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Thaiszia - J. Bo ., Košice, 35: 042–047, 2025
h ps://doi.o g/10.33542/TJB2025-2-01
THAISZIA
JOURNAL OF BOTANY
Unexpec ed species o An hu ium a he Seibal a chaeological
si e (Gua emala) as a possible ace o Maya long-dis ance ade
Milosla S udnička
Os a ská 675, CZ 460 14 Libe ec, Czech Republic. e-mail: s [email protected]
S udnička M. (2025): Unexpec ed species o An hu ium a he Seibal
a chaeological si e (Gua emala) as a possible ace o Maya long-
dis ance ade. – Thaiszia – J. Bo . 35: 042–047.
Abs ac : Th ee a chaeological si es o Maya s uc u es close o one
ano he , namely Cahal Pech (Belize), Seibal and Tikal (bo h Gua emala),
ha e been examined as habi a s o epiphy ic o pe ophy ic species o
he genus An hu ium (A aceae). A. schlech endalii Kun h is ound in he
a ea and is a species common in Maya e hnobo any. Ne e heless, a
la ge na u alised popula ion o he e y simila bu la ge species A.
sal inii Hemsley has been de ec ed in Seibal. This si e is sepa a e and
geog aphically isola ed om he na u al habi a s o A. sal inii in
Gua emala. This phenomenon elucida es a possible e hnobo anical
ace o Maya long-dis ance ade in p e-Columbian his o y.
Keywo ds: a chaeological si e, Gua emala, Maya, e hnobo any, p e-
Columbian, An hu ium.
In oduc ion
The Classic Maya pe iod is well-known hanks o a chaeological si es wi h emples
loca ed in sou he n Mexico, Gua emala, Belize, and Hondu as. Many a e ac s
p o ide in o ma ion abou long-dis ance ade in his a ea. Fo example, he o igins
o obsidian and jade we e es ablished o ha e been e y dis an om he si e o
exca a ions based on chemical pa ame e s and colou (M ázek 2024; Sid ys 1976).
Zooa chaeological me hods e en e ealed ade in animals, since hese we e ound
ou side hei na u al geog aphical a eas o sui able en i onmen s (Tho n on 2011).
I mysel ha e ound a su p ising bo anical phenomenon in Seibal (known as El Ceibal
in Spanish), an a chaeological si e om he Classic pe iod o he Maya ci ilisa ion
43
loca ed in Pe én, he no h-eas e n depa men o Gua emala. A desc ip ion o his
phenomenon and i s possible e hnobo anical subs ance is he opic o he ollowing
sho no e.
Me hods
Na u al and an h opogenic bio opes o wo species o bi d’s nes An hu ium
(A aceae) we e documen ed in wo a chaeological si es in no h-eas e n Gua emala
and in one si e nea by in Belize.
Lea es o i e accessible adul ( e ile) specimens ound in a la ge na u alised
popula ion o he ma kedly la ge An hu ium in Seibal (in compa ison wi h
specimens o An hu ium a o he si es) we e examined in de ail. Thei lea blades
we e measu ed and he eins pe side we e coun ed (Fig. 1). These pa ame e s we e
compa ed wi h mo phological desc ip ions and da a in li e a u e o classi y he
species.
Obse a ion in Seibal and wo con iguous a chaeological si es
In Ma ch 2019 I isi ed Seibal and Tikal, bo h in Gua emala, as well as Cahal Pech,
a ema kably simila si e in adjacen Belize (Awe 2013; Helmke & Awe 2012). My
in e es ocused on he su ounding ege a ion and lo a, namely epiphy es. In bo h
Tikal and Cahal Pech I ound popula ions o one bi d’s nes An hu ium (Bown 2000),
namely A. schlech endalii Kun h, a species widely dis ibu ed in Cen al Ame ica,
especially in Belize and Gua emala. This species is o e hnobo anical signi icance in
he Maya adi ion. I was known as a healing plan by he Maya people in p e-
Columbian imes as well as a p esen (Balick & A igo 2015; Hi zinge 2016). I is
also an objec o in e es and examina ion in mode n pha macology (Ca ajal-
Za abal e al. 2017; S a k e al. 2009).
Today one can ind his An hu ium species g owing epiphy ically o e es ially in
opical ain o es s su ounding ancien buildings (Fig. 6, 7) – some imes e en
di ec ly on sanc ua y uins (Fig. 2, 3) – and ansplan ed in he g ound as o namen al
plan s a e p obably being b ough om ees cu down du ing exca a ion wo k (Fig.
4, 5).
In Seibal I ook some pho og aphs o plan s ha seemed o be pa icula ly luxu ious
examples o A. schlech endalii. Ano he simila species, A. sal inii Hemsley, which is
la ge , is s a ed o be pa o he lo a o Gua emala. Pendan in lo escences o his
peculia An hu ium on my pho og aphs om Seibal deno ed jus A. sal inii (Fig. 5).
Ne e heless, acco ding o C oa (1991: 718), ‘An hu ium sal iniae
1
anges om
wes e n Mexico (Chiapas), along he Paci ic slope o Gua emala’. Thus, i should no
be ound in no h-eas e n Gua emala. A. schlech endalii is he co ec species in he
a ea o in e es , bu I had o conside he occu ence o A. sal iniae as alien and
unce ain.
1
The name was la e o hog aphically modi ied (acco ding o IPNI).
44
Fig. 1 Measu emen o An hu ium sal inii in
Seibal (pho o by R. No o ná).
Fig. 3 Specimens o An hu ium schlech endalii
in Cahal Pech se led on a Mayan py amid.
Fig. 5 A ansplan ed gian specimen o
An hu ium sal inii in Seibal. The pe son is 165
cm all.
Fig. 7. An hu ium sal inii in Seibal g owing
e es ially in he ain o es su ounding
uins.
Fig. 2 An hu ium schlech endalii in Tikal. A
habi a in ancien uins.
Fig. 4 A ypical specimen o An hu ium
schlech endalii ansplan ed wi hin he
a chaeological si e o Cahal Pech.
Fig. 6. An hu ium sal inii in Seibal g owing
na u ally as an epiphy e.
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Tab. 1 Diac i ical mo phological ea u es o An hu ium schlech endalii e sus A. sal inii acco ding o
C oa (1991) and pa ame e s asce ained in A. sal inii in Seibal.
Mo phological ea u e →
Species ↓
Lea blade leng h
[cm]
Numbe o
la e al lea eins
pe side
In lo escence
posi ion
A. schlech endalii
(C oa 1991)
30–140 (175)
15–16
e ec o sp eading
A. sal inii
(C oa 1991)
39–180
9–24
usually pendan
A. sal inii
(examined in Seibal)
175–192
22–26
pendan
The e o e, I made a second expedi ion o Seibal in No embe 2019 o examine he
mo phological cha ac e is ics o he dubious An hu ium. Un o una ely, he ypical
cuculla e ca aphylls (b ac s p o ec ing a bud) we e wizened and unusable as a
dis inguishing ea u e be ween A. sal inii and A. schlech endalii. Howe e , u he
dis inguishing ea u es a e unques ionable (Tab. 1). I ound a la ge popula ion o A.
sal inii in Seibal, bu no examples o A. sal inii in Tikal (85 km om Seibal) o in Cahal
Pech (125 km om Seibal). The si e in Seibal is geog aphically isola ed om he
species habi a in Mayan coun ies (Fig. 8).
Fig. 8 The posi ion o he h ee explo ed a chaeological si es. As e isks = habi a s o An hu ium
sal inii acco ding o C oa (1991). Seibal is he ques ionable isola ed habi a .
46
Discussion
The desc ibed phy ogeog aphical anomaly ha dly has a na u al cause. The Seibal
si e is isola ed by a hia us g ea e han 200 km om all known Mexican, Gua emalan
and Hondu an locali ies o A. sal inii (T opicos 2025).
The seeds and ed be ies o An hu ium sal inii a e dispe sed by bi ds bu ans e
ac oss such a long dis ance om wes o eas is qui e unlikely based on ecological
knowledge (e.g. Ros e al. 2015; Vianna e al. 2013, e c.). The e is also no i e ha
could b ing plan diaspo es, no e en he ela i ely nea by Pasión Ri e . We can also
exclude any in oduc ion o A. sal inii o Seibal in ecen imes, as he popula ion o
he species in he ain o es su ounding he uins is ully na u alised. A popula ion
o such species wi h long-las ing de elopmen needed cen u ies o p oli e a e.
Howe e , A. sal inii was no ound a o he a chaeological si es isi ed, as hey may
ha e been isola ed in e ms o ade. Mayan kingdoms we e o en an agonis ic. They
we e cen e s o powe wi h speci ic his o ies.
Bo h examples o bi d’s nes An hu ium a e equen ly g own e es ially as
o namen al plan s by con empo a y Gua emalans. Pe haps i is an exp ession o
adi ion and men ali y. Howe e , e hnobo any does no ha e enough de ailed
knowledge o eally know whe he he Maya o he Classic pe iod could dis inguish
be ween closely ela ed and mo phologically e y simila species desc ibed oday as
A. schlech endalii and A. sal inii.
O he au ho s ha e also p e iously p esen ed e idence ha he Maya in he Classic
pe iod we e no only a me s and ha con empo a y Maya g owe s o a ious
o namen al, u ili a ian, o medicinal plan s a e simply con inuing an ancien adi ion
(Chase & Chase 1983; Neulinge e al. 2013). The logical deduc ion is ha seeds,
cu ings, o hizomes o a la ge numbe o desi able species we e al eady sp ead
among people in ancien imes. These a e in e es ing indings ha can be aken in o
accoun in he case o anomalous occu ence o A. sal inii.
Conclusions
Epiphy es (occasionally pe ophy es) known as bi d’s nes An hu ium a e
ansplan ed and cul i a ed by Gua emalans as in e es ing medicinal and
o namen al plan s, which is p obably no a new phenomenon. Two species o bi d’s
nes An hu ium, namely A. sal inii and A. schlech endalii, ound a a chaeological
si es should be conside ed as possible elics o cul i a ion in he Maya Classic pe iod.
The isola ed habi a o An hu ium sal inii in he Seibal uins (Gua emala) could ha e
i s o igins in long-dis ance ade du ing he Classic pe iod.
Acknowledgemen
The au ho is g a e ul o he leade o ou expedi ion (o membe s o di e en in e es s) Ms
Ba bo a Pačeso á, who o ganised (wi h di icul y) he ime needed o ou bo anical esea ch
o hese si es. Special hanks go o M s Regina No o ná (Libe ec Bo anical Ga dens, Czech
Republic), he coope a ing assis an du ing he documen a ion o he An hu ium specimens
in hei bio opes.
47
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Recei ed: May 20 h 2025
Re ised: Sep embe 16 h 2025
Accep ed: Sep embe 24 h 2025
