Roxi Steele
Plant Biology Graduate Program
University of Texas at Austin
"Systematics and Biogeography of the Neotropical Genus Psiguria Neck. ex Arn. (Cucurbitaceae)" (to be completed in 2009)
Return to Roxi's home page - Last updated 17 November 2006
Photographs of Psiguria in the UT greenhouses, photos from my plant-collecting trip to Costa Rica (2005), and a few photos from my trip in 2003
Thanks to Piero Protti, I have filled in a few more of the "unknown" plant names (09/2005)
Michael Nee provided me with some additional species determinations (6/2008) - Thanks!
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| Psiguria bignoniacea - leaf (UT greenhouse) | Psiguria bignoniacea - flower (UT greenhouse) |
Roxi preparing Psiguria warscewiczii for the dryer at UT |
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| Caligo sp. - Owl Butterfly - when the wings are apart, it looks like an owl face (Museo Nacional de Costa Rica) | Caligo sp. - Owl Butterfly larvae (Museo Nacional de Costa Rica) |
the only Psiguria bignoniaceae that I found in Costa Rica (no flowers) |
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| Orchidaceae, probably Sobralia | unknown vine with interesting aerial roots shown at right | detail of the aerial roots attaching to the post |
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| Anhinga sp. - Snake Bird - sunning by the river | Spider Monkey watching the humans | the Spider Monkey takes a leap |
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| Psiguria warscewiczii - the first species I found in Costa Rica and the only one with flowers | Psiguria warscewiczii - inflorescence with flower buds | Psiguria warscewiczii - typical leaf |
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| Slaty-sided Hawk | Ctenosaur | Peccary |
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| mama Sloth descending to the forest floor for her weekly bathroom break | students photographing the Sloths | mama Sloth with baby |
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| inflorescence of Gurania costaricensis - a sister species of Psiguria | Gurania costaricensis - (AKA G. coccinea) - leaf | Gurania costaricensis - individual flower |
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| that's me in front of a large rainforest tree | fossilized sea shell | fossilized sea shell |
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| vine in the Apocynaceae family (det. by Michael Nee) | milky sap | individual flower |
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| Screech Owl babies | Atta sp. - Leaf-cutter ants | Atta sp. - Leaf-cutter ants |
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| Elateriopsis sp. from Costa Rica -female flowers | Elateriopsis sp. from Costa Rica - leaf | Elateriopsis sp. from Costa Rica - fruit |
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| Datura sp. - grows like trees in Costa Rica in several colors (here pink) |
Datura sp. - white |
by a creek in Costa Rica |
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| Rocio and I at Monumento Nacional Guayabo in Costa Rica (this is where I found the P. bignoniacea) | Guayaba (Guava) fruits from which they make the delicious Guayabitas (chocolate-covered guava jelly . . . yum!) | Pineapple farm |
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| Psiguria umbrosa (UT greenhouse) - flower | P. umbrosa - leaves - I hope to find this species on another trip to Central America | P. umbrosa - inflorescence |
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| Hog-nose Viper | Hog-nose Viper | Hog-nose Viper |
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| Peanut Bug | ?? bug | ?? moth |
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| Piero (Costa Rican ecology student) collecting Passiflora sp. | Passiflora sp. - tricked me into thinking is was Psiguria :( - now I know about the tendrils! | Bougainvillea sp. - grows like trees in Costa Rica in many beautiful colors |
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| Lily | Orchidaceae Oncidium klotzchianum | Thunbergia sp. - with insect inside |
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| Baby Armadillo on the Costa Rican rainforest floor | Baby Armadillo on the Costa Rican rainforest floor | White Tent Bats sleeping beneath a banana leaf |
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| Rothschildia sp. | Eyelash Viper - yellow morph | the dreaded Bullet Ant - 1-1/4" long!! |
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| Rytidostylis sp. from Costa Rica - flower | Rytidostylis sp. from Costa Rica - fruit | my hotel room at Hotel Ritmo del Caribe in San Jose, Costa Rica |
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| Rocio | Teatro Nacional de Costa Rica | ancient corn-grinding table displayed at the Museo Nacional de Costa Rica |
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| Ericaceae (det. Michael Nee) | Caesalpinia pulcherrima - flowers | Cyperaceae Rynchospora colorata |
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| Psychotria poeppigiana | Papaya farm |
Butterfly ginger - Hedychium coronarium (Zingiberaceae) - thanks Doug! |
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| Bushmaster - a bite results in only 25% chance of survival (coil diameter 12") | Bushmaster - what a nasty guy!! | non-native Iridaceae Crocosmia x crocosmiiflora (det. Michael Nee) |
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| unknown frog | unknown frog in a Heliconia leaf | Caiman sp. |
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| Psiguria tabascensis - flower (UT greenhouse) | Psiguria tabascensis - leaves (UT greenhouse) - I hope to find this species on another trip to Central America | Psiguria tabascensis - inflorescence (UT) |
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| Lantana camara | Fabaceae Arachis pintoi - in Costa Rica they call it "manicillo" which means "little peanut" | Epidendrum radicans - orchid |
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| Howler Monkey | Basilisk sp. walks on water | Basilisk sp. - Jesus Christ lizard |
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| Euphorbiaceae Jatropha multifida - Patricia Nethercote sent me this identification - Thanks! | spiky caterpillar - 5" long | Acacia sp. - showing THORNS!! |
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| Heliconius sp. - they feed on Psiguria pollen | can you see the pollen on his proboscis? | that's me again |
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| Crocodile | Dendrobates reticulatus - with two tadpoles on her back | Dendrobates reticulatus - Strawberry Poison Dart Frog (called "frog in blue jeans" in Spanish) |
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| Momordica charantia - leaves | Rocio in the rainforest | |
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| beach at Dominical, Costa Rica | beach at Dominical, Costa Rica | Asclepias curassavica |
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| Tamandua sp. - Southern anteater | unknown Fabaceae | unknown Fabaceae |
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| Tree Boa | Tree Boa (held by Matt, the herpetologist) | Bare-throated Tiger Heron |
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| Red-eyed Tree Frog | Red-eyed Tree Frog | Red-eyed Tree Frogs in amplexus |
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| Howler Monkey | Green Iguana - orange during the mating season | Iguana sp. - Green Iguana |
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| Rat Tree snake face | Matt, the herpetologist, with a Rat Tree snake | Praying Mantis |
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| Costa Rica | the Continental Divide through Costa Rica | White-faced Capuchin monkey |
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| Arenal Volcano - no, I didn't take these pictures, they sell them in the gift shop | Arenal Volcano - I've been to Costa Rica 4 times and I've never seen this volcano because of fog | Arenal Volcano at night |