Thatched roofs on the Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica

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Suiita, a 1.5 meter high Osa Peninsula endemic palm, must be cut during menguante, a period 3-10 days after each full moon. This cutting custom allows the leaves to have their greatest moisture content and best retards against bug infestation to insure the longest life. Most leaves, if tilted at a 50-55 degrees pitch—permitting rain to 'wash' quickly—will last 6-8 years. You can harvest 6 to 8 meter-long forked leaves yearly from each mature suiita palm plant (Asterogyne martiana). The plant grows slowly, needing almost 10 years before its initial harvest. Our 10-year old plantation (30,000 plants planted experimentally in both the Lapa Rios primary and secondary forests) now shares some leaves, mostly used for routine maintenance.In the 'renewable materials industry' suiita is cut and sold in bundles of 500 leaves or 'rollos'.’

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Each square meter of roof uses 750 leaves, and one person working 11 hours per day can weave about 1,000 leaves, almost a meter-and-a-half square. Weaving method: 2 leaves are placed one atop the other and the 8-inch stems tucked and bent between 2 horizontal 1X2-inch strips of wooden lath. Once a horizontal row is complete a third lath overlays the leaves to clamp them against wind before proceeding to weave the next row. (In our initial 1992 construction method employed by the Indigenous Osa people for centuries, local thatch artist Alfredo Rosales and 7 team members used lengthwise split 'walking palm' trunks instead of wood, as the primary forest palm is stronger and last longer than any wooden lath. The walking palm (Socratea exorriza) is now on Costa Rica's 'no cut' list, dictating we switch to lumber laths to re-thatch in 1998 and 2004.)

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