Health and blessings to all my dear readers, as I always say, it is a pleasure to be back with you, to share with you another selection of my photographic work. The protagonist in this opportunity is a very representative plant of my beloved Venezuela, place where I live, this is due to the fact that my land has a great extension of beautiful coasts. And this is the habitat par excellence of this plant commonly called here in my country, Beach Grape, although its scientific name is Coccoloba uvifera.

A curious fact about this plant, which surely you have already noticed and which, by the way, is the same reason for its popular name, at least here in Venezuela, is that the fruit has a certain resemblance to the grape vine, and it also develops in clusters. But the reality is that there is no kinship between these two plants, the beach grape or Coccoloba uvifera, actually belongs to the Polygonaceae family.

Although here in my country, this plant belonging to the genus Coccoloba is known as Uva de Playa (Beach Grape), in other places it is popularly known by other names. Next, I will place some of them that I found during my research and so perhaps it will be easier to identify it, in case it is also found in the place where you live. "American Kini", "Kino de Jamaica", "Uvero de Playa", "Uvita Playera", "Icaco", "Iril", "Iriles", "Guiabara", "Uva de la Caleta".

The beach grape plant or "Uvero" is a tree with a thick, woody trunk, smooth bark and grayish color. Native to the American continent, it is a very long-lived and relatively slow-growing tree, growing mainly on beaches or coastal areas with a mild and warm climate. As for its size, sometimes it can reach 15 meters in height, however, the most common is to find it in smaller sizes, between 2 and 8 meters high.

It is characterized by long branches, which as they grow tend to twist, this peculiarity gives it a curious appearance, which tends to be very attractive for use as an ornamental shrub. As for the foliage it tends to be not very dense, although in the case of the crown, it is normally quite leafy. Its large and resistant leaves are round like plates, are arranged alternately and measure up to 25 cm in diameter. During the process of leaf development, the leaves are a beautiful coppery red, but once fully developed they turn green. In addition, it has prominent veins that range from a reddish-green to a pinkish tone.

The inflorescences, bloom between the months of April and June; and although they have the form of hanging clusters, they are not really very showy, its size ranges between 10 and 22 cm long. It is conformed by a great quantity of simple small flowers of 5 petals, of a color, between white and greenish white, they are very small, they arrive to measure approximately 4mm of diameter.

As for its fruit clusters, they are partly the reason for its great attractiveness, also, as I already mentioned, they are the origin of the popular name of the plant, since they are very similar to grapes. Normally the fruits are produced between the months of July to September, although the plants found in my urbanization, seem to have the calendar a little lost. As you can see in the images, I share with you, they already have fruits and we are just finishing the month of April.

Continuing with the fruits, these are initially green and change color as they ripen, when they are fully ripe, they are an intense violet color. Rounded in shape, they measure about 2 cm in diameter, they are also very aromatic and inside you will find a large bony seed covered by a juicy and delicious sweet-tasting pulp. They are widely used for making jams, preserves, desserts, ice cream and juices. Moreover, if the fruit is left to ferment, it produces an alcoholic beverage that tastes very similar to wine.

But, not only the fruit is useful, several parts of this plant are traditionally used for medicinal purposes. The leaves, for example, prepared as a tea can be used to control diarrhea and the seed, apparently has diuretic properties. In the case of the stem and roots are also used to counteract intestinal problems, in addition, some parts of the bark, are attributed astringent properties.

As you have been able to read, Coccoloba uvifera or Beach Grape has no waste, it is really a great plant. That said, I cannot say goodbye to you without telling you something really relevant, this plant is so great that it can even contribute to mitigate the consequences of climate change. This is because it has a high tolerance to salt water from the sea, it is very resistant to wind and has strong roots, so it can grow in the sand of the beaches. Thus, by planting this plant in these environments, it contributes to reduce erosion, which facilitates the reforestation process and helps to restore the balance of coastal ecosystems.

Amazing Nature Contest: FREE TOPIC - #1/5/23. Best wishes for well being and health to all, God Bless. See you next time.Well, dear readers and nature lovers, it only remains for me to say goodbye, hoping that the images and information I share with you about this beautiful plant have been to your liking. Very specially, I hope @bucipuci, @adalger and all the team of @dna and @amazingnature like it, since, it is my entry for this week's contest, in which, if you want to participate, you can access by clicking on the following link

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