Castile

Castile or Castilla (from castillo, "castle") may refer to:

Places

Spain

Spanish ship Castilla (L52)

Castilla (L52) is a Galicia-class landing platform dock (LPD), and is the ship number 12th in this name. She is the sister ship to amphibious warfare vessel Galicia.

History

Humanitarian missions

On 28 October 2004, Castilla deployed to Cap-Haïtien, Haiti, and delivered some Marines.

Castilla participated in the NATO exercise Operation Loyal Mariner 2005, as the flagship of the sea elements.

Spain sends Castilla to New Orleans as part of NATO's Hurricane Katrina relief operation in Louisiana, in mid-September 2005.

Castilla participated in the NATO exercise Operation Brilliant Mariner 2006, as the flagship of the sea elements.

Castilla participated in the NATO exercise Operation Steadfast Jackpot 2006.

Castilla is dispatched to help in Haiti earthquake relief, after the 12 January 2010 quake, as part of Operación Hispaniola, on 22 January 2010.

Operación Hispaniola

Spain dispatched Castilla to aid in relief efforts after the 7.0 magnitude 12 January 2010 Haiti earthquake.

Castilla (plant)

Castilla (sometimes incorrectly spelled Castilloa) is a tree genus belonging to the family Moraceae found native in Central America. It is named after Juan Diego del Castillo (d. 1793), a botanist, who was a friend of Vicente Cervantes, who chose the name in his friend's honor.

The main species is Castilla elastica, one of several plants from which rubber has been extracted. The vernacular name is Panama rubber tree or castilloa rubber. The pre-Columbian MesoAmericans used the latex of this plant to make a ball used in a ceremonial game. Castilla elastica is a weedy tree which has become invasive in areas where it has been introduced, such as in the South Pacific.

Castilla species exhibit a phenomenon known as cladoptosis (the regular shedding of branches). This may be an adaptation to prevent the growth of climbing plants.

See also

Rubber

References

Vicente (Vincente) de Cervantes (b. 1755, d. 1829), Castilla, in Gazeta de Literatura de México 1794, Suppl.: 7. (2 July 1794)