Bri Bri Plant List

Hidden Garden has been collecting information about the local medicinal plants for many years. In our field trips to the Bri Bri Indigenous Territory nearby, we have found a lack of access to ethnobotanical research and modern taxonomy. Our project seeks to remedy this situation with our free digital educational tool, which provides scientific taxonomy fort the plants most used by the Bri Bri people of Coastal Talamanca.

Special thanks to the many tribal elders and their families, who have shared their ancestral knowledge with us and allowed their wisdom to be added to the growing virtual educational system that the technological revolution provides.

Our Bri Bri Plant List is a constant work in progress. We invite visitors to add your comments, questions, or even corrections, in the area below the page. If you are familiar with anyone of Bri Bri ancestry please share this cultural conservation tool with them. Thanks!

Species	Bri Bri	Spanish	English	Family	Other
Abelmoschus esculentus	Ñanjú		Cafe Chiricano	MALVACEAE	Okra, Okro
Adenostemma platyphyllum	Sapo Köyök	Aralen		ASTERACEAE	doña Juana, mamajuana
Alternathera sp.	Iös màt			AMARANTHACEAE
Aristolochia odoratissima L.	Suëkuöña	Oreja de conejo		ARISTOLOCHIACEAE	Zaragoza, bejuco del sol
Bactris gassipaes	Dikö	Pejibaye	Peach palm	ARECACEAE	chontaduro, cachipay, pejibá
Bauhinia guianensis Aub L.	Sibòkapàruwö	Escalera de mono		CAESALPINIOIDEAE	Caspi motelo, bejuco chocho
Begonia involucrata Liebm	Chölikili	Begonia		BEGONIACEAE
Begonia multinervia Liebm	Vaca ták	Begonia		BEGONIACEAE
Bixa orellana	Katshá	Achiote	Lipstick Tree	BIXACEAE	Annatto
Bursera Simarouba	Kolo, kalmoli	Hombre Desnudo, Jinocuabe		BURSERACEAE	Ñijote, Chibú
Carica papaya	Kicho	Papaya	Papaya	CARICACEAE	Pawpaw
Carludovica rotundifolia		Estococca	Chidra	CYCLANTHACEAE	Panama Hat
Cassia reticulata Willd.	Páskua	Saragundí		CAEESALPINIOIDEAE
Cestrum racemosum		Zorillo – Arbol	Spinach Tree	SOLANACEAE
Chinchona pubescens Vahl.	Kinina	Quinina		RUBIACEAE
Cissampelos pareira L.	Kokili	Vanadero		MENISPERMACEAE
Colocasia esculenta		Malanga		ARACEAE	Chamol
Columnea dimidiata?	Bedjeri		Gota de Sangre	GESNERIACEAE
Commelina diffusa		?Molo		COMMELINACEAE
Cordia alliodora			Laurel	BORAGINACEAE	Laurel
Cordyline fruticosa		Caña India	Red Dracaena	DRACAENACEAE
Costus spicatus		Cana Agria	Sour Cane	COSTACEAE
Crescentia cujete			Jicara, Cuy Jepe	BIGNONIACEAE	Calabash Tree	Xicalli
Croton draco			Targua, Sangre de Drago	EUPHORBIACAE
Cryosophila guagara P. Allen	Túskicha	Escoba		ARECACEAE
Cucurbita argyrosperma	Api	Ayote	Squash	CUCURBITACEAE	Pipian
Cymbopogon citratus	Soko	Zacate Limon	Lemon Grass	POACEAE	Fever Grass
Cyphomandra hartwegii	Likilikó
Desmodium adscendens		Amor Seco, Pega Pega	Strong Back	FABACEAE
Dicliptera unguiculata, Blechum Pyramidatum		Sornia, Olotillo	Sornia	ACANTHACEAE
Dieffenbalchia seguine		Sainillo	Dumb cane	ARACEAE
Dioscorea mexicana		Cuculmeca Blanca	Wild Yam	DIOSCOREACEAE
Dioscorea sp.			Hard Yam	DIOSCORACEAE
Dioscorea sp (1)	Dòyökicha			DIOSCORACEAE
Dioscorea sp (2)	Nàìdipàkicha			DIOSCORACEAE
Dracontium pitteri Engl.	Alámòköl	Hombrón		ARACEAE
Drymaria cordata (L.) Willd.	Kuokili	Nervillo		CARYOPHYLLACEAE
Dolichandra unguis-cati		Uña de Gato	Cat Claw	BIGNONIACEAE
Eclipta prostrata (syn. E. alba)			Congalala	ASTERACEAE	Baby Bush	li chang, bhangra
Ehretia latifolia		Raspaguacal		BORAGINACEAE
Eryngium foetidurn		Culantro Coyote	Wild Cilantro	APIACEAE
Fevillea cordifolia L.	Dùnawö	Cabalonga		CUCURBITACEAE	Jabilla, mantecona, aviata
Furcraea cabuya Trel.	Amù wìñak	Cabuya		AGAVACEAE	fique, maguey
Gliricidia sepium		Madero Negro		FABACEAE
Grias caulifora L.	Botòk	Membrillo		LECYTHIDACEAE	Pacó
Guazuma ulmifolia		Guácimo	Bay Cedar	STERCULlACEAE	Tapaculo
Hamelia patens		Coralillo, Zorillo Colorado	Red Head	RUBIACEAE	Ix-canan, X-k' anan
Hedychiym coronarium Konig	Mokó	Flor de San Juan, Heliotropo	White Ginger Lily	ZINGIBERACEAE	Lirio Blanco
Heliconia tortuosa Griseb.	Tòo	Platanillo		HELICONACEAE
Hevea brasiliensis		Arbol del Caucho	Rubber Tree	EUPHORBIACAE
Hibiscus rosa sinensis		Amapola	Hibiscus	MALVACEAE
Hura crepitans		Jabillo	Sandbox Tree	EUPHORBIACEAE
Kalanchoe pinnata		Hoja de Aire	Tree of Life	CRASSULACEAE
Mangifera indica		Mango	Mango	ANACARDIACEAE
Machaerium sp.	Köyökatchö			PAPILONACEAE
Manihot esculenta		Yuca	Cassava	EUPHORBIACEAE	Manioc	Mandi'o
Manilkara zapota		Níspero	Chicle Tree	SAPOTACEAE	Tzapotl
Mimosa pudica		Dormilona	Sensitive Plant	FABACEAE	Shame a’maca
Momordica Charantia		Sorosí	Bitter Melon	CUCURBITACEAE
Neurolaena Lobata	Bachakri, Tcherekriko, Tchekili	Gavilana	Jackass Bitters	ASTERACEAE	Venadillo, yerba de cancer, contragavilana
Ocotea spp.	Kòpöli			LAURACEAE
Oncidium cebolleta	Sulérkili			ORCHIDACEAE
Peperomiia Rotundifolia			Peperomia	PIPERACEAE	Epiphytic Peperomia
Peperomila pellucida		Lengua de Sapo	Man to Man	PIPERACEAE
Pereskia grandifolia Har.	Namùyibala			CACTACEAE
Persea americana		Aguacate	Avocado	LAURACEAE	Ahuacatl
Petiveria alliacea	Wakili	Ajillo, zorrillo	Spirit Weed	PHYTOLACACEAE	Anamú, mucura
Phthirusa pyrifolia (Kunth)	Sëdili	Matapalo		LORANTHACEAE	Hiedra, pajarito abejucado
Phyllanthus Niruri		Chanca Piedra	Stone breaker	EUPHORBIACEAE	Gripe Bush
Peperomia rotundifolia (L.)	Suòkili			PIPERACEAE	Congona arisca, cuartillo
Piper amalgo		Cordoncillo	Spanish Elder	PIPERACEAE
Piper auritum	Kolòkö, Crocoichuc	Hoja de Estrella, Anisillo	Cowfoot	PIPERACEAE	Santa María de anis
Piper hispidium	Shirëkili			PIPERACEAE
Piper Peltatum	Crocu	Santa Maria	Cowfoot	PIPERACEAE
Piper sp.	Lokilikó	Candelillo		PIPERACEAE
Pipper spp (2)	Tórökicha			PIPERACEAE
Piper spp (3)	Shutö			PIPERACEAE
Quassia amara L.	Bokónki	Hombre Grande, Amargo	Bitterwood	SIMAROUBACEAE	Cruceto, aguasio
Scutellaria costaricana H.A.	Dabökilìwö	Pavoncillo rojo		LAMIACEAE
Senna Reticulata		Saragundí	Senna	FABACEAE	Christrnas Bush
Sida rhombifolia	Chichibe		Escobilla negra	MALVACEAE	Broom Weed
Smilax dominguensis		Cuculmeca	Red China Root	SMILACACEAE	Chaney Root
Smilax officionalis		Zarzaparrilla		SMILACACEAE
Smilax spinosa?			Sarsaparilla	SMILACACEAE
Smilax sp. (2)	Sás	Zarzaparrilla		SMILACACEAE
Smilax sp (3)	Wi'wö	Zarzaparrilla	Sarsaprilla	SMILACACEAE
Smilax spp.	Sòta	Zarzaparrilla	Sarsaparilla	SMILACACEAE
Solanum sp.	Mèkili			SOLANACEAE
Spondias mombin L.	Bala'	Jobo		ANACARDIACEAE	Ciruela, ciruelo, cocote
Theobroma cacao		Cacao	Cocoa	STERCULIACEAE	Xocolatl
Tipogranda purpurascens	Molo			COMMELINACEAE
Topobea maurofernandeziana	Kótokicha			MELASTOMATACEAE
Tradescantia zanonia (L.) Sw.	Toño	Azulillo		COMMELINACEAE	Suelda
Trattinnickia aspera	Doli, Dori	Caraña		BURSERACEAE	Ampó
Triumfetta lappula L.	Lúkkili	Mozote Caballo	Mozote	BOMBACACEAE	Vadillo cimarrón, cadillo mulato
Unicaria		Uña de Gato	Cats Claw	RUBIACEAE
Urera baccifera		Ortiga	Tropical Nettles	URTICACEAE	Scratch Bush
Witheringia solanacea		Sulfatillo		SOLANACEAE	Berchaa
Zea mays		Maíz	Corn
Zingiber officinale		Jengibre	Ginger	ZINGIBERACEAE
ZZ	Tsirkli