Common Trees of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands

nlong ronds, nnd in 11-nste grounds.
Limited to the moist constnl region of Puerto
Rico, chiefly on the \rliite snnds between Bnynmcin
nnd ~gunhilln. Also in Culebrn, Vieques, St.
Crois, St. Tliomns, St. John, Tortola, and Virgin
Gorda.
RANGE.-Tliroughout West Indies, except Bn-
linmns, from Cubn to Trinidnd and Datch West
Indies. Also from southern blesico to Per11 nntl
Brazil, tlie rnnge extended througli cultivntion
nnd naturnlization. Planted nlso in soutliern
Floridn. Cultivated nnd nnturnlized in Africn,
India, nnd elsewliere in the Old World tropics.
It has been suggested tlint Indians from South
131. Mango
CASHEW FAMILY ( ANACARDIACEAE)
This popular introduced fruit nnd shnde tree,
bearing one of the finest tropicnl fruits, hardly requires
description. It is cliarncterized by: (1) n
very dense round crown and stout trunk; (2)
lnrge, leathery, dnrk green, Innce-shaped or nnrrowly
oblong lenves long-pointed nt both ends or
short-pointed at bnse, drooping in conspicuous
red-brown clusters when first produced; (3) numerous
small yellow-green to pink 5-parted flowen
about 1/4 inch across in lnrge slio\vy terminnl
clustersi and (4) the fnmilinr large, elliptic, yellow
fruits with edible flesh and n lnrge seed 111 n
mnss of fibers.
A medium-sized to lnrge evergreen tree nttaining
20-65 feet in height with trunlc to 3 feet in
diameter. The brown bnrlr is smoothish, with
many thin fissures, nnd tliiclr, becoming dnrker,
rough, nnd scnly or fnrrowed. Inner bnrk is lidit
brown and bitter. A whitish Intex exudes from cut
twigs, and a resin from cuts in the trunk. The
stout twigs nre pale green nnd hnirless.
The alternate lenves hnve etioles X-llh inches
lon and swollen at bnse. &af blndes nre M 2
f
inc es long and 11h-3 inches broad, curved up-
ward from midrib nrirl sometimes with edges n
lit.tle wavy.
Large branched flower clusters (pnnicles) nre
6-8 inches or more in length, reddish hairy
brnnclies. The short-stnlkecl finely hairy fmpnt flowers are partly mnle nnd partly bisexunl (polygamotis)
. The yellow-green calyx %/le inch long
is dee ly 5-lobed; there nro 5 spreading
1
more t an Yk inch long, pink but turning re rdish; hlS
5 stamens, 1 fertile and 4 shorter nnd sterile, borne
on n disk; and some flo\vers have a pistil with
I-celled ovary and slender Intern1 style.
The large nromntic fruits (drupes) on hanging
stalks are mostly 34lh inclies long, slightly nar-
rowed toward apex and n little flattened, soft at
mnturity. The yellow flesh is thick and juicy, the
seed 21h-3% inches long, flattened, nnd weighing
nbout an ounce. Flowering mainly in winter and
America may have brought this species to the Vest
Indies in pre-Columbinn times.
OTHER COJIXOS SAJIFA. - c a ' u i 1, m.nrnfi61i
(I.'uerto Rico) ; mnrnficin (Spnnis L ) ; caju~l (Doliilnlcnn
Re ublic) ; jocote mnraiicin (Guatemala,
Hondarns, el Snlvndor) ; merey (Colombin, Venezueln)
; cnju, casu (Peru) ; cnshew, cnsliem-nut,
cnslio\\~-npple (United States, English) ; ncajou,
nois d'ncnjou, pomlne d'nca'ou, pommier d'ncajou
(Frencli) ; pornme cnjou ( d uadeloupe) ; ucajou ii
po~nme, nolx d'ncnjou (French Gu~nnn) ; cnsliu,
)nln di cnsliupete, kasjoe, cashew, cherry (Dutch
\Vest Indies) ; kssjoe, boschkasjae, mereke, orvi
(Surinnm) ; caju, cajueiro (Brazil).
spring (recorded from November to July) and
mrturing fruits mostly from May to September.
Tlro si~pmood is crellln colored or light brown,
cind tlie heartwood pale yello\v or brown and often
\\*it11 dnrker spots and irreplnr lines. The wood
is l~nrd, moclerntely lienvy (specific grnvity 0.62),
tough. strong, and medium-textured and hns
stniiglit to mnvy pain, llinny large pores, and
groat11 rings. Rnte of nir-seasoning is moderate,
nnd nmount of degrnde minor. bfnchining characteristics
nre as follows: planing, shaping, and
turning nre fair; boring, mortising, and resistance
to screw splitting are good; nnd snnding is poor.
The wood works easily but with only fair results.
It is sr~sceptible to nttuclc by dry-wood termites.
In Puerto Rico the wood has been used occasionnlly
for ment chopping-blocks as well as for fuel.
Else\rliere it lins been employed for furniture, carpentry,
flooring, construction, boxes and crates,
cnrts, plywood, and dry coopernge. Rmutiful furniture
hns been mnde from n vnriety with streaked
\5?00d.
This is erlinps the most popular fruit through
tropicnl Americn. Tliough usunlly enten rnw,
mnngos nre nlso cooked or mnde into preserves or
jnice. Numerous improved vnrieties with larger
nnd less fibrous fruits llnve been developed. These
superior varieties, propn nted vegetatively by
budding or grafting, shou F B replnce the common
unimproved fibrous mnligos ~vhich tire groivn from
seeds.
Itfnngo is nn excellent linrdy shnde tree. It is
nlso nmong the importnnt honey plnnts, secreting
q1111nti ties of nectnr, nnd tlie flo\vers reportedly
nre edible. T,ivestock ent the fruits. The seeds,
floivers, bnrk, lenves, and resin hnre been em-
ployed medicinnlly, nnd the bnrk and lenves yield
11 yello\\- dye. A few persons hnre skin sensitive
to the sap, which produces n rnsh nround the
mouth and on the face.
Widely plnnted as n fruit tree nnd slinde tree
nrouncl liouses and along highwnys nnd commonly