Common Trees of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands

BUCKTHORN FAMILY (RIIAMNACEAE)
148. Cascarroya Sarcomphalus reticuldus (Vahl) Urban
This small tree of dry forests is distinguished long composed of a pen hairy 3-celled ovary and
by: (1) small gray or brown spines 4/8-s/s inch 3 styles united below.
long paired or single at some nodes; (2) densely The fruits (drupes), a few in a cluster, are
rusty hairy twigs; (3) mostly small, thickened, slightly longer than broad, light een and turnstiff
and brittle elliptic leaves 1-3 inches long and ing to brown, finely hairy or hair ff ess. The large
.5/8-2 inches broad, rounded at both ends, with 3 stone encloses 3 or fewer shiny bromn flattened
main veins from base, the lower surface with prom- seeds. Flowering and fruiting in summer.
inent network of raised veins and finely soft hairy ; The wood is light brown or yellowish,.hard, and
(4) many small yellow-green 5-parted flowers s/16 heavy (specific gravity 0.9). Used m Puerto
inch across, finely and densely hairy, in branched Rico for posts.
clusters; and (5) elliptic brown fruits s/8-5/8 inch In Dominican Republic hogs and goats eat the
long, ~vith brown hai~y base inch across. fruits. Reported to be a honey plant.
An evergreen tree or shrub to 20 feet high and Forests and thickets of the dry limestone re-
4 inches in trunk diameter. The dark gray or gion of southwestern Puerto Rico. Also in Caja
brown bark is smoothish. Inner bark is dark red, de Muertos, St. Croix, and Tortola.
gritty, and tasteless. The brown or gray twigs are PUBLIC FOREST.-GU&~~C~.
angled when young.
RANGE.-Hispaniola, Puerto Rico and Virgin
The alternate leaves have short hairy petioles Islands, and Lesser Antilles at Barbuda and Long
about 4/8 inch long. Leaf blades are often slight- Island near Antigua.
ly heart-shaped at basa, vith edges often minute- OTHER COJLJCON NAB~S.--C~C~O roj o, azuf nito,
ly toothed and turned under, the up er surface cascarilla, espejuelo (Puerto Rico) ; saona cimarreen
to dark green, dull or a little s F liny, .finely ronn, snona de puerco, sopaipo (Dominican Repubfairy
or becoming nearly hairless, with sllghtly lic) ; coquemolle (Haiti).
sunken veins, and the lowor surface light green. A related tree species (Sarcmphah domin-
The flower clusters (panicles) ara most1 ter- gensis (Spreng.) ICrug b5 Urban) has the twigs,
minal, ~-21/i inches long, densely halry, and'bear leaves, and flowers all hairless. It is recorded from
many cro\vdd, almost stalkless, slightly fragrant
flowers less than 1/8 inch long. The conical green
the British Virgin Islands, Vieques, and the northhairy
base (hypnnthium) 1/16 inch long bears 5 eastern end of Puerto Rico.
sprending, pointed, ellom-green sepals +$/l(i inch Ailothor species (Sarcmphalus taylorii Britlong,
hairy on outsi 'f e, 5 minute long-stalked con- ton), a shrub or small tree of Mona Island and Bacave
pale yellow petals x6 inch long, and 5 stn- hamas, has obovnte leaves less than 1 inch long,
mens opposite the petals and the same length; and bright green on both sides, and notched or
within the yellow-green disk is the pistil '/ls inch rounded nt apex.