Common Trees of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands

ish-tin d stalks 3/82! inch long. The bell-shaped
calyx a y out 96 inch long is dark red, tinged \vith
green, irregularly %-lobed, and finely hairy ; t.here
are 5 slightly thickened and succl~lent petials, tho
large obovtlte, folded, orange-red standard 2%-
2% inches long and stalked at base, 2 omnge-red
wings yellow at base and 1 inch long, and 2 united
pale yellow keel petals 1% inches long; 10 stamens
2-2% inches long with brown anthers and pale yellolv-green
fleshy filaments, 9 united into a tube and
1 separate; and curved pale yellow-green pistil
about 2 inches long, with a stalked narrow hairy
ovary and curved style. The distance across an
open flower may be as much as.4 inches but only
fi/8 inch in the narrow dimenslon. The poisonous
seeds are about 5/g inch long. Flon-ering in
winter and early spring (January to March) and
with nlilture fruit in spring.
The heartwood is light yellow to yellowish
brown and moderately soft. The lightweight
\\rood is weak, not durable, and scarcely suitable
for lumber.
Trees have been planted in pastures and along
roadsides nnd fences and are ornamental as well
as shade trees. Uses in other countries include
shade for cacm and coffee and living fenceposts.
Propagated by cuttings.
LEGUME FAMILY
PEA SUBFAMILY (LO? .OIDEAE; FABACEAE)
84. Bucayo gigante, mountain immortelle
Found near Bayamdn, Rio Piedras, and Caguas,
Prlerto Rico. Also recorded from St. Thomas
inom than a century ago but not now lanted there.
RANGE.--Native probabl from 8 llatemala to
Peru, Bolivia, 13razi1, and enezuela, the original
range oxtended by cultivation. Also introduced in
West Indies in the Greater Antilles2 Guadeloupe,
Martiniquo, St. Vincent, and Trinidad and Tobago.
Planted also in sonthern Florida, British
Hondurasl and in the Old World tropics. Where
native, th~s species forms pure forests characteristic
of swamps and stream valleys.
OTHER
i:
COMBCON ~~>rm.-bucayo (Puerto Rico) ;
pifidn franchs, biicare, piii6n del cauto (Cuba) ;
guiliqueme (Honduras) ; ahuijote, ahuejote (El
Salvador) ; por6 (Costa Rica) ; gallito,,pito, pa10
bobo, palo santo (Panama) ; cSmbulo, bucaro, can-
tagallo, pisamo, pisamo calentado (Colombia) ;
bucare, ceibo, anauco (Venezuela) ; palo prieto,
madre de cacao (Ecuador) ; amasisa (Peru) ; bois
immortelle (United States) ; swamp immortslle,
bucare, bocare (Jamaica) ; bocare immortelle,
water immortolle (Trinidad and Tobago) ; sand-
colrer, oronoque, cock-tree (British Guiana) ; bois
immortel, immortel blanc (Guadeloupe, Martini-
que) ; suifia, assacii-rana (Brazil).
(LEGUMINOSAE)
Erythrina poeppigiana (Walp.) 0. F. Cook*
This introduced shade tree of coffee plantntions The thin leaflet blades are 2%-7 inches long and
and roadsides may be recognized by : (1) beautiful 2-8 inches wide, or larger on rapidly growing
masses of showy orange-red flowers in late winter, shoots, not toothed at edges, with 3 main veins
when the trees are leafless, the large ea-shaped from base, green and dull or nearly so on upper
flowers 1%-2 inches long, erect on near I' y horizon- surface, and slightly lighter dull green beneath.
tnl axes; (2) the trunk and branches often with Horizontal flower clusters (racemes) 4-8 inches
stout spmnes; (3) alternate leaves with 3 broadly long bear a few open flowers, which fall soon after
ovate thin leaflets, short-pointed at apex and very opening, and many narrow flower buds progresbroad
pointed or nearly straight at base, green on slvely smaller toward apex. Thus, the ground
both sides; and (4) straight, cylindrical, dark under a tree becomes orange red too. The flowers
brown pod 5-10 inches or less in length and about nre 11h-2 inches long and about half as wide. The
5/g inch wide, long-stalked at base and long-pointed cup-shaped calyx. is 3/165? inch long, reddish at
at both ends.
the top and green~sh below, not toothed; 5 orange-
A large deciduous tree attaining 30-70 feet in red petals, the large orange standard 1%-11/2
height and 24 feet in trunk diameter, with spread- inches long, elliptic, keeled, short-pointed, and
ing crown. The bark is greenish brown or gray spreading, 2 short elliptic wings l/z inch long,
brown, smootllish or slightly furrowed, warty or olnnge red but yellow toward base, and 2 united
spiny: Inner bark is thick, becoming 3/4 inch or keel petals 1%-11/2 inches long, orange red but yelmore
m thickness, whitish, and slightly bitter. The low toward base, enclosing the stamens; 10 stnstout
twigs are light green and m~nutel hairy mens 1Y4-1V2 inches long, 9 united into a light yelwhen
young, becoming greenish gray,. wit r I raised low tube and l separate, the anthers brown ; and
leaf scars, and often with scattered spines '/lo inch narrow greenish pistil about 11/2 inches long inor
more in length.
cluding stalked ovary and style. There is some
Leaves are 8-12 inches long, including the light variat~on in flower color, a few trees having pale
reen finely hairy petioles 2fh-8 inches long. Lenf- yellow-orange blossoms and others rarely seen
gets 1, stalks lk$-% inch long with 2 green cup- with scarlet petals.
like glands about 4/8 inch long at base of lateral The pod contains several brown kidney-shaped
leaflets and 2 more glands below terminal leaflet. beanlike seeds 5/8 inch long, which are poisonous.