Global Regional Plant Guides

Guiana Shield & Llanos Savanna Plant Survival Guide

A comprehensive survival plant guide for Guiana Shield & Llanos Savanna, covering useful woody materials, land foods, aquatic foods, traditional-use plants and poisonous look-alikes.

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Cover of Guiana Shield & Llanos Savanna Plant Survival Guide

Continent: South America
USDA-equivalent zones: 10-13
Köppen climate: Aw / Am
Profiles: 20
Regional biome: Seasonal savanna, gallery forest, tepui foothill and wetland

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Useful plants · 5 Land edibles · 5 Aquatic edibles · 3 Traditional-use · 3 Poisonous look-alikes · 4

Useful plants

Wood, fibre, shelter and craft

Buriti / moriche palm

Mauritia flexuosa

Useful plants

Stylized form diagram for Buriti / moriche palm

Identify: Large fan palm; brown scaly oval fruits; commonly forms swamp groves.
Habitat: Amazon, Orinoco and Guiana savanna wetlands.
Season: Fruit seasonal; leaves year-round.
Field use: Fruit pulp is documented food; leaves provide thatch, cordage, baskets and floats.
Caution: Wet palm groves can conceal deep mud, caimans and contaminated water.
Look-alikes: Carnauba has fan leaves but drier habitat and different fruit.

food fruitthatchcordagebasketry

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Arid acacias

Vachellia / Senegalia spp.

Useful plants

Identify: Feathery compound leaves; paired or hooked thorns; yellow or white puffball flowers; pods.
Habitat: African, Arabian and Australian savannas, dry rivers and deserts.
Season: Wood year-round; gum and pods seasonal.
Field use: Dense wood for bows, handles, stakes and hot coals; gums of selected species have documented food or adhesive use.
Caution: Species vary in cyanogenic chemistry and pod edibility. Thorns cause deep punctures.
Look-alikes: Prosopis/mesquite and other mimosoid legumes require pod and thorn comparison.

bow woodhandlesfueladhesive

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Guadua bamboo

Guadua angustifolia and related spp.

Useful plants

Identify: Large hollow segmented culms; branch thorns in some species; broad grass leaves.
Habitat: Tropical American riverbanks, foothills and disturbed forest.
Season: Culms year-round; shoots rainy season.
Field use: Exceptional material for shelter, containers, water tubes, traps, arrow shafts, bows in laminated designs and friction-fire sets; young shoots of selected species require boiling.
Caution: Fresh culms can split explosively in fire. Species and shoot cyanide levels vary.
Look-alikes: Woody reeds are smaller and lack robust branching culms.

constructioncontainerarrow shaftbow drillfood shoot

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Kapok / ceiba

Ceiba pentandra

Useful plants

Identify: Massive buttressed trunk; palmate leaves; large pods releasing silky floss.
Habitat: Tropical American and African lowland forest and river margins.
Season: Floss and pods seasonal; wood year-round.
Field use: Floss bulks tinder and insulation; light wood is easy to carve for floats, containers and bow-drill hearths.
Caution: Floss ignites quickly but also spreads sparks. Large trees may be culturally protected.
Look-alikes: Balsa has simple heart-shaped leaves and no palmate leaflets.

tinderinsulationfloatbow drill board

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Dogwoods

Cornus spp.

Useful plants

Identify: Usually opposite branching; arcuate leaf veins curve toward the tip; clustered flowers and drupes.
Habitat: Forest edge, riparian thicket and mountain slope.
Season: Stems year-round; fruit varies by species.
Field use: Dense straight shoots make excellent arrow shafts, skewers and pegs.
Caution: Fruit edibility varies greatly; some species cause stomach upset. Use as material unless species is confirmed.
Look-alikes: Viburnums may have opposite leaves but different veins and buds.

arrow shaftpegsskewers

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Land edibles

Terrestrial food species

Guava

Psidium guajava

Land-based edible plants

Identify: Opposite oval leaves with strong parallel side veins; smooth peeling bark; white brush flowers; aromatic fruit.
Habitat: Tropical and subtropical disturbed ground, forest edge and river terraces.
Season: Fruit varies by climate; wood year-round.
Field use: Ripe fruit is documented food; hard close-grained wood makes pegs, handles and friction-fire spindles.
Caution: Fruit can host insects and feral plants may be sprayed. Leaves are not a substitute for medical care.
Look-alikes: Other Myrtaceae share opposite leaves; fruit odor and flower structure help confirm.

food fruithandlesbow drill spindle

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Wild passionfruits

Passiflora spp.

Land-based edible plants

Stylized form diagram for Wild passionfruits

Identify: Tendrilled vine; distinctive radial flowers; round to oval fruits; leaves often lobed.
Habitat: Tropical and subtropical forest edge, thicket and riverbank.
Season: Fruit seasonal.
Field use: Fully ripe fruit of confirmed edible species is documented food; vines can provide temporary lashings.
Caution: Many species have cyanogenic leaves or unpalatable fruit. Eat only known ripe fruit, not unknown foliage.
Look-alikes: Cucurbit vines have separate flower structure and rough stems.

food fruitlashing

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Prickly pears

Opuntia spp.

Land-based edible plants

Identify: Flattened pads with clusters of fine glochids and often spines; showy flowers; fleshy fruits.
Habitat: Dry Americas, disturbed warm regions and some Mediterranean/African landscapes.
Season: Fruit summer-fall; young pads seasonal.
Field use: Ripe fruit and properly de-spined young pads of confirmed species are documented foods; dry woody joints can support fuel.
Caution: Invisible glochids embed in skin, eyes and mouth. Some fruits are insipid or seedy; avoid sprayed invasive stands.
Look-alikes: Chollas have cylindrical joints.

food fruitfood padfuel

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Common purslane

Portulaca oleracea

Land-based edible plants

Stylized form diagram for Common purslane

Identify: Low reddish succulent stems; smooth fleshy leaves; tiny yellow flowers; clear sap.
Habitat: Disturbed warm ground, gardens, river deposits and camp edges worldwide.
Season: Warm growing season.
Field use: Young leaves and stems are documented food and water-rich greens.
Caution: High oxalate content; avoid large amounts with kidney disease and avoid contaminated ground.
Look-alikes: Spurges often exude milky sap and are unsafe.

food green

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Wild roses

Rosa spp.

Land-based edible plants

Identify: Prickly stems; compound toothed leaves; five-petaled flowers; red to orange hips.
Habitat: Open woods, thickets, prairie, dunes and mountain slopes.
Season: Hips late summer through winter.
Field use: Fleshy hip walls are documented food after the irritating hairs and seeds are removed; good for simmering or drying.
Caution: Internal hairs irritate skin and mouth. Avoid sprayed or moldy fruit.
Look-alikes: Hawthorn has simple lobed leaves and woody thorns.

food fruitcordage

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Aquatic edibles

Water-margin food species

Tropical arrowheads

Sagittaria guayanensis and related spp.

Water and wetland edible plants

Stylized form diagram for Tropical arrowheads

Identify: Arrow to oval leaves rising from shallow water; three-petaled white flowers; some produce tubers.
Habitat: Floodplains, marshes and slow tropical water.
Season: Tubers seasonal.
Field use: Tubers of confirmed edible species are documented food after cooking.
Caution: Species vary in tuber production; wetlands may contain parasites and toxic aroids.
Look-alikes: Arrow arum and other aroids have spadix-and-spathe flowers.

food tuber

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Water spinach

Ipomoea aquatica

Water and wetland edible plants

Identify: Hollow creeping stems; arrow to lance leaves; pale morning-glory flowers.
Habitat: Warm freshwater ditches, ponds and slow rivers; native or invasive.
Season: Warm season.
Field use: Tender shoots are a documented cooked green.
Caution: Raw plants can carry parasites and sewage pathogens; avoid polluted water and check invasive-species law.
Look-alikes: Water hemlock has divided leaves and umbels, not morning-glory flowers.

food green

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Amazon water lilies

Victoria amazonica / Nymphaea spp.

Water and wetland edible plants

Stylized form diagram for Amazon water lilies

Identify: Large floating leaves; showy flowers; seeds and thick underwater structures depending genus.
Habitat: Warm floodplain lakes and slow tropical rivers.
Season: Seeds and flowers seasonal.
Field use: Seeds and selected rhizomes have documented food use after local species-specific preparation.
Caution: Large leaves hide deep water and animals. Raw tissues and unknown Nymphaeaceae should not be eaten.
Look-alikes: Aquatic aroids may have arrow-shaped leaves and irritating sap.

food seedfood starch

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Traditional-use

Documented traditional medicine

Copaiba trees

Copaifera spp.

Medicinal and traditional-use plants

Identify: Large forest trees with paired leaflets and resin canals; small flowers and pod fruits.
Habitat: Amazon and tropical South American forest.
Season: Resin and wood year-round.
Field use: Resin has documented traditional external and technical uses; wood serves construction and fuel.
Caution: Tapping requires expertise and permission. Ingesting resin can cause illness and drug interactions.
Look-alikes: Many legumes have paired leaflets; bark tapping without identification is unsafe.

resinmedicinefuel

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Dragon’s-blood tree

Croton lechleri

Medicinal and traditional-use plants

Stylized form diagram for Dragon’s-blood tree

Identify: Pale-barked tree; large heart-shaped leaves; red latex exudes from cuts.
Habitat: Amazonian forest gaps and river slopes.
Season: Latex and wood year-round.
Field use: Red latex has documented regional external use and can seal small non-food containers.
Caution: Latex is not sterile and internal dosing is not advised. Croton species may have irritating or toxic sap.
Look-alikes: Other latex trees may exude white or clear sap.

sealantmedicine

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Yarrow

Achillea millefolium

Medicinal and traditional-use plants

Identify: Aromatic finely divided leaves; flat clusters of small white to pink flower heads.
Habitat: Dry openings, trails, grassland, shore gravel and disturbed soil.
Season: Summer through fall.
Field use: Documented traditional external uses include washes and aromatic preparations; dry flower heads make light tinder.
Caution: Possible allergy, pregnancy and anticoagulant concerns. Not a substitute for wound cleaning or medical care.
Look-alikes: Poison hemlock is much taller with hollow purple-spotted stems and true umbels.

medicinetinder

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Poisonous look-alikes

Do not eat — verify before harvest

Toxic Strychnos vines and trees

Strychnos spp.

Poisonous plants

Stylized form diagram for Toxic Strychnos vines and trees

Identify: Opposite leaves with strong curved veins; tendrils or woody stems; round fruits vary by species.
Habitat: Tropical forest and savanna.
Season: Year-round.
Field use: No food use unless a local expert identifies a known edible species.
Caution: The genus includes plants with strychnine-type toxins. Fruit appearance is not enough to judge safety.
Look-alikes: Edible monkey oranges are region-specific Strychnos and still require expert confirmation.

poison

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Sandbox tree

Hura crepitans

Poisonous plants

Identify: Tall tree with dark conical trunk spines, heart-shaped leaves and pumpkin-like segmented capsules.
Habitat: Tropical American lowland forest and riverbanks.
Season: Year-round.
Field use: No food use. Wood handling is specialized.
Caution: Milky sap is caustic and fruit explodes forcefully, scattering poisonous seeds.
Look-alikes: Kapok has trunk spines when young but palmate leaves and floss-filled pods.

poison

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Water hemlocks

Cicuta spp.

Poisonous plants

Stylized form diagram for Water hemlocks

Identify: Wetland perennial with divided leaves, white umbrella flower clusters and thick chambered rootstocks.
Habitat: Marshes, wet meadows, stream edges and ditches across the northern hemisphere.
Season: Spring through fall.
Field use: No survival use. Make wetland root gathering a prohibited activity unless a qualified botanist is present.
Caution: Extremely poisonous; small amounts, especially roots, can cause violent seizures and death.
Look-alikes: Angelica, cow parsnip and other Apiaceae can look similar. Never taste to decide.

poison

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Daturas / thorn apples

Datura spp.

Poisonous plants

Stylized form diagram for Daturas / thorn apples

Identify: Large foul-smelling leaves; upright trumpet flowers; spiny egg-shaped capsules.
Habitat: Disturbed warm ground, dry riverbeds and fields worldwide.
Season: Summer-fall.
Field use: No use.
Caution: All parts contain dangerous tropane alkaloids causing delirium, overheating, seizures and death.
Look-alikes: Brugmansia has hanging trumpets on woody shrubs and is also toxic.

poison

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