Common Trees of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands

MYRTLE FAMILY (MYRTACEAE)
192. Cieneguillo Mgrcia deflexa (Poir.) DC.
;I small to medium-sized widely distributed ly hidden by the stamens. In the center of the
tree, cllaracterized by : (1) twigs, petioles, buds, stamens is a tiny white style. Flo\vering and
and branches of flower clusters densely and finely fruiting nearly through the year.
reddish brown or light brown hairy ; (2) opposite, 'I'he sapwood is whitish and the heartwood redoblong
to elliptic, long-pointed leaves with minute dish. The wood is hard, heavy (s ecific gravity
gland dots, thick and stiff and hanging do\vn\\-ard, 0.8), and strong. It is made into sta YC es, posts, and
with lateral veins much sunken on the shiny upper handles. Elsewhere it is employed in construction,
surface; (3) m,ws of fragrant, delicate, small carpentr , and vehicles.
white flowers with 5 petals and numerous spread- A sha i e-enduring understory tree of the lower
ing stamens 5/8 inch across; and (4) oval berry mountain forests of Puerto Riml in some places
about 1/4 inch long ~vitl~ calyx at a ex.
extending into the upper mountain region.
An evergreen tree 10-30 feet tal P and to 6 inches PUBLIC FORESTS.-Carite, Guilarte, Luquillo,
in trunk diameter, with spreading crown. The &Iaricm, Tom Negro.
gray bark is srnoothish, becoming sl~ghtly cracked Ran~~.-Cuba, Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, Lesser
and fissured, and the trunk grooved. Inner bark Antilles from Guadeloupe to Grenada, and Triniis
pinkish and bitter.
dad. Also in Colombia, Venezuela, Guianas, and
Petioles are about 1/4 inch long, and blades northern Brazil.
2$4 inches long and l-gl/z inches wide, short- OTHER ~031310~ NABIES.-~~U~~ del chiquito
pointed at base not flat but the sides bent up (Dominican Republic) ; goyavier (Grenada) ;
slightly from the sunken midrib and the apex brJsillette, petite-feuille, goyavier queue-de-rat
bent do\vnmarcl, inconspicuously hairy on veins (Guadeloupe) .
and lower surface. The upper surface is shiny BOTANICAL SYNONY~S.-.~V~TC~U femginea Berg.
yello~v green to green \.r-it11 the lateral veins near- This genus is represented by 4 more native spely
parallel to mldrib, and the lower surface dull cies of small trees in addition to the 2 illustrated
\\-l-hltish green with lateral veins much raised. here. The group has flowers in terminal and lat-
Older leaves and twigs often are partly covered eral branched clusters ; calyx of 5 sepals which reby
black masses of sooty mold fungus.
main attached at apex of round or elliptic berry
Flower clusters (panicles) 24 inches long and fruit; and 5 white petals. Two species (Nyrcia
broad are terminal and lateral, those at apex actu- berberb DC. and dl. paganii Krug & Urban) mere
ally at base of leaves and beside the terminal bud, recorded from Puerto Rico long ago but have not
bearin man nearly stalkless flowers on the finely been collected there in recent years.
hairy % ranc 1 es. Flower buds are whitish and Limoncillo del monte (Nyrcin citrifolia (Aubl.)
rounded, about v8 inch in diameter. The most
Urban), of moist areas in Puerto Rico and the
conspicuous floral parts are the numerous threadlike
curved stamens spreading more than 5/8 inch
Virgin Islands, has ovate to oblong leaves %-2x
across, each about 1,~~ inch long and ending in a inches long, blunt or short-pointed at apex, edges
dotlike anther. The whitish hairy tubular base turned under, hairless or nearly so, and shiny, and
(hypantllium) 3$6 inch long encloses the inferior round fruit l/q-3/8 inch in diameter.
2-ce led ovary and bears the other parts. There Guayabac6n (Nyrcia Zeptoclada DC.) , of moist
are 5 whitish hairy, rounded and widely spreading forests in Puerto Rico, has elliptic leaves 24
sepals about 1/8 inch long and 5 round whlte petals inches long, with long-pointed apex, edges not
less than 9i6 inch long, curved backward and near- turned under, and round hit 1/4 inch in diameter.