Common Trees of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands

areas in Puerto Rico, chiefly in the moist limestone
and lower Cordillera forest regions. In the Cordillera
restricted chiefly to steep rocky areas wit11
soils in the Ilucnrn group or In sssociated welldrained
rocky soils. In a few experiments the
native seed has not produced promising forest
plant a t' lons.
Seed from continental America formerly repsrded
as a distinct species, cedro espafiol
or Alexican-cedar (Cedre7n nacxicnnn 31. J.
Roem.), has also been tested in Puerto Rico.
Though widely lantecl in tlie public forests for
timber, most of t P e trees became chlorot ic and died
for reasons not understood. Nevertheless, a feu1
trees ,p\r very rapidly. The linndsome sliade trees
commonly seen along roadsides are froni imported
seed.
PUBLIC FORE^-Cnrite, Guajatncn, Guilnrte,
Maricao, Rio Aba~o, Toro Negro.
Rarsa~.-Widely distributed in wet forests of
lo\\. elevations in tropical Americti. Native npparently
through \Irest Indies in Greater Antilles
and Lesser Antilles to Trinidad and Tobago, tlie
rtinge spread by c~~ltirntion. Also native 111 continental
tropical America froni hfesico (Sin:llon
and San Luis Potosi soutllwardr to Ecuador,
Peru, Brazil, arid Guinnas. Introduced into
southern Florida and the Old World.
MAHOGANY FAMILY (MELIACEAE)
OTHER OOMJLON NA~ZFG.--CC~~O, cedro 010roS0,
cedro del pnis, cedro hembra del pais, cedro mexiclino,
cedro espaiiol (Puerto Rico) ; cedro (Spanisli,
commerce) ; cedro hembrcl (Dominican Re-
~)ltblic, Cuba) ; cedro rnnclio (Cuba) ; cedro
colonldo, culche (Mexico) ; cedro real (El Salvador)
; cedro ttmargo, cedro blanco, cedro dulce,
cedro colorado, ccibano (Costn Rica) ; cedro
unltwgo (P:ln:ima) ; cedro blanco, cedro oloroso,
mtlro c:ioba, cedro clavel (Colombia) ; cedro
ulnargo, cedro amarillo (Venezuela) ; cedro de
Castilln. (Ecuador) ; cedro colorado (Peru) ;
Spanish-cedar, West-Indies-cedar, Mexican-cedar,
Centrnl-American-cedar, South-American - cedar
(Englisli) ; cigarbox - cedar, ciprbox cedrela
(United States) ; cedar, Jtimaicnn-cedar, Hondums-cedar
(Jamaica) ; redcedar, acajou (Dominica,
Trinidad) ; cigarbox-cedar, cedar (Trinidad) ;
redcetlar (Tobago) ; 'cedar (British Honduras) ;
rcclcetlar, ceclar, kurana (British Guiana) ; acajou
rouFe (French) ; ckdre, &dre espagnol (Haiti) ;
:~C:IJOII amer, acajou senti, acujou h muebles, acajou
~ILYS (Guadeloupe) ; acajou (Dutch IVest Indies) ;
leli (Curnqao) ; ceder (Surinam) ; acajii, cedro
vermellio (Brazil).
IJOT~~XICAI, s~-~o~nrs.-Ced)~e'ela 8inteni8ii C.
DC., C. ?~tcxicana hi. J. Roem.
109. Guaraguao, American muskwood Guarea trichilioides L.
Large tree of moist forests distinguished by:
(1) n dense crown of large, nlternate, even pinnate
leaves wit11 8-20 or more pnired, elliptic to oblong,
glossy, dark green leaflets, with sunken veins giving
n slightly corrugated nppmttnnce ; (2) the apex
of the woody leaf axis continuing to grow like n
stem and forming new leaflets at the tip after the
other leaflets are mtlture; (3) many 4-parted
greenish-white flo~vers %-5/8 inch across; and (4)
the reddish-brown seed capsules borne in ntarrow
grnpelike clusters, nearly round, 5/8-% inch in clinmeter
but narrowed at base, covered with many
rnised dots (lenticels) and splitting into 4 parts,
with 4 or fewer reddisii seeds.
An evergreen tree of tlie forest canopy 40-75
feet tall, with strniglit clear trunk (forked lo\\. in
open grown trees) 13 feet in diameter, ,z few
larger, becoming fluted when large, and with a
widely spreading crown. The bark is rough, with
many longitudinal fissures, brown with n reddish
tinge, thick (3/8 inch or more). Inner bark is pinkish
and slightly bitter. Twigs are brown and
stout, with many raised dots (lent.icels).
The leaves am 8-24 inclles long on stout round
brown woody axes. The leaflets, borne on short
stalks 1/8 inch long, are 5-7 inches long and 1%-
2% inches broad, short-pointed nt apex and base,
edges not toothed, slightly tliicltened, dark green
on upper surface and paler beneath.
Flower clusters (panicles) are borne laterally,
brnnclied but narrow, 4-12 ~nclles long. The numorons
fmgnint Short-stalked flowers nre spreading
tind ~ninl~tely hairy. The calyx is 4-lobed;
tliero :we 4 hairy petals inch long; white stamen
tobe inch high with 8 anthem inside top; and
pistil 3/le inch h~gh on a disk with 4-celled ovary,
?lo, and stigma. The seeds are S/s-1/2 inch long.
3 o\vels and fruit are produced over most of the
year.
Tho sapwood is whitish to brownish, and the
vo~y nttrnctive hetlrtwood pinkish to red, turning
light reddish brown. The wood is of medium
~veight or moderately heavy (specific gravity
O.Bl), hard, strong, tough, medium-textured,
strn~glit-pained, some\vhat brittle, and aromat~c
when green bllough odorless when seasoned. Rate
of air-seasoning 1s slow, and amount of degrade
is moderate. Machining charncteristics are as follows:
planing, shaping, turning, mortising, and
resistnlice to screw splitting are pod ; boring is
foir; and sanding is excellent. he mood is resist:lnt
to zittack by dry-wood termites arid is durnt)le
in tlio ground.
This pretty mood makes fine furniture and cabinets,
since it resembles mahogany and Spanish-