Common Trees of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands

67. Cojoba
LEGUME FAMILY (LEGUMINOSAE)
MIMOSA SUBFAMILY (MIMOSOIDEAE; MIMOSACEAE)
Pithecellobiurn arboreum (L.) Urban
ing in spring, the pods maturing in summer, and
flowering and fruiting again in autumn.
The sapwood is whitish and hard. Heartwood
is dark red or reddish brown, sometimes figured or
with darker streaks, resembling maho The
wood is heavy (specific gravity O.F:Ys'trong,
durable, and takes a fine olish. An excellent
timber suited for heavy an cf interior construction,
ct~binetwork, furniture, posts, and crossties. Re-
ported1 employed at one time for bobbins in cot-
ton mil f s.
As an attractive ornamental and shade tree mith
comniercial mood, this tree is worthy of more ex-
tensive cultivation. Also t~ hone plant.
Chiefly along strenrns and at t X e base of cliffs
in the moist limestone region and ascending into
the lower Cordillem region in western Puerto
This handsome tree with shiny, dark green,
featliery foliage is further characterized by: (1)
twice pinnate leaves (bipinnate) mith numerous
srrinll narrow leaflets about YQ inch long and less
than l/e inch wide; (2) the man flowers in a
whitish ball more than 1 inch in inmeter across
the stnmens; and (3) the conspicuous red pods
21/24 inches long and 3/8 inch in diameter, cnrved
or coiled, s litting open, twisting, and exposing
threads.
6
the several lack elliptic seeds that hang on short
A small to medium-sized evergreen tree attaining
30-50 feet in height and 1 foot in trunk dianl;
eter. The bark is gray and smoothish. Inner
bnrk is \vliitish and bitter. The brown twigs are
finely bro~vn hairy when young.
The leaves are alternate, 5-12 inches long, with
greenish ases minutely brown hairy. The main Rico.
nxis litis 8-16 pnirs of 1nter;il branches (pinntie), PUBLIC FORESTS.-Cambalache, Gunjataca, Mariwith
:i clot gli11id at base of each pair, each branch cao, Rio Abajo, Susiia, Vega.
1)e:tl.ing 20-10 pnirs of stalkless leaflets. Letif- RANGE.-Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola, and Puerlets
are oblong or lance-shaped, short-pointed, to Rico. Also in southern Mexico and Central
ohlique at base, thin, hairless, paler beneath. .\merica to Costa Rica.
There are 13 flower clusters (hencls) at base OTHER COBLBLON ~z\ar~s.--coj6bana, co'obanilla,
of ii leaf or at :L nocle back of letires, on stalks ca joha, tamarandillo (Puerto Rico) ; a L ey, abey
1M-3 inches long, contriining nlimerolis stnlkless hembra (Dominican Republic) ; moruro, moruro
flowers. The bell-shaped 6-toothecl calys is about rojo, moruro prieto, sabicd, sabicli moruro (Cuba) ;
iilcli long; the tabular wiiitish corollt~ nearly pl~imillo (Guatemala) ; barba de jolote (Hon-
.1/8 incli long, including the 5 lobes; the many, very
duras) ; agiii jote (El Salvador) ; tamarind0 (Costa
slender, whitish stamens :ire :ibout q& inch long,
Rica) ; wild tamarind, chabark (Jamaica) ; wild
ttimnrind, black tamarind, red tamarind, zopilote,
r~nited into a tube belo\\-; :uid the pistil h:is :i b1~r1):i jolote (13ritish IIonduras) ; collier, poison
finely hairy 1-cellecl ovary with slender style. ltisinette (Haiti).
. . The pods :Ire hot-ne singly or so~netinies paired. I~OTANIC.\L ~~h'o~~~fs.-Cojoba arborea (L.)
I hey :ire slightly roughened, niinutely hairy, i~nd I3ritton k Rose, Snmanea nrborea (L.) Ricker.
narrowed between the seeds. The elliptic seeds Tho generic name has been spelled also
cnliange fro111 shiny to dull black in color. Flower- Pithecolobium.