BALCHÉ

What a family the Bean Family is! Out in the scrub probably most of the trees and bushes are Bean Family members, and at the hacienda ever so many ornamentals belong to it, not just the Tamarind. At the hacienda yet another Bean Family tree at its fruiting peak right now is Balché, of the genus LONCHOCARPUS.  Above you see Balché flowers as they appear at the end of the rainy season, in October and below you see them as they are now in late February.

Balché's legumes, as seen in the upper right corner of that picture, are unusual because typically they contain only one seed. Nearly all other Bean Family legumes contain two or more seeds. The tree's once- compound leaves also are unusual because, as you can see at the lower left in the picture, they are dispersed evenly along the stem instead of clustering at the stem's tip, as with most trees.

Balché's fame, however, doesn't arise from the tree's botany. Several species of Balché -- of the genus Lonchocarpus -- are famous because the ancient Maya made from the trees' bark a mildly fermented drink also called balché. Often balché was at the center of important Maya ceremonies. Balché was to the ancient Maya what wine is to Catholics and mead was to early Anglo-Saxons. In fact, I'm told that in town Balché still is made from time to time. Also, if you can't find enough bark or don't want to hurt the tree, leaves also can be used. The slightly intoxicating drink is quite bitter, I've heard.