Plants – Watapana Tree – Caesalpinia Coriaria

Most visitors call this tree the “Divi Divi“ tree.  It is actually a Watapana tree and the pods that grow on the tree are called  “Dividivi” pods.  At some point in time the names were switched and it stuck!  This tree is one of the most characteristic and recognizable symbols of Aruba’s nature and is used as part of our islands brand globally.  The Watapana’s unique shape is formed by our constant easterly trade winds and so shapes the tree pointing to the west.  As our high rise hotels are located on the west coast, our Watapana trees always point the way home for exploring visitors to Aruba.  The Dividivi pods contain tannin and were at one time harvested for export.  The tannin was mostly used for processing animal hides into leather.  A synthetic version was developed in the late 1800’s which made the process less expensive and obsolete.  The leaves and the tannin are still used as a medicinal plant.

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