Resembling the lignum vitae tree but with a much rougher trunk is the "mata piska" or fish killer (Jacquinia barbasco) which exudes a penetrating sweet smell when in bloom.

If you throw berries, leaves or bruised branches into still (non-flowing) water, dead fish soon start floating on the surface. Fish have been caught this way for centuries by South American Indians. The toxin is not harmful to humans.

As the road bears right, you'll pass dyewood trees, another important export crop for Savonet. Rasping the wood produces a red color suitable for dyeing cloth. The trees are easy to distinguish because their trunks are unusually grooved.

At the crossroads, go straight and descend into a "rooi," from the Spanish word "arroyo," a dry bed that holds running water only after a heavy shower. Growing in the rooi and along the sides of the road is a shrub you don't want to touch called locally "bringamosa" (fighting young lady).

The stinging hairs on the leaves and branches contain a substance that causes itching and scratching and, for very allergic people, a high fever.

Also growing in the same area is a natural antidote called Flaira (Jatrophya gossypifolia). It looks just like the fighting young lady but has red flowers and lacks the stinging hairs.     

Next you emerge onto a plateau and a sign that indicates a good view of the north coast. Boka Grandi is a rough, wave-swept beach on one side of the viewpoint; Savonet house and Christoffel Hill are on the other.

Look carefully among the melocaccti if they are in bloom. Whiptail lizards love dining on the pink flowers and fruits, as do several species of hummingbirds, including the ruby-topaz (Chrysolampis mosquitus) and blue-tailed emerald hummingbird (Chlorostilbon mellisugus).

The limestone soil is full of ribbed milky-white shells that look like wicker bee hives. These land snails are endemic to the Dutch islands. The fact that no South American snail species are present seems to destroy the theory that the ABCs were once connected to South America.

Next Page (Savonet Route Part 3)

Savonet Route Part 1

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