Common Trees of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands

Within the area described are four distinct forest
regions or ecological provinces, each giving rise
to a distinct type of forest. These re~ions or provinces,
designated as moist coast, moist limestone,
dry coast, and dry limestone, are shown in figure 2.
?he more common or characteristic species of
the moist coastal forest included the following:
Acrocomia media Psidium guajasa
Nectandra coriacea Nanilkara btdentata
Hernundia sonora Siderox lon
Hymnuea courbaril /oe t idstimum
Andira inemia C%t harexylum
Pterocarpw officinal& fmtico&um
Zanthoxylum
Petitia domingensis
martinicense
Tabebuia heterophylla
Calophyllum
Genipa americam
brasilieme
Guettarda scabra
illammea americana Randia acuteata
The moist limestone forest was similar to that
along the coast and had many of the same species.
The chief differences appear to be due to the drier
soils on the well-drained limestone hills and the
ater humidity in the protected areas between
T'
t e hills, especially in the sout.hern part of this
area which is close to the central mountains. .The
trm species of the moist limestone forest include :
Aiphanes
aeanthophylla
Baussia attenuata
Coccoloba diversifolia
Coccoloba pubescens
Licaria salicifolia
Zant hox y Zum
nuzrtinicense
Bursera simarmba
Cedrela oderata
Hyeronima cluswides
Sapium lauroceras.tu
Thouinia striata
Montesuma
speciosissima
Ochroma pyramidale
Clu8ia. rosea
Bucida bucem
Tetrw gia ekagnaides
I
Dipho is salicifolia
Siderox lon
oeti&si-m
Guettarda scabra
Terebraria resinosa
Randia aculeata
On the southern, dry side of Puerto Rico the
more adverse moisture conditions excluded many
of the tree species common on the north side. In
their places grew a few other species especially
adapted to such conditions. The tree species of
the dry coastal forest include :
Coccoloba venosa Pot gala cowellii
Cap aris cynopha2b- Cei fa pentandm
p I ora
Guazuma dmif oZia
Stahlia monospemza CanelZu wintemna
Lonchocarpus dontin- Bucida buceras
Prn?tSh
Rauvolfia nitida
Pictetm aculeata Cordia nitida
Erythroxyhn areola- Citharez ylum
turn
fruticosum
Guaiocum officim.de
In the limestone region of the south coast, as on
the north coast, excessive soil drainage accentuates
the dryness of the environment to a point that some
species of trees cannot subsist. Others which are
more hardy replace these. The trees of the dry
limestone forest include :
Pbonia dbida
Guaiacum, officinale
Guaiacum sanctum
A?nyris elemif era
Bursera &mamba
G ymnnnthes lucida
Thouinia portorlcmia
Colubrina n~*borescens
Su)~cmphaZua reticulalus
I~cphnlocereus royed
0 y u~ttia rubescens
Btrcidcl bucerua
Dipholb sdicifolia
Plumeria dba
The constal forests of Puerto Rico and the Virgin
Islands, unlike those of the other Greater
Antilles, con tnined no mahogany (Swietenia mahngoni).
Widespread use of the wood and early
introduction of the tree to these islands has led to
n generi11 impression that this species is native.
However, whereas the young trees develop abundantly
in Puerto Rico beneath or near planted
trees of this species, they are never encountered in
native forest at any distance from such trees. Had
the species been native, there would still be young
trees throughout the coastal forests of the island
without relation to the location of planted trees.
It is extremely unlikely that it could ever have
been exterminated, since aceitillo (Zanthoaylum,
flavton), a tree in greater demand and with much
wealter reproductive capacity than mahogany, is
still to be found in remote forests.
Typical mountain forests are confined to Puerto
Rico, although :L small patch of similar but unique
forest is found on the top of Sage Mountain, Tortola.
Between about 500 to 2,000 feet elevation in
the enstern mountains, known as Luquillo Mountains,
and to 3,000 feet in the central mountains or
Central Cordillera, slightly higher on the south
slope than on the north, was probably the most
magnificent forest of Puerto Rico. bluch of the
original vegetation of this area is described as
tropical moist forest; in the wettest areas it is tropical
rain forest. At its maximum development this
forest reached 110 feet in height, with trees to 8
feet. in diameter. Three forests of distinct size and
composition grew together here, each forming a
separate story of vegetation. Throughout the
range of this type of forest there mere probably
about 170 tree species.
Within the mountain area are two forest regions
or ecological provinces and corresponding distinct
forest types. These provinces are desi ated as
lower Cordillera and lower Luquillo. f" t is seen
in figure 2 that the lower Cordillera province includes
both the north and south lower slopes of
the central mountains of Puerto Rico and the
Sierra de Cnyey and also the upper slopes of the
disconnected Sierra de Atalaya in the northwest.
The Lu uillo Mountains are separate both geographica
'I ly and ecologically from the Central
Cordillera.
The trees of the lower Cordillera forest include
the following :