Common Trees of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands

egions and is commonest in the drier, southern (English) ; cotton-tree (British Honduras) ;
nrens. Also in Vieques, St. Croix, St. Thomas, St. kl~mnka (Brit is11 G~lit~nn) ; mapou (Haiti, Gunde-
John, and Tortoln.
lol~~~e) ; fromagor (co~nmerce, Gunclelou e, Mar-
PUBI,IC ~on~s~s.~nmbalache, Guajataca, Lu- tin~que, Frencll Guinnn) ; bois coton, &apokier
guillo, Rio Abnjo, Snn Juan, Susbn, Tom Negro, (French Guinnn) ; kntoenboom, katunbom, ka ok-
Vegn.
boom, silk-cotton-tree (Dutch TVest Indies) ; kn-
RASGE.-Nearly throughout West Indies from kantrie, knddo bnkkoe (Surinam) ; sumauma, mai
Cuba and Jamaica to Trinidad and Tobago. In- clns nrvores, cyybn, mocmayn (Brnzil).
troduced in Uorlnuda and Bahamas nnd planted ROTASICAI. susosl-1x6.-Bornbnx pen tandrunt
also in souti~ern Florida and California. Widely I,., Cciba an f ractuosa (DC.) Jfnza.
distributed from bIexico to Ecuador, Brazil, and Some authors have separated the New World
(hianas. Also in tropical A£ricn and Asia. trees from those of the Old TTTorld as a variety or
OTIIE~ colrlros saar~s.-k a p o k (V i r g i n species (Ceiba yentnndra (L.) Gaertn. mr. cari-
Islnnds) ; ceiba, ceibo (Span~sh, commerce) ; baen (DC.) Bnkl~., C. caribaea (DC.) A. Cher., C.
pochote (IZexico, Central1 America) ; bongo, cot- occidenfalts (Spreng.) Burkill). The Spanish
ton-tree (Panama) ; ceibn de lnna, bonga, ceiba nncl generic nnlnes are from an old Cnr~bbean
de Garzcin (Colombia) ; silk-cotton-tree, kapok word \vhich is said to mean boat.
BOMBAX FAMILY (BOMBACACEAE)
154. Guano, balsa
Ochroma pyramidale (Cav.) Urban
Bnlsn, n very rapidly growing tree known in with its 5-celled, conical ovary, long style 434
Pucrto Rico as guano, is easily recognized by : (1) inches in length, nnd 5 spirally twisted stigmns.
an open crown of n few cotuse spreading branches; The seed cnpsules are 10-angled and grooved and
(2) smooth pinkish-grt~y bark; (3) large, nearly split into 5 pnrts to expose a mass of tawny-brown,
round, 11eart-shaped lenves 8-16 inches long and Ion soft hails, in ~vllicll mnny small dark brown
broad wit11 7-0 mniu veins speacling from base see cf' s l/g inch long nre loosely imbedded. Flowers
(palmately veined) ancl with long petioles; (4) appearing from minter to summer, and fruits and
the large, tubular bell-shaped, whitish and green- seeds mature in s ring and summer.
ish flowers 5 inches long, with 5 petals, borne Balsa is the lig I' ltest of commercial woods, meighsin
ly; and (5) the ocld dark brown cylindricnl ing less than cork. However, the Puerto Rican
seec 7 capsules 7-10 inches long and 1-1s inches guano (specific g-nvity 0.22) is heavier than balsa
in diameter, covered with light brown ~-ool after of major colnmercial sources. The sapwood, the
opening.
~nnin source, is ~vhitisll, often with yellowish or
A medium-sizecl to large evergreen tree, beconl- pinkish hue, and the heartwood is pale brom or
ing 50-80 feet in height and 295 feet in trunk recldisll tinged. The wood is very soft, weak, and
diameter, wit11 sligllt. buttresses when large. Inner has very coarse, straight, uniform grain. It is
bark is fibrous, pinkish, % inch or less in thick- absorbent unless treated (frequently with parafness.
Tlle twigs are stout., % inch in diameter, fin) warps badly, and uires very sharp tools to
greenish, rusty-brown hai when young, mith o r . Also it is perisha
large brownish lenf scars an 7
"b le, decays and becomes
thick pith.
discolored readily, and is very susceptible to attack
The alternate leaves hnve stout reddish- tinged by dry-wood termites. The rnte of air-sensoning
petioles about as long as the blades and 2 bronc1 and amount of degrade are moderate. Machining
rounded scales (stipnles) v2 inch long at base. characteristics are as follorvs: planing is go?d;
Leaf blndes nre short.- oinled or slightly 3-pointed shaping is poor; turning, boring, and mortis~ng
(sometimes 5-pointa 7 ), edges most1 without :ire very poor; sanding IS fair; and resistance to
teeth, slightly thickened, green and i airless on screw splitting is excellent.
ilpper sl~rface tuld yellow peen mith minute star- nalsn wood was n strntegic material in the Secshnped
hnirs on lower surface. Young plants have ond TVorld Jlrar, being employed chiefly for lifevery
large leaves with blndes as much as 2 feet rnfts, lifebolts, and similar equipment, and in nirlong
and broad.
plnne construction. The best grades mere used in
Tho flowem nre forme