Common Trees of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands

CUNONIA FAMILY (CUNONIACEAE)
56. Oreganillo Weinmannia pinnata L.
A small tree or shrub of dwarf forests at high long with %celled ovary and 2 whit styles. Seed
elevations on ~nountain peaks, recognized by: capsules have sepals remaining at base and 2
(1) opposite pinnate leaves 3-6 inches long wit11 pointed styles at apex arid contain minute hairy
broadly winged axis and usunlly 9-17 stalkless seeds. Flowering mainly from August to October.
elliptic toothed leaflets, paired except for the ter- The s:~p\~oocl is ~hitish, and heartwood reddish
minnl one; (2) paired rounded stipules about % bro~vn. The hard, heavy wood is not used in
inch long and broad, forming ~t rounded narrow Puerto Rico. Elsewhere the bnrk has been embud
but shedding early, leaving ringzd scars at ployed in tanning.
nodes; (3) numerous minute n~hite flowers tinged In dwarf forests on mountain peaks in the upper
with pink, in narrow erect Intern1 c111steis 2-3% Luquillo and upper Cordillera regions of Puerto
inches long; and (4) many narrow 2-lobed brown Rico mostly above 3,000 feet elevation.
seed capsules 3/16 inch long.
PUBLIC ~o~~sm.-Luquillo, Tor0 Negro.
An evergreen tree or shrub to 20 feet in height Rasoe.-Tlriclely distributed in mountain forand
6 inches in trunk dinmeter. The dark brown ests at high elevations from southern Mexico to
bark is emoothish, inner bark light brown and bit- Peru, Brazil, and Trenezueln. Also Greater Anter,
and reportedly exudes n resin. The brown tilles and Lesser Antilles froin St. Kitts to St.
twigs are densely bristly with yellow hairs when Vincent.
young, becoming blackish.
OTHER CoarMoN NAXES.-tamarind0 de loma
The leaves have a short hairy petiole. Leaflets (Dominicnn Republic) ; sabicil marafibn, sabicii
are 1/2-1 inch long aiid %-.5/g inch broad,. short- do pinnres (Cuba) ; loro, lorito (Costa Rica) ;
pointed at base, rounded at apex, with margins. encinillo, arenillo (Colombia) ; saisni, curtidor
slightly turned under, stiff, nbove d ~rk green with Venezuela) ; bastard brazilleto, wild brazilletto
midrib and lateral veins sunlten, and beneath light Jamaica) ; bois tan rouge (Guadeloupe) ; bois
green with hairy midrib.
sifleur (Martinique) .
The flowers are s/16 inch long and broad across A variable, midely rangingspecies with varieties
the stamens and are borne on short slender stalks differing in hairiness, number of leaflets, and other
along a lit~iry nsis (raceme). There are 4 or 5 charncte~s. This is the only West Indian repreminute
pointed sepals, 4 or 5 whih petals about l/ls sentative of its family and of a genus common i:1
inch long bnt falling early, 8 or 10 white stamens niountnin forests nt high elevations in the Andes
more than l/s inch long, and pistil less than 4/8 inch of Sonth America.