Tree Comparison

Key Difference

Aguacate is the cultivated avocado with large edible fruits, while Aguacatillo is a wild cloud forest relative with tiny fruits that are the primary food of Resplendent Quetzals.

Key Difference

Almendro has pinnate leaves and single-seeded drupes, towers 40-60m with critical importance for Great Green Macaws. Gavilán has bipinnate leaves and massive explosive seed pods, dominates Caribbean forests through nitrogen fixation.

Key Difference

Cedro Amargo has compound pinnate leaves and aromatic wood, while Cedro María has simple opposite leaves and latex sap.

Key Difference

Ceiba has massive buttress roots at the base, while Pochote does not have buttresses.

Key Difference

Cocobolo is critically endangered small tree (15-25 m) with orange-red heartwood and CITES protection, while Cristóbal is near-threatened canopy tree (25-40 m) with purple heartwood and wider distribution—both valuable but fundamentally different conservation and size profiles.

Key Difference

Corteza Amarilla has golden-yellow flowers (Mar-Apr); Cortez Negro has pink-purple flowers (Feb-Mar). Both bloom spectacularly when leafless, but flower color is unmistakable!

Key Difference

Corteza Amarilla explodes in brilliant golden-yellow flowers, while Roble de Sabana blooms in delicate pink - both deciduous Bignoniaceae trees flowering in dry season.

Key Difference

Coyol has wickedly long trunk spines (up to 20cm) and hard-shelled fruits, while Pejibaye forms clumps of multiple stems with softer flesh fruits.

Key Difference

Guanábana produces massive spiny fruits (2-5 kg) with tangy-sweet flavor perfect for juices, while Anona bears small scaly fruits (200-500g) with ultra-sweet custard flesh best eaten fresh

Key Difference

Guanacaste has distinctive ear-shaped seed pods, while Cenízaro has long, flat, straight pods typical of legumes.

Key Difference

Guayacán Real is an endangered slow-growing tree producing the world's densest wood, while Madero Negro is a fast-growing nitrogen-fixing legume used as living fences and coffee shade.

Key Difference

Higuerón (Ficus insipida) is a single species with specific characteristics, while Matapalo refers to multiple Ficus species (F. obtusifolia, F. pertusa, etc.) that share the strangling growth habit.

Key Difference

Jobo is a large tree (15-30m) with yellow fruits and compound leaves with 9-19 leaflets; Jocote is smaller (7-15m) with red/purple fruits and more leaflets (9-25). Check tree size and fruit color!

Key Difference

Laurel has lighter wood and swollen ant-inhabited nodes (domatia) on twigs; Laurel Negro has dark heartwood and no domatia—check the twigs!

Key Difference

Mamón has smooth green skin with salmon-pink flesh; Mamón Chino has hairy red skin with white flesh. Both have translucent flesh around a large seed—but they look completely different!

Key Difference

Mango is a cultivated fruit tree with single large fruits and dense crown; Espavel is a towering rainforest giant with massive buttress roots and cashew-like fruits.

Key Difference

Mango has a single large mango fruit hanging from stem; Marañón has a cashew 'apple' with kidney-shaped nut attached at bottom.

Key Difference

Ojoche is exceptionally safe with edible seeds, while Javillo is one of the most dangerous trees in the Americas with caustic sap and explosive pods.

Key Difference

Teak is slow-growing (20-25 years) premium hardwood for high-value products, while Gmelina is ultra-fast (5-8 years) softwood for pulp and light construction—fundamentally different timber investment strategies.

Key Difference

Zapote (Mamey Sapote) has large salmon-pink flesh with sweet potato notes and smooth brown skin, while Níspero (Sapodilla) has smaller brown caramel-sweet flesh with rough sandpaper-like skin—both delicious but distinctly different eating experiences.