Common Trees of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands

FLACOURTIA FAMILY (FLACOURTIACEAE)
170. Tostado, wild honey-tree Casearia decandra Jacq.
This shrub or small tree is characterized by : (1)
the small, yellow-green elliptic leaves less than 3
inches long, hely saw-toothed, thin, and shedding
in winter; (2) the many small greenish-white
flowers l/q inch across in clusters about inch
across at nodes when twigs are leafless; and (3)
the round seed capsules % inch in diametar, pale
yellow or brown, edible but almost tasteless.
A deciduous shrub or small tree to 15 feet high
and to 3 inches in trunk diameter, with spreading
crown. The gray bark is smooth and thin, the
inner bark light brown and tasteless. The slender
hairless twigs are green when young, becoming
brown.
The alternate leaves have short petioles 4/8-1/4
inch long and thin blades 1%-3 inches long and
5/8-1% inches broad, long- or short-pointed at
apex and short-pointed or rounded at base, green
on both sides and slightly shin above, hairless
except for inconspicuous tufts o hairs usually in
vein angles beneath.
Many fmely hairy flowers are borne in lateral
flower clusters (umbels) on slender stalks about
s/,,, inch long, jointed near base. The calyx is
deeply divided into 5 narrow, finely hairy, spread-
ing lobes y8 inch long; 10 hairy stamens attached
near base of calyx are alternate with smaller hairy
sterile stamens (staminodes) ; and pistil consist-
ing of hairy 1-celled ovary, slender hairy style,
and rounded stigma.
r
The fleshy seed capsul'es are single or sometimes
paired on twigs hck of the leaves and split into 3
parts. There are 2-4 seeds in the orange-colored
flesh. Flowering and fruiting at different times
during the year.
The light brown, hard sapwood perhaps is used
as roundwood where the trees are of sufficient size.
The fruits are edible, as the common name cerezo
(cherry) indicates, but almost tasteless. An important
honey plant.
Common and widely distributed in thickets and
as an understory tree in moist coastal and lower
mountain forests in Puerto Rico. Also in Vieques,
St. Thomas, St. John, Tortola, and Virgin Gorda.
(Reported long ago from St. Croix also.)
PUBLIC ~o~Im~s.-Camba1aohe, Gunjataca, Luquillo,
Maricao, Rio Abajo, Susiia, Toro Negro.
R~~a~.--Hispaniola, Puerto Rico and Virgin
Islands, throughout Lesser Antilles, Trinidad and
Tobago, and Margarita. Also in Costa Rica and
northern South America from Colombia and Venezuela
to Brazil and Peru.
OTHER CONNON NANEB.--P~~O blanco, cerezo, gin
mnusa, cotorrelillo (Puerto Rico) ; wild-cherry
(Virgin Islands) ; machacomo, tapaculo (Venezuela)
; fortuga caspi, limoncaspi (Peru) ; jumbieapple
(Grenadines) ; wild-cherry (Barbados) ;
pipewood, biscuitwood (Trinidad) ; bois jaune
(Guadeloupe) .