Common Trees of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands

LEGUME FAMILY (LEGUMINOSAE)
PEA SUBFAMILY (LOTOIDEAE; FABACEAE)
90. Palo de pollo, swamp bloodwood
Large tree of swamp forests and stream borders
in mountains, easily recognized by t!le enormous
narrow planklike buttresses extending hidl up
trunk and horizontally along mots and by the dark
blood-red latex in bark. Other distinguishing
ctlaracteq are : (1 alternate pjnnate leaves with
1
5-9 elliptic to ob ong long-pointed shiny greet1
alternate leaflets; (2) clusters of yellow peashaped
flowers %-% inch long and broad; and
(3) flat, irregularly rounded, dark brown \vingecl
pods 1%-2 inohes in diameter.
An everpeen tree 50-90 feet tall and 2-3 feet
in trunk dlameter above buttresses. Trunks often
are curved or crooked and fluted. The very prominent
buttresses on large trees sometimes rise to 15
feet in height and may be 2-5 feet wide at base,
often extending outward along roots a distnnce
of 10 feet. These buttresses, frequently 4 large
ones to a tree with slnaller ones between, and
scarcely 1 inch wide, generally curve snakelike
along the forest floor. Rark of trunk and buttresses
is smoothish light bromn, becoming finely
and thinly fissured and scdy. Inner bark is light
brown, with dark blood-recl streaks in inner part,
slightly bitter, containing bitter latex. Twigs are
green or reddish green, becoming brown.
Leaves are 6-16 inches long, the axis reddish
when young but turning bro\vnisll green, slender
but enlarged at base and with 2 basal narrow
pointed reen scales (stipules) , n~hich shed early.
Leaflets T lave stout green stalks 1,-3/ls inch long
and thin or only sliglltly thickened blades 2 6
inches long and 1%-2% tnches wide, ror~ndecl at
base, not toothed on edjps, shiny green above, and
beneath a little lighter and shiny or dull.
Flower clusters (panicles or racemes) are most1
21h-6 inches long, lateral at base of leaves, wit 1
many loosely arranged short-stalked fragrant
flowers, the branches finely hairy. 'Phe bellshaped
calyx % inch long has 5 unequal shortpointed
teeth; 5 yellow petals about % inch long
with narrow stalklike bases, the broad rounded
standard reddish tipged or dark red near base, or
reported sometimes to be violet tinged, nlso 2
wings, and 2 keel petals; 10 stamens about 9&
inch long, united into a tube about half thew
length; and pistil more than si/l(l inch long,
composed of long stalk, flattened 1-celled ovary,
and short slender style.
The pod, green when immature, turning to dark
brown, is short-stalked with calyx at base, 1%-2
inches in diameter, oblique or asymmetrical, with
Pterocarpus officinalis Jacq.
few prominent veins, with wing around edge
broad on 1 side, not splitting open, 1-seeded. Recorded
in flower from February to September and
in fruit from April to November.
The sapwood is whitish to light yellow. The
n700cl is lightweight (specific gravlty 0.3), very
soft, and weak. It stains easily in drying, is subject
to decay, and susceptible to attack by drywood
termites.
1Jlle n-ood has been used in Puerto Rico for floats
for fishnets. At one time pieces of the thin buttresses
served as pans in w as h' in7 or pannina for
gold. The resin or gum, whic soon soli ifies
from the latex, formerly was exported in large
quantities from Colombia to Spain for medicinal
use under the name sangre de dra o 'as a hemostatic
and also as :cn astringent. 8 he trees have
been planted for shade and o~llament in southern
Florida and Cuba and might be suitable for the
same purposes in Puerto Rico.
Grows in swamp forests, chiefly on hlle land-
\\.arc1 side of nlangrove but nlso tn swamps and
along streambanks in the lower Luquillo forest
region up to about 1,500 feet elevation. Common
in swampy areas on the southeast coast near
Hmnncao.
Sari Juan.
PUBLIC FORESTS.-LU~U~~~O,
MUNICIPALITY WHERE ESPECIALIaY ~0~1310N.43.
R~~cE.--Jarnaica, His aniola, Puerto Rico,
Guadeloupe, Dominica, &rtinque, St. Lucia, St.
Vincent, and Trinidad. Also in continental tropical
America from southeastern Mexico (Yucat&n)
and British Honduras to Colombia, Ecuador,
Venezuela, Guianas, and Bmzil. Introduced in
Cuba and southern Florida.
OTHER
COJ~ON NAJTES.-S~L~~~~
de drago (Puer-
to Rico, Spmish) ; drago (Dominican Republic,
commerce) ; sangregado (Guatemala, Nicaragua,
Costa Rica) ; sangre, cowee (Honduras) ; chajada
nrnarilla, sangrillo (Costa Rica) ; bloodwood
(Panama) ; sabroso (Colombia) ; sangrito, cac6,
Iagunero, mucutena (Venezaela) ; bambulo (Ecuador)
; swamp bloodwood (Trinidad) ; kaway,
swatnp kaway (British Honduras) ; bloodmood,
corkwood (British Guiana) ; bois pale (Haiti) ;
mangle mhdaille, p?l6tuvier, sang dragon (Guadeloupe)
; nloutouchi de savane (French Guiana) ;
beb6, beb6 hoedoe, aatrabebi?, waata gwe-gwe
(Surinam) ; mututy (Brazil).
BOTANICAL SYNONY~~.-Pterocarpua draco L.
(in part).