Common Trees of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands

128. Mil10
SPURGE FAMILY (EUPHORBLACEAE)
Phyllanthus nobilk (L, f,) Muell,-Arg.
Millo is a small treo distinguished by : (1) dark l'lle light brown snpmood is hard. Heartwood
brown twigs with numerolls conspicuous, raised, is b~.ownish, sometimes pinkish and hetlvy (spelight
brown, warty dots (lentkels), the alternate cific gravity 0.9). The nvood is used only for posts
leaves hanging down in 2 rows; (2) thin namxvly and fuel.
elliptic leaves 2-5 inches long and inches \\Tidely distributed in tllickets and the underbroad,
short- or long-pointed nt both ends, nbore story of forests in the const:ll, moist limestone, nnd
dull green or dark pen nnd bellenth pale ~\-hitish lower ~nountnin regions of Puerto Rico. Also in
reen; (3) tin 4-parted green flo\t-ers, male ancl St. Tllomns, St. John, nncl Tortoln, and recorded
female on di 2 erent trees (dioecious) in laternl
from St. Croix.
clusters scattered along the twin; and (4) greenish
seed capsules Ko inch in &&meter, rounded
Po~,r.rc FORESTS.-Camb:llnche, Gun jntncn, Lubut
bronder dlnn long, with 5 or 4 peculiar narrow ql~illo, Sus6a.
2-forked styles remaining flnt,tenecl on apes, RANOE.-\Videly clistril~uted in tropicnl Amerslightly
fleshy but splitting into 5 or 4 dark blue icn. Tllrougll IlTest Indies in Cuba, Jnmaica, Hissegments,
each 2-seeclecl.
pnnioln, Puerto Rico and Virgin Islnnds, Lesser
A deciduous tree 25-40 feet lligll and to 8 inches ilntilles from Saba to Grenada, nnd Trinidad.
in trunk diameter, with iregulnr spreading crown. Also f~-om Mexico to Ecuador, Per11, Brazil, Gui-
The bark is light ply, smoothish but becoming nnns, ~ ~nd T7enezuela.
slightly fissured and scaly, esposing the bmn
bark beneath. Inner bnrk is pinkish and slightly
OTI~ER colrlros x,\B~Fs.-nmortig~ndo, palo de
bitter.
nill lo, higuillo, arispillo, siete-cueros, yuquillo
The leaves have short. thin petioles 1/8-% inch ( Pnert o Rico) ; false gooseberry (Virgin Islands) ;
long and at base a pair of pointed scales (stipules) pnlo nmnrgo (Dominican Republic) ; p~aicnje,
'/la Inch long.
aznlejo, Ilor6n (Cuba) ; nistnn~nl (El Snlmdor) ;
The male flonre~s less tllnn 1/8 incll ncross nre cnrillo (Nicaragua) ; pintlurero, ynyo (Colombia) ;
borne on thmdliko stnllts nbont 3/16 inch long, gunratnro (Venezuela) ; chaq~~irillo (Ecuador) ;
man clustered topther nt n node, consisting of 4 ucnriviro (Peru) ; bastard hog-bo17.y (Jamaica) ;
sepa 9 s less than 1/16 inch long nnd 4 stamens of the clarnber~~y, ramon mncho (British Hondurns) ;
same len h. The smnll but lnrger female flowers ~nille brnnches, bois diable, ticomnt biitnrd (Guadehave
sta if s 4/4-% inch long, cnlyx nearly s/lo inch lonpc) ; gooseberry (Dutch \Vest Indies) ; boskofacross
the 4 lobes which are t.urnd do~rnward,
and pistil of rounded 5- or 4-celled ova
fia (Surinam).
in d~ameter with 5 or 4 styles united at ? m, '/lo bent inch I3o.r~srcar. srsosnrs.-Nargaritarin nobizis
downward, each with 2-forked stigma. The brown 1,. f., Af. nobili~ var. nntillann (A. Juss.) Stehl6 &
seeds are y8 inch long. Flowering and fruiting Quelltin, PI~yllanfhus (tntillanzt.~ (A. Juss.)
nearly through the year, chiefly in the spring and Muell.-Arg., P. nobili~ var. antillanus (A. Juss.)
early summer. Often flowering when leafless. Jiuoll.-Arg.