Dioon mejiae

Honduras dioon

This may be the most abundant cycad in the wild with population estimates of 500,000 to one million individuals in its native habitat; trunks of this plant can grow to over thirty feet tall. It thrives in mesic soils and has quite a large spread with stiff spiny leaflets, so this isn't something to plant around the trampoline.

Hondurans refer to this cycad as tiusinte, very similar in name to teosinte, which describes the early ancestor of our modern-day corn plants. In both cases, the term means “sacred ear,” referring to the edible seed-bearing stalks.

Female cones of the Honduras dioon are harvested for their seeds, which are often eaten as famine food in its native range. In certain areas, tiusinte consumption is stigmatized as a food of lower social classes, but in other areas the opposite is true, with all social classes proudly using the food as a supplement to their diets even in times of plenty.

Harvesters scour the forests and countryside for female plants with seed cones, which weigh between 15 and 45 pounds and have between 100 and 300 seeds. All cycads are toxic for humans to ingest, but their seeds may be eaten after proper processing. The seeds from the Honduras dioon are boiled repeatedly (either before or after grinding) up to six times in fresh water in order to remove the toxins. After boiling and grinding, the tiusinte is commonly used to make drinks, flour, tamales (ground starch wrapped in leaves), or tortillas.

When used as a dry season famine food, the average household requires seeds from about six female cones to survive for a month. Famine conditions usually last for up to two months per year, when beans and corn are not widely available. Mangos are used as an additional famine food during the dry season.

Interestingly, in certain areas of Honduras, all tiusinte plants are considered to be common property, which means anyone may harvest the cones from the plants regardless of who owns the land on which the plants grow. This idea is certainly quite foreign to our “trespassers will be shot, survivors will be shot again” mentality.

A whistle has been traditionally made from the seeds by carving out their interiors and carving out two holes in the hard shells. This whistle was blown to indicate the beginning of the tiusinte harvest – the characteristic notes were a joyful signal for those who relied upon the seeds for nourishment during leaner months of the year.

Leaves of the plant are used in Catholic festivities and in decoration of household altars because of their aesthetic appeal and durability when it comes to staying green after being cut.