Common Trees of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands

149. Motillo
A large tree of mountain forests, recognized by :
(1) the mostly large elliptic leaves 6-18 inches
long and 3-8 ~nches broad, short-pointed at both
ends and the petioles with a swelling at each end;
(2) the pale yellow widely spreading flowers
%-3/q inch across,
clusters; (3) the
inches long, hard
ally into 4 parts
under trees; and
base of the trunk.
This evergreen tree becomes 100 feet tall, with
a straight trunk 23 fmt in diameter. The smoothy
bark has reddish-brown warts about
ish I/q dark inch T= ong and broad. Inner bark is li ht
brown, with slightl bitter gritty taste. #he
brown twigs are fine r y hairy when young.
The alternate leaves have stout petioles
reen turning brownish. Leaf blades
vary inches peat lonpl, y in size and are thin or slightly thick-
ened, without marginal teeth, nearly hairless, dark
reen and with slightl sunken veins on upper sur-
Rce, nnd peen beneat K .
Flower clusters (racemes) are unbranched, 2
inches or less in length, with several flowers on
slender, .finely hai stalks 1h-8/4 inch long. There
are 4 or 5 pale ye1 7 ow, pointed, finely hairy sepals
l/q-6/1a inch long; no petals; numerous hairy stamens
inch or less in length, attached on a broad
disk; and the hairy pistil 1/4 inch long, consisting
of 4- or sometimes 3-celled ovary, style, and 4 or
sometimes 3 stigmas. .
The Cparted seed capsules, inconspicuously fine
hairy, hard and with walls s/16 inch thick, release
a few rounded or elliptic seeds about l/z inch long.
Flowering chiefly from spring to fall, with fruits
nearly through the year.
The sa wood is yellowish brown, and the heartwood
mu y ticolored, \?a ing from yellow brown to
pinkish brown or dar 7: brown, sometimes with
,Y (ELAEOCARPACEAE)
Sloanea berteriana Choisy
darker brown stripes. The ~vood is very hard,
heavy (specific vity 0.80), strong, and mediumtextured
and f? as growvth ring and irregular
pin. it is considered hard on tools, is c l d
ns durable, and is susceptible to attack by drywood
termites. Its rats of air-sensonin and
amount of degra.de are moderate. Mac ining
characteristics are as follows: planing, turning,
mortising, and sanding are good ; shaping and baring
are excellent; and resistance to screw splitting
is poor.
In Puerto Rico the mood has been used sparing-
1 for furniture and SO in local construction and
&r crossties. Lacking attnctiveness and uniform
color for furniture and cnbinetwork, it is suitable
construction, farm im lement parts,
handles, ea duty flooring, and at parts.
Forests of t e lower mountain regions of Puerto
heq T L
Rim. A dominant tree in the rain forest, usually
growing.in the moist ravines and becoming an
emergent tree in the u per sto of the forest.
PUBLIC mwurs.-&rite, ?hiuilarte, Luquillo,
Toro Nep.
RANGE.--H~S aniola, Puerto Rico, and Lesser
Antilles from d t. Icitts to Martinique.
OTHER COMMON NAMEB.---cncno
R
motillo, cacaillo,
cacao roseta, cacaotillo, roseta (Puerto Rim) ; ca-
cao cimam5n (Dominican Republic) ; petit cow,
chltaignier petit cam, cocoyer (Gundeloupe,
Martinique) .
Another species (Sloanea am ddina Griseb.)
is rare in the mountain forest at if aricao Forest in
the western Cordillera. This tree has smaller el-
liptic leaves with blades 21h-6 inches long, blunt
or notched at apex, fewer flowers usually single or
no more than 3 together, and smaller seed capsules
B/g-1 inoh long, densely covered with short spines
'/la inch long. It is native also in Hispaniola and
Cuba but mas not listed from Puerto Rlco by Brit-
ton and Wilson.