Common Trees of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands

SPURGE FAMILY (EUPHORBIACEAE)
120. Sabin6n Croton poecilanthus Urban
This tree with watery Intex, confined to the eastern
mountains of Puerto Rico, is distinguished by :
(1) lower surface of leaves, petioles, young twigs,
flower stalks, flowers and fruits silvery green or
brown, being covered with tin round silverybrown
scales; (2) the leaves e ?' liptic, thick and
leathery, 3-7 inches long nnd 2-3 inches wide,
short-pointed at both ends, the upper surface
reen to dark green, and slightly shiny; and (3)
%e many small silvery-brown male and female
flowers almost stalkless on a terminal axis 3-7
inches long.
A small or medium-sized evergreen tree attaining
20-40 feet in height and 10 inches in trunk diameter,
with irregular spreading crown. The
bark is smoothish and minutely fissured or warty,
grlr or brown. Inner bt~rk is pink, slightly bitter
wit i" 1 a burning tnste. There is a small amount of
whitish watery or nearly trnnsparent latex. The
leaves are alternate on petioles 3/q-2 inches long,
the blades not toothed on edges.
The flower clusters (racemes) have all male
flowers, or also a few female flowers at base, or all
female flowers (monoecious). Male flowers %
inch long and broad have a p y - p n scaly calyx
with 3 or 4 de8p lobes s/16 inch long, 5 whitis11
scaly petals 3J16 Inch long, and about 20 whitish
spreading stamens. Female flowers about the
snme size have a cup-shaped, p -green, scaly
calyx %e inch long including the 5 s i! ort lobes, and
pistil with gray- en, scaly, 3-celled ovaq and 3
urge whitish sty T" es, deeply forked and appearing
cis 6, afterwards turning black and remaining attnched
to fruit.
The seed ca~~sules are nearly round but longer
thnn brod, sllghtly 3-angled, about 1/2 inch long.
At. ~nnturity tlie capsule separntes into 3 brown
ptirts, ench falling from the axis and splitting open
to release a brown seed % inch long. Flolvering
ril~d fruiting nearly throughout the year.
The snpaood is xvhitish, and the henrtwood is
light yellolv. The wood is ~~ioderntely hard and
~noderntely heavy (specific gravity 0.6). It is
used only for posts and fuel.
An understory tree in tlie upper Luquillo forest
I-egion and extending down the slopes into swampy
ctrens and along stream courses in Ohe upper portion
of the lower Luquillo region of Puerto Rico.
PU~LIC FOI~E~T.-LU~U~~~O.
R,\~a~.-I