Common Trees of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands

suitable for certain types of fruit and vegetable
containers, novelties, toys, and temporary forms.
The Spanish common name balsa, meaning raft
and perhaps of aboriginal ori n, is associated
with the use of the buoyant logs y the Indians for
rafts.
The woolly or silky hairs of the seed capsules are
employed for stuffing pillows and mattresses, bein&
similar to the ka ok fibers of commerce obtamed
from the relate5 tree, oeiba. It is reported
that these fibers have been used also in felt hats.
Ropes have been made from the fibrous bark, which
also contains tannin.
The trees are sometimes grown as ornamentals
for the lar e leaves and large flowers, such as in
southern F f orida.
Scattered in the moist coast, moist limestone, and
lower mountain regions of Puerto Rico. Requiring
full sunlight, it is confined to open areas, such
ns roadsides, clearings, and cutover forests where
the wind-borne seeds are widely distributed. Germination
is rapid, especially following fire. Trees
attain mature size within 6-10 years, sometimes
averaging 10 feet in height owth a year.
PUBLIU FOREBTB.-~&~~& r' ache, Carite, Guajatam,
Luquillol Rio Abajo, Susba.
R~~a~.-Widely distributed in tropical America
with minor variations distinguished as species by
155. Garrocho -
This small tree is limited to dee shade of moist
forests and characterized by: (17 straight erect
trunk and axis with horizontal branches attached
in circles of 5 or 4 together at the same point; (2)
elliptic leaves 3-9 inches long and 1%4 inches
broad, short-petioled, slightly thickened, strongly
odorous when dry; (3) lateral whitish funnelshaped
flowers s/4 inch long, mostly sin le and almost
stalkless at base of leaves; and (47 rounded,
orange, Aeshy fruits s/4 inch in diameter.
An everpn tree becoming 20 feet in height
and 6 inches in trunk diameter; The branches, attached
in whorls about 1%-2 feet apart along the
axis, are distinctive of this genus. The graybrown
bark is smoothish but finely warty. Inner
bark is yellowish and slightly bitter. Twigs are
brown, with faint rings where leaves are borne.
The alternate leaves have etioles j/q-% inch
long. Blades are short-pointe ! at both ends, without
teeth on edges, dark green and slightly shiny
with sunken lateral veins on upper surface and
dull yellow green beneath. At base of young
leaves is a pair of narrow pointed gray scales
(stipules) s/16 inch long, - which shed early, leaving . a ring scar.
The flowers are attached on very short stalks
along the twip, bear minute star-shaped hairs, and
have a pecullar odor. The narrow green calyx
tube is 3 -1/2 inch long slightly and irregularly
2- or 3-10 ed; there are 5 spreading whitish petab
t
some authors. Greater Antilles and Lesser An-
tilles from St. Kitts to Grenada, and Trinidad and
Tobago. Also from southern Mexico to Ecuador,
Peru, Bolivia, and Brazil. Planted also in south-
ern Florida and Dutch West Indies.
BOTANIOAL BYNONYMB.-OC~TO~IUI bh0h b-
lee, 0. boliviana Rowlee, 0. grandifira Rowlee, 0.
lagopus Sw. 0. Zagop var. biooEor (Rowlea
Standl. & Ekegerm., 0. Zim~nenais. Rowlee, d.
ob twa Rowlee, 0. permvimna Johnst., 0. tomentosa
Willd., 0. welutina Rowlee.
(BOMB ACACEAE)
Quararibaea turbinata (Sw.) Poir.
more than 1/2 inch long; stamen column s/s inch
lonq, with many anthers clustered at apex; and
pistil with 2- or 3-celled ovary, slender style, and
enlarged stigma inside the stamen column.
The rounded, orange fleshy fruits are sli htly
broader than long, with calyx remaining at % ase,
and have 1 or 2 large seeds. Flowers are produc~d
chiefly in s ring (February to May), and hts mature slig !I tly later (February to July).
The sapwood is whitish and hard. The wood is
little used in Puerto Rim. Formerly the stems
were used for goad sticks, as the Spanish common
name indicates. Because of the peculiar branching,
small stems could serve as hatracks.
An understory tree of the moist coast, moist
limestone, and lower mountain regions of Puerto
Rico. Also Vieques, St. John, and St. Croix. Rediscovered
in St. Croix in 1954, more than 150
years after an earlier collection there.
PUBLIC ~o~~s~s.-Cambalache, Guajataca, Luquillo,
Rio Abajo.
MUNICIPALITY WHERE ESPBCIALLY COMXON.-~~.
RANGE.-His aniola, Puerto Rico, Vi ues, St.
John, and St. 8 roix, and Lssser Antilles "S rom St.
Eustatius, St. Kitts and Antigua to Grenada.
Also recorded from Burinam.
OTHER
COMMON NA=.-palo de garrocha, asu-
billo (Puerto Rico) ; molinillo (Dominican Re-
public) ; swizzle-stick-tree (Lesser Antilles) ;
millerwood (St. Eustatius) .