Common Trees of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands

LAUREL FAMILY (LAURACEAE)
47. Laurel espada Ocotea floribunda (Sw.) Mez
Chmcters distin yishing this species are : (1)
long branches spreading outward from the trunk;
(2) twigs, bark, and leaves spicy; (3) the lanceshaped
or elliptic shiny dark green leaves 2-51,
inches lonq and 34-234 inches broad, sli htly
leathery. wlth long-pomted blunt apex and s lort-
pointed base; (4) midrib and main lateral veins
commonly yello~vish white ; (5) branched clusters
of many small greenish-white flowers 1/4 inch
across In lateral branched clusters; a:~d (6)
rounded or elliptic black fruits 1/2 inch long with
very short, flat, double-margined cup bearing the
cnl x lobes turned back.
.
4 mall to medium-sized evergreen tree to 60 feet
tall and 1 foot in trunk diameter. The light brown
bark is smoothish ; the inner bark also light brown,
gritty and spicy to the taste. Twigs are green,
sparsely hairy when young.
The alternate leavps have petioles Y8-3/S inch
long. Leaf blades are not toothed on eclges. The
lower surface of some is dull light green ancl
slightly hairy on midrib and veins.
Flower clusters (panicles) at leaf bases are 14
itlches long, with finely hairy branches. The
short-stalked hairy flowers are tnale and female
on different trees (dioecious), the calyx with 6
B
spreading greenish-white lobes less than 1/8 inch
long. Male flowers have 9 stamens and n rudimentary
pistil. Female flowers have small sterile
stamens (staminodes) and pistil with 1-celled
ovary partly enclosed, style, and broad flat stigma,
The fleshy fruits (berries) have 1 rounded brown
seecl3/8 inch in diameter. Flowering from October
to Decenlber and maturing fruits from February
to July.
The wood is described as rose white, lightweight,
nnd easily worked. It is used mostly for
,osts nncl fuel and occasionally as lumber in farm
buildings in Puerto Rico. In Cuba it is employed
for interiors in rural construction.
Farests of the lower mountain regions of Puerto
Rico. Also in St. John and Tortola
P~ISLIC ~o~~s~s.-Carite, Guajntaca, Luquillo,
Rio Abajo.
RANGE.-Greater Antilles, St. John, Tortola
T.esser hntilles from Gurdeloupe to Grenada, and
Trinidad. Also in Venezuela and Guianas.
C)~.~IER colrlros s.i~r~s.-laurel (Puerto Rico) :
laurel, laurel blanco (Dominican Republic) ; boninto
laurel, lebisa (Cuba) ; black sweet~vood, black
ctuldle~vood (Jamaica) ; laurier puant (Haiti) :
bois clot~s (Guadeloupe) .