Common Trees of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands

AILANTHUS FAMILY (SIMAROUBACEAE)
104. Guarema, bitterbush Picramnia pentandra Sw.
A small slender tree or shrub charucterized by :
(1) the showy or ornnmental red or scarlet fruits
3/8-5/R inch long, in grapelike terminal clusters,
turning to black; (2) leaves with 5-9 elliptic to
ovate, mostly long- ointed lenflets 11h-5 inches
long and 1-2 inches 6 road; (3) minute green and
reddish-tinged 5-parted flowers % inch long and
broad ; and (4) tlle leaves, gray twigs, bark, fruits,
and seeds very bitter.
An evergreen tree or shrub to 20 feet hidl and
4 inches in trunk diameter. Bark on small trunks
is pray and smootli. Tlie inner bark is brown and
bitter. Young twigs, very young leaves, and
flower stalks are covered with minute grayish
pressed hairs.
The alternate leaves are 5-12 inches long, the
axis green or reddish tinged. The leaflets have
short stalks l/s inch long and are short-pointed or
sorr~etimes oblique nt base, not toothed at edges,
slightly thickened, almost hairless at maturity,
sliglitly shiny green on upper surface and somewhat
paler beneath.
Male and female flowers are on different trees
(dioecious) in branched terminal clusters (panicles)
3-7 inclies long. Tlie flowers have 5 narrow
sepals and 5 narrow petals about s6 inch long.
Male flowers have 5 stnmens, and female flowers
a pistil with 2- or 3-celled ovary and 2 or 3 stigmas.
Berrylike fruits, borne on slender red stalks, are
round to elliptic, 3/8-5/8 inch long, somewllnt juicy
inside, with 13 shiny brown seeds X-sJs inch long.
Flowers and fruits produced nearly through the
year.
The whitish, hard, heavy wood is little used in
Puerto Rico, because the trees are too small.
The leaves and bark have been employed medicinally
in Cuba against fevers. In sout11ern
Florlda and Cuba the small trees have been grown
as hardy ornamentals. A honey plant.
In secondary forests in the coastnl and limestone
regions of Puerto Rim. Also in Tortola and reported
from St. Thon~as.
PUBLIC ~o~~srs.-Carnbalache, Guzlnica, Rio
Abajo.
RANGE-Southern Florida includin Florida
Keys, Bahamas, Cuba, Jamaica ( ?) , IF ispaniola,
Puerto Rico and Tortola, St. Martin St. Barth6lemy
, Antigua, Montsermt, ~undeioupe, Dominica,
Martini ue, St. Lucia, and Tobago. Also in
Colombia and 't enezuela.
OTHER COMMON NAMES.-~U~SO (PueIb Rico) ;
aguedita, pa10 de peje, palo de pez (Dominican
Republic) ; aguedita, roble ngnlla, uina del pais
Cuba) ; bitterbush, Florida bitlet%ush (United
Atfiles) ; doctor-bar (Tobago) ; bois poison, millant
@won (Haiti) ; bois poison, bols montagne
(Cfuadeloupe) ; mild-coffee (Dutch West Indies).