Agriculture & Crops

Banana

A banana plant looks like a tree, but it is a giant herb.

Cacao

Cacao is an evergreen tree whose flowers and pods can grow directly from its trunk and larger branches.

Cassava / Yuca

Cassava, called yuca in Costa Rica, is a shrub with leaves divided into fingerlike lobes.

Coconut

The coconut palm has a tall trunk, a crown of featherlike leaves and fruit clustered near the crown.

Coffee

Coffee is a shrub or small tree with shiny leaves and small fruits called cherries.

Common Beans

Common bean plants can grow as bushes or climb supports, depending on the variety.

Corn

Corn, also called maize, is a cultivated grass.

Peach Palm / Pejibaye

Pejibaye is the fruit of the peach palm.

Pineapple

Pineapple grows close to the ground in a rosette of pointed leaves.

Plantain

Plantains are cultivated Musa plants closely related to dessert bananas.

Rice

Rice is a grass with narrow leaves and branched clusters of grain.

Sugar Cane

Sugar cane is a tall grass with jointed stalks and long leaves.

Nature Field Guide

Banana

Spanish name: Banano
Scientific name: Musa spp. (dessert banana cultivars)

What Do Pico & Tati Think?

Pico: “That banana plant looks like a tree!”

Tati: “Its stem is made from layers of leaf bases.”

Identification

Key Features of the Banana

Very broad elongated leaves
A thick pseudostem made from leaf bases
Fruit arranged in hands within a hanging bunch
New shoots near the base

Habitat & range

Humid cultivated lowlands. CORBANA documents farms in the Caribbean, Sarapiquí and Parrita; these correspond to Caribbean, Northern Plains and Central Pacific tags.

Conservation & care

Visit farms only with permission and follow the host's instructions. Stay clear of machinery, chemical applications and working areas. Do not pick or taste plants without a responsible adult and the host's approval.

Nature Field Guide

Cacao

Spanish name: Cacao
Scientific name: Theobroma cacao

What Do Pico & Tati Think?

Pico: “Chocolate starts with a tree!”

Tati: “Let's look for pods growing on the trunk.”

Identification

Key Features of the Cacao

Large oval leaves
Ribbed pods attached to trunk or large branches
Tiny flowers on woody parts of the tree
Opened pods reveal seeds surrounded by pale pulp

Habitat & range

Humid cacao farms in the Caribbean, Northern Plains and South Pacific. The national cacao plan identifies Talamanca, Upala and Limón among important production cantons.

Conservation & care

Nature Field Guide

Cassava / Yuca

Spanish name: Yuca
Scientific name: Manihot esculenta

What Do Pico & Tati Think?

Pico: “Where is the yuca hiding?”

Tati: “Its storage roots grow beneath the soil.”

Identification

Key Features of the Cassava / Yuca

Leaves divided into several narrow lobes
Shrubby stems above the soil
Thick elongated storage roots below ground
Harvested roots have brown skin and pale flesh

Habitat & range

Cultivated farms in the Northern Plains, with documented production in the Caribbean and South Pacific.

Conservation & care

Do not taste raw yuca or its leaves. Preparation must be handled by a knowledgeable adult using appropriate food-processing guidance. Do not pull up farm plants.

Nature Field Guide

Coconut

Spanish name: Coco
Scientific name: Cocos nucifera

What Do Pico & Tati Think?

Pico: “Is coconut water the same as coconut milk?”

Tati: “They are different! Let's ask our host to show us.”

Identification

Key Features of the Coconut

Tall palm trunk with a crown of featherlike fronds
Fruit clusters near the crown
A thick fibrous outer husk
Hard inner shell around white flesh

Habitat & range

Cultivated palms in the Caribbean and Northern Plains. These tags focus on documented crop production, rather than every ornamental coconut palm on Costa Rica's coasts.

Conservation & care

Do not climb palms or stand beneath hanging coconuts. Let trained adults handle harvesting and opening fruit.

Nature Field Guide

Coffee

Spanish name: Café
Scientific name: Coffea arabica

What Do Pico & Tati Think?

Pico: “The coffee bean starts inside a fruit!”

Tati: “Let's find the cherry before we think about the bean.”

Identification

Key Features of the Coffee

Glossy leaves arranged in pairs
Small fruits clustered along branches
Ripe cherries are often red, though some varieties ripen yellow
Small white flowers when flowering

Habitat & range

Cultivated farms in several Costa Rican coffee zones, including the Central and Western Valleys, Los Santos, Turrialba, Orosi, Tres Rios, Guanacaste and Brunca. ICAFE also documents production in San Carlos and Sarapiqui, mapped here to Northern Plains. Coffee requires suitable elevation and local growing conditions; a regional tag does not mean all climates within that region are suitable.

Conservation & care

Nature Field Guide

Common Beans

Spanish name: Frijoles
Scientific name: Phaseolus vulgaris

What Do Pico & Tati Think?

Pico: “The beans are inside a pod!”

Tati: “Let's count the seeds in a sample the farmer shares.”

Identification

Key Features of the Common Beans

Leaves made of three leaflets
Small flowers with a butterfly-like shape
Elongated pods containing seeds
Seed color and growth habit vary by variety

Habitat & range

Cultivated farms in the Northern Plains and South Pacific, with documented producer support in Santa Cecilia, La Cruz, Guanacaste. Household gardens and farms elsewhere may also grow beans; these tags are selected cultivation examples rather than a complete crop census.

Conservation & care

Do not eat raw or undercooked dry beans. Let an adult prepare food samples properly. Keep small seeds away from young children who may put them in their mouths.

Nature Field Guide

Corn

Spanish name: Maíz
Scientific name: Zea mays

What Do Pico & Tati Think?

Pico: “I can see tassels above the leaves!”

Tati: “And the ears grow lower down along the stem.”

Identification

Key Features of the Corn

Tall grass with broad leaves along the stem
Tassels at the top
Ears wrapped in husks along the stem
Silks emerging from developing ears

Habitat & range

Cultivated fields and family farms, including Guanacaste, Northern Plains and South Pacific.

Conservation & care

Nature Field Guide

Peach Palm / Pejibaye

Spanish name: Pejibaye
Scientific name: Bactris gasipaes

What Do Pico & Tati Think?

Pico: “These palm fruits are orange!”

Tati: “Let's learn why pejibaye is served cooked.”

Identification

Key Features of the Peach Palm / Pejibaye

Palm with featherlike fronds
Dense clusters of small colored fruits
Many forms have spines on the trunk
Cooked fruit has a firm, starchy interior

Habitat & range

Warm Caribbean-side settings and cultivated farms around Tucurrique, Cartago. The site's Central Valley tag represents the Cartago cultivation example, not a claim that all valley climates suit this palm.

Conservation & care

Avoid trunk spines, climbing and hanging fruit clusters. Taste only properly prepared fruit offered by a responsible adult or host.

Nature Field Guide

Pineapple

Spanish name: Piña
Scientific name: Ananas comosus

What Do Pico & Tati Think?

Pico: “The pineapple is growing near the ground!”

Tati: “Look at the leaves around it and its little crown.”

Identification

Key Features of the Pineapple

Low rosette of long pointed leaves
Fruit supported near the plant's center
A crown of small leaves on top of the fruit
Repeating scale-like pattern on the fruit surface

Habitat & range

Cultivated fields in the Northern Plains, Caribbean and South Pacific. View fields from permitted areas or an arranged farm visit.

Conservation & care

Avoid leaf edges and do not enter working fields without permission. Let an adult or host handle cutting and tasting.

Nature Field Guide

Plantain

Spanish name: Plátano
Scientific name: Musa spp. (plantain cultivars)

What Do Pico & Tati Think?

Pico: “These fruits look like big bananas!”

Tati: “Let's ask how plantains are used in the kitchen.”

Identification

Key Features of the Plantain

Broad elongated leaves
Layered pseudostem rather than a woody trunk
Large fruits grouped in hands
Green and ripe fruits look different

Habitat & range

Warm cultivated areas in the Caribbean, Northern Plains, South Pacific and Central Pacific.

Conservation & care

Nature Field Guide

Rice

Spanish name: Arroz
Scientific name: Oryza sativa

What Do Pico & Tati Think?

Pico: “Those tiny grains become rice!”

Tati: “Let's compare the plant with the rice we see at home.”

Identification

Key Features of the Rice

Narrow grass leaves
Upright stems with joints
Branched clusters carrying many small grains
Grain heads can droop as they mature

Habitat & range

Cultivated lowland fields in Guanacaste, Central Pacific, South Pacific and the Northern Plains.

Conservation & care

Nature Field Guide

Sugar Cane

Spanish name: Caña de azúcar
Scientific name: Saccharum spp. (cultivated hybrids)

What Do Pico & Tati Think?

Pico: “This tall grass gives us something sweet!”

Tati: “The juice comes from the stalk, and a host can show us how it is processed.”

Identification

Key Features of the Sugar Cane

Tall stalks with distinct joints
Long narrow grass leaves
Many stems growing in a clump
Cut stalks show a fibrous interior

Habitat & range

Cultivated cane fields, including Guanacaste, the Northern Zone, Puntarenas, the Central Valley and southern Costa Rica. Traditional trapiches require permission or a hosted visit.

Conservation & care

Stay away from cutting tools, rollers, moving machinery and hot syrup. Let the host handle any cane samples.