Bwa-yo - Société Audubon Haiti

4 Chenn
Species: Catalpa longissima (Jacq.) Dum. Cours.
Family: Bignonaceae
Synonyms: Bignonia longissima Jacq., B. quercus Lam., Catalpa longissima (Jacq.)
Sims, Macrocatalpa longissima (Jacq.) Britton
Common Names: H - chene (chenn), bois chene (bwa chenn), chene hattien (chenn
peyi), chene noir (chenn nwa), chenier; RD - roble, roble de olor; J - Jamaica-oak, mastwood,
yokewood; PR - roble Dominicano, Haitian catalpa; US - Haitian oak; M - radegonde.
Importance: C. longissima is one of the best-known lumber species in Haiti. Ask the
Haitian fishermen what their boats are made of and the response is usually chenn. The
superior wood quality and local demand for chenn are reflected in local lumber prices
that are higher than the price ofthe renowned West Indies mahogany (Swietenia mahagoni).
The tree typically is distributed along the coastal and river plains, where farmers
manage the species with important food crops such as plantains (Musa x paradisiaca)
and sweet potato (Ipomea batatas). The sparse crown does not compete with understory
crops as with other tree species with denser shade.
Taxonomy and Botanical Features: The common name ofthis species is derived from
the French and Spanish names for oak (Quercus: Fagaceae). The Catalpa genus is comprised
of few species in Haiti, of which C. longissima is the largest in size. As is typical
of other Catalpa members, the showy white flowers are bell-shaped with a faint
pinkish tinge on the inside ofthe 5-10bed corolla (Fig. 4.1 inset). The tree is recognized
immediately by an abundance of long, stringy pods, up to 40 cm long, that are light
green turning to brown and twisting open to scatter hundreds of soft cottony seeds to
the wind. The pods are persistent, hanging on the outside of the crown and giving it a
stringy appearance. From a distance, the crown has a soft, bushy texture with slightly
wavy branches forming a cylindrical canopy; Chenn nwa may refer to a darker heartwood
variety or anyone of several Cordia species that exist in Haiti.
Distribution and Ecology: C. longissima is native' to the islands of Hispaniola and
Jamaica, but has become naturalized throughout the Caribbean as an ornamental and
timber species (Adams, 1972). Natural stands of Haitian oak are most typically found
near the coastal flood plains and alluvial fans of rivers, below an elevation of 250 m,
that receive an annual rainfall of 1000-2000 mm (Fig. 4.2). It tolerates seasonal flooding
and it is common to see nearly pure stands ofthe species, as along the Ennery River
near Passe Reine or in the valley of the Limbe river. As one travels into the mountains
up to an elevation of 1000 m, the tree is found mostly as an occasional specimen of
ravines and courtyards of Haitian homes, associated with other common species of the
subtropical moist forest: mango (Mangifera indica), avocado (Persea am'ericana),
simarouba (Simarouba glauca), colubrina (Colubrina arborescens), mahogany
(Swietenia mahagoni) and coconut (Cocos nucifera).
The soils most commonly associated with Haitian oak are the calcareous alluvial
deposits of sand, silt and gravel common to the coastal plains as well as the rivers and
ravines that drain the mountains. Typically, these soils have a pH range of 7.0-8.2 and
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