood) is used in numerous applications including construction, boat building, furniture, and tools. The Quinilla latex was historically harvested for various purposes, including chewing gum, golf balls, and industrial coatings.
The latex has also been used topically to treat wounds, skin infections, and rheumatic pain, and the bark and leaves can be used in decoctions and infusions for their anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties.
Common Name: Requia
Taxonomy: Guarea guidonia
Shipibo: Xoro
Requia is a medium to large tree ranging from 15 to 25 meters in height. It produces small flowers and stems loaded with fruit. The tree is known as an ornamental tree which produces good shade and is used in some agroforestry systems to provide shade to coffee and banana plantations. Various parts of the tree can be used as medicine either topically or internally to treat body aches, angina, asthma, dyspnoea, fevers, inflammation, digestive disorders, and as a general purgative.
Common Name: Sangre de Grado
Taxonomy: Croton lechleri
Shipibo: Jimimoxo
Sangre de Grado (Dragon’s Blood) is a medium-sized tree growing 10 to 20 meters high with a relatively thin trunk. It’s popular for producing a thick red resin that can be tapped from the bark of the tree and used in numerous medicinal applications. The bioactive sap or resin possesses antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, anti-fungal, and immune-boosting properties. As a result, it is used topically to treat wounds, cuts, and infections, reduce inflammation, and reduce pain, swelling, and inflammation. It is used internally as a tonic to inhibit the growth of bacteria, fungi, and viruses, to treat gastrointestinal disorders, including ulcers, diarrhea, and gastritis, and used in dental care.
Common Name: Shihuahuaco
Taxonomy: Dipteryx micrantha
Shipibo: Koman
Shihuahuaco is a very large tree averaging 40 to 45 meters but is known to reach up to 60 meters high. It has a distinctive salmon-colored bark and produces ornamental bunches of lilac-pink flowers high in the canopy that eventually develop into a mass of large fruit pods, which serve as an important food for many native animals during the dry season. It produces prized timber – dense, hard, and beautiful reddish wood traded in the international timber market under the name “Cumaru”. Currently, the conversation status for Shihuahuaco has not been evaluated but some reports and research indicate that the species may be endangered.
Common Name: Tawari
Taxonomy: Ixerba brexioides
Shipibo: Romepoto Jiwi
Tawari is a small bushy tree about 10 meters high with thick dark green leaves and white flowers with a green heart. The fruit is a green leathery capsule that splits open to reveal the black seeds. Tawari has a mass flowering strategy, attracting a range of pollinators and wildlife with the abundance of flowers and nectar it produces. Tawari has been planted around the perimeter of the experimental plot to help attract pollinators and contribute to the biodiversity and genetic diversity of the plot and surrounding areas.
Nishi Lianas
We have identified four varieties of níshi to study and cultivate in the initial stages of the project. While all four varieties have been previously identified botanically as the same species (Banisteriopsis caapi), Shipibo-Konibo and other Indigenous communities in the Amazon Rainforest have, for generations, known of numerous varieties. We will study genetic markers and confirm the existing taxonomy or update liana classifications with our new findings.
Each family and community may offer varied information about the differences in these varieties. Here is what our community has to offer.
Common Name: Ayahuasca Cielo (Yellow)
Taxonomy: Banisteriopsis caapi
Shipibo: Nai Nishi
Also known as “Yellow Ayahuasca”, this variety is the most common and popular among the onanya and meraya. After reaching the canopy of its host tree, it produces an abundance of small white, pink, and fuchsia flowers. The magical power of this Amazonian liana is used to offer healing to patients, and results in the best recipe to unite the 4 worlds:
Panshin Nete: The Yellow World
Non Nete: Our Current World
Jene Nete: Ocean World
Nai Nete: The Universe
Common Name: Ayahuasca Dulce (Sweet)
Taxonomy: Banisteriopsis caapi
Shipibo: Bata Nishi
The “Sweet” variety is a less common strain with a unique energy and has a more pleasant flavor. The vine itself is nearly identical to the more common “Cielo” variety but displays lighter flowers. The flowers are white and light pink. When the individual consuming this sweet variety carries negative energies, the visions are said to be terrifying and the spirits frightening.
Common Name: Ayahuasca Negra (Black)
Taxonomy: Banisteriopsis caapi
Shipibo: Wiso Nishi
The “Black” variety is more common among some Mestizo Vegetalistas and is usually blended with the “Cielo” variety. Among Shipibo-Konibo communities, it is rarely consumed as it carries an association with sorcery and witchcraft.
Common Name: Sacha Ayahuasca
Taxonomy: Banisteriopsis caapi
Shipibo: Nishin Chai
The “Sacha” variety is rare compared to other varieties. It is said to be less strong and less effective than “Cielo” and other varieties. For this reason, it is not cultivated, however, its potentially unique genetics still offer diversity to the forest. This and other less common varieties will be cultivated and tested to learn more about their unique qualities.
Companion & Medicinal Plants
Companion plants have been incorporated into the forest design to restore degraded soil, provide shade, and create habitat for pollinators, birds, and other species that contribute to a balanced ecosystem. We have also planted numerous other medicinal plants that are central to many Shipibo-Konibo healing traditions.
Common Name: Bobinsana
Taxonomy: Calliandra angustifolia
Shipibo: Semein
Bobinsana is a small, shrubby tree adorned with delicate, fern-like leaves and striking pink, powder-puff flowers. Thriving along riverbanks in the Amazon, it is deeply valued in Shipibo-Konibo traditions for its healing properties. Known for balancing both the emotional and physical body, Bobinsana is particularly supportive in times of grief, heartbreak, and emotional processing. It also strengthens the body, aiding circulation, the urinary system, and lung health, while offering relief for arthritis and rheumatism. A popular plant for dieta, Bobinsana helps release energetic blockages, fostering resilience and inner harmony.
Common Name: Cacao
Taxonomy: Theobroma cacao
Shipibo: Torampi
Cacao, the sacred "Food of the Gods," is a small tropical tree with glossy leaves and vibrant pods that grow from its trunk. Revered for its heart-opening and energizing properties, it enhances mood, circulation, and vitality.
In agroforestry, Cacao thrives in the shade of taller trees, stabilizing soil and enriching the forest floor. Its integration supports biodiversity, sustainable livelihoods, and long-term forest regeneration.
Common Name: Camu Camu
Taxonomy: Myrciaria dubia
Shipibo: Anta
Camu Camu is a small, riverside tree native to the Amazon, producing tart, cherry-sized fruits packed with some of the highest natural levels of vitamin C. Traditionally used to boost immunity, reduce inflammation, and support skin and eye health, it is a potent ally for overall well-being.
Thriving in flooded forest ecosystems, Camu Camu plays a vital role in stabilizing riverbanks and supporting biodiversity. Its cultivation provides sustainable economic opportunities while reinforcing the health of the Amazon’s delicate ecosystems.
Common Name: Chacruna
Taxonomy: Psychotria viridis
Shipibo: Kawa
Chacruna or kawa is a powerful plant teacher used alongside níshi in the preparation of oni. It’s a slow-growing shrub in the coffee family. Chacruna requires some shade and moist soil as it establishes itself in the first couple of years of growth. Over many years, it can become as tall as 5 meters. It produces flowers and berries containing seeds. Cuttings of stems and healthy leaves can be used to propagate the plant. We are experimenting with planting Chacruna (Psychotria viridis Ruiz. and Pavon.) with varied conditions and alongside the Yarina palm, a companion plant specifically known to support the health and growth of Kawa.
Common Name: Chiric Sanango
Taxonomy: Brunfelsia Grandiflora
Shipibo: Mokapari
Chiric Sanango is a revered teacher plant known for its striking purple-to-white flowers and powerful medicinal properties. Traditionally used throughout the Amazonian in plant diets, it is valued for strengthening the nervous system, improving circulation, and easing joint and muscle pain. It enhances the physiological communication between the body and mind, helping to repair and optimize the nerves, muscles, and bones. Also known for its deep energetic work, helping to clear fear, sadness, and emotional blockages while increasing sensitivity to subtle energies. Thriving in the Amazon’s understory, it plays an essential role in both forest ecology and human healing.
Common Name: Yarina
Taxonomy: Phytelephas macrocarpa
Shipibo: Jepe
The Yarina palm is a dioecious, solitary palm with a short trunk and a large crown. It produces large white flowers and composite fruits. The nuts, leaves, palm hearts, and fruits are all edible. Yarinacocha derives its name from the Yarina palm. Yarina has been planted as a companion plant to Chacruna. The two have been cultivated together for many generations.