When most of the trees in the region begin to lose their leaves, one species begins to bear flowers to decorate the houses, streets, squares and roundabouts in pink, white, yellow and lilac tones, brightening up the cold autumn days.
the toborochi, The name given in Bolivia to the plant of the ceiba genus, it is a symbol of our flora, which is included in the Santa Cruz coat of arms and is the central object of various legends, especially of the Guarani culture.
The use that was given to the toborochi during the Chaco War, when Bolivian soldiers used it as a parapet.
In accordance with the biologist Huáscar Bustillosin Bolivia there are eight species of the ceiva genus: boliviana, samauma, pentandra, publiflora, speciosa, chodatii, insignis and glaziovii.
These differ mainly in the color of their flowers (samauma has a very large flower with golden petals, while Bolivian ceiba has a very striking flower of cherry variegated color), for its size (the petandra reaches between 40 and 50 meters in the forests) and for its thickness (Speciosa and Chodatii have a high water storage capacity and large spines).
All these characteristics of the toborochi were explained in the event called Toborochi lovers, which took place on Friday at the Gabriel René Moreno Autonomous University (Uagrm), organized by Bustillos together with the creator of the Environmental Information Network (Rai), Eduardo Franco Bertón, and Paula Silva, who directs the Eramicheru Bolivia project.
On the occasion, the mythical meaning of the toborochi in eastern Bolivia was also discussed. “The toborochis have always been associated with a kind of myths and legends of the towns”, assures Bustillos.
The biologist mentions that the Castilianized word toborochi comes from the besiro chiquitano. “The voice toborojihx means ‘tree with a prominent belly’. The weenayhek of the Chaco call him yuchan and in their worldview, the Parapetí River was enclosed in its trunk. The Guarani call him samu’u and relate him to a princess, who when he blooms meets the hummingbird. The Ayoreos call it cucó and the legend has to do with a woman who transforms herself into a tree, to escape from bad people”, he comments.
A postcard of the fourth ring in the Santa Cruz capital shows the multicolored beauty that this tree offers.
Four of the six species of ceiba found in Santa Cruz: boliviana, speciosa, chodatii and insignis
Speciosa, the most famous toborochi of all species in Bolivia. Its flower is pink, very showy and its cotton is used to spin handicrafts.
Biologist Huáscar Bustillos poses in front of the oldest toborochi in Santa Cruz de la Sierra (95 years old), in the cemetery square
