Common Trees of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands

tribution from Guadeloupe to southern Florida,
has elliptic long-pointed leaves shiny above and
smaller fruit about inch in diameter.
Ca2yptranthes portoricensis Britton, known
only from near Maricao in Puerto Rico, has leaves
rounded or short-pointed at apex and hairy be-
186. Eucalipto, beakpod eucalyptus
MYRTLE FAMILY
a
neath when youn ; dense brown hairs on twigs,
flower clusters, an fruits; and fruit about 9/16 inch
in diameter.
Cal ptranthes thmasiana Ber described from
St. ~fornomas, has blunt-pointed o%long or obovate
leaves 1-2 inches long.
Eucal~ptus robusta J. E. Smith*
This handsome introduced tree, occasional1 brown streaks and patches. The wood is hard,
planted in Puerto Rico, is characterized by : (17 moderately heavy (specific pavity 0.51), strong,
enerall very straight axis with thick furrowed brittle, stiff,. elastic, coarse in texture, and fairly
fark aninarrow to spreading crown of dark green straight-grained with some interlocked grain.
fol~age; (8) broadly lance-shaped leaves 4-8 Tho rate of air-seasoning is moderate but with
inches long and 1%-2% inches broad, mostly considerable degrade from warp with very great,
slightly curved and unequal-sided from the short- uneven shrinkage. Machining characteristics are
polnted base, with a long tapering point, stiff and as follows: planing, shaping, turning, mortising,
leathery, aromatic, with a peculiar spicy resinous nnd sanding are good ; boring is fair ; and resistodor
(when crushed) and taste; (3) cream-col- ance to screw splitting is excellent. The wood is
ored flowers with very numerous stamens in :L very susceptible to attack by dry-wood termites
spreading mass 1% inches across, several borne but is considered durable in the ground.
laterally at the end of a flattened green stalk about Uses include underground piling, utilit poles,
1 inch long; and (4) cuplike dark p n seed cap- and fenceposts. This species is employed ! or gensules
%-% inch long and 3/8 inch in diameter. era1 construction in Australia, especially in con-
A medium-sized evergreen tree to 90 feet in tact with the ground, and shoald be suitable for
hei ht and 11/2 feet in trunk diameter. The bark the same urpose in Puerto Rico.
on F arge tmnks is gray on the surface, 1-1Y2 inches Suitab P e for shade and ornament and also a
thick, deeply furrowed, reddish b m beneath, honey plant. An infusion of the leaves has been
fibrous and very soft. The inner bark, about l/s prepared for home remedies.
inch thick, is fibrous, whitish, and slightly bitter. This species grows very rapidly, 15-year-old
Twigs are yellowish green and angled when young, trees attaining a diameter of 16 inches and a height
becomin round and reddish brown.
of 90 feet. Natural regeneration in Puerto RICO
The a f tsrnate leaves have slightly flattened yel- is very mre. Growth is best in the up er and lower
lowish-green petioles 1-1s inches long. Blades mountain regions, above 1,500 feet e f evation. As
have toothless edges and many fine, widely spread- a street tree in California, this tree roved objecing,
parallel laternl veins and are dark green on tionable because the tops were easi ! y broken by
lipper surface and only slightly paler beneath. strong winds. Planted also in Florida.
Spreading clusters (umbels) of 10 or fewer PUBLI~ FO~STS.-Carite, Guilarte, Luquillo,
short-stalked flom-ers are borne at leaf bases. Mnricao, Toro Negro.
Flower buds are 1 inch long and 8/s inch broad, RANGE.-Native of Australia but introduced inbecoming
pale yellolr and tinged m4th green, with to many tropical and subtropical lands including
n long-pointed cap nearly 1/2 inch long formed West Indies and from subtropical United States
from cnlyx or corolla, which becomes detached nncl Mexico south to Argentina and Brazil.
from the funnel-shaped base (hypanthium) about OTIIER COJEJZON ~~~~~s.-eucalipto del alcanfor,
% inch long. The stamens, 1/2 inch nnd less in elicalipto de pantano (Puerto Rico) ; eucalyptus
lcngt11, with minute anthers, are attached on the (Virgin Islands) ; e~icalipto comtin, eucalipto
rill1 of the hypanthium in a widely spreading mass nchatado (Colombia) ; beakpod eucalyptus, euabout
1% inches across and soon shedding. The calyptus (United States) ; eucalyptus, eucalypt,
pistil is composed of inferior 3-5-celled ovary and swamp-mahogany, browngum (English).
straight stout style s/s inch long.
Seed capsules, which remain on the tree for some
BOTANICAL BYNONI~.-EUCLLZ~~~U~ mltifEOTa
time, have 3-5 pores slinken below the rim, through
Poir.
which nunlerous minute brown seeds x6 inch long This species seems to be the best adapted of more
sift out. Nearly 2,000,000 seeds per pound. Flow- than 30 species of Eucalyptus which have bean inering
and fruiting from late summer to early troduced experimentally into Puerto Rico from
spring (mostly from August to March).
their native home in Australia. Several are being
The sapwood is light bromn, and the heartmood tested by the United States Forest Service in
salmon to light reddish bromn, often mottled with plantations.