Common Trees of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands

MYRSINE FAMILY (MYRSINACEAE)
Key to the 3 species illustrated (Nos. 202-204)
A. Ikares elliptic to obovate, with flattened or winged petiole; flo~era and fruib many in terminal clusters--2m.
:Lrdisia oborata.
Ah. I.eares lance-shaped or elliptic, clustered near ends of twigs. with slender petiole; flowers nnd fruita many in
almost stalkless clusters along twigs.
B. T\vigs rusty-brown hairy ; leaves slightly hairy beneath, lanceshaped, short-pointed-203. Rapattea
ferruginea.
BB. Twigs hairless; leaves hairless, elliptic, rounded or blunt-pointed-2(U. Rapanea guianenrfe.
202. Mameyuelo Ardisia obovata Desv.
This shrub or smnll tree is chitrncterized by : (1) Tlie numerons berries nre ro~tlicl or slightly
elliptic or obovtlte sligl~tly shiny leaves, leathery brolider t llan long, with short point (style) at end,
n11tl slightly succ~tle~it, w1t11 inconspicnous veins t~~r~~i~iy from green to recl to blackish at mnturity,
with ~einute gland dots 011 both sides, bl~lt-~ohlted wit11 tke dark red flesh and 1 large round brown
or rounded at apes, often broadest above middle, seed 9/16 inch in diameter. Flower~ng and fruiting
and gradually narrowed at base to tlie broad or tlironphout the year.
~vingeed etiole; (2) erect, terminal, much branched Tl~e sal>~voocl is pinkish, and the heartnpood is
flower c P uster 3-5 inches long and broad, with ver light reddish brown. The hard, heavy wood is
nlnn s~nall greenish flotve~s .3/8 inch across, w ~t
7,
1 I usctl only for posts in Puerto Rico.
tiny lack dots; and (3) mnny black 1-seeded fruits In tlie moist and dry limestone forests nt lower
%-?/la inch in diameter.
t111cl middle elevations in Puerto Rico. An under-
A\n evergreen shrub or sl~lall tree 10-20 feet high story tree or shrub. Also Vieques, St. Croix, St.
and to 4 inches in dinmeter, hairless tl~roughout. Thomns, St. .John, Tortola and Virgin Gordn.
Tlie stout twigs nre givte~iisll when young, becom- Pun~~a ~onms.-~nmbninche, Guajntaca, SusCm.
ing liglit gra\y. B?rk on small trunks is smoothisl~, RANGE.-Bahamas (North Cnicos only), Hisgrn
r, and thin, \nth pi~ikish, tnsteless inner bark. pzuiiola, Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands, and ks-
'?he ~lternnte leaves have flnttened or winged ser Antilles from Suba to St. Lucin.
!~etioles l/i-3/g incll long. Blndes are 2?&51/2 OTmx CO~ZJION x.nr~s.-biduln (Puerto Rico) ;
tnches long nnd 1-2 inches broad, wit11 edges sllgl~t- Guaclcloupe tnarlberry (Bahamas).
ly turned under, green on ul)per surface and paler I~(Y~~\SICAL srsos~~rs.-Ardisia gua&Zn~pensis
beaeath.
D~~cll., /ccrco?*ea gundalttpensi~ (Di~ch.) Britton.
The flower cluster (11:lnicle) contains crowded,
short-stalked flo\rel*s. Calyx is composed of
.\notller species of mameyuelo (-.lrdisia glauci-
5
rounded lobes $56 incli long; coroll:~ with short $OIM r a n ; synonym Icacorea glaztciflora
tube and l~sulilly 5 ellil~tie lobps nearlg inch (Url)an) Britton) is a smnll tree known only from
long, which are sprending or turned ack\vnrtls 1110111ltaili forests of Puerto Rico. It has larger,
nncl 96 i~ich across; 6 stcimens inse~-tecl near !)ri:e ellipt ic, thick, leathery leaves 4-8 inches long with
of corolln tube and opposite tl,b lobes; and plst,11 1wominent ~~etwork of veins, n~id many larger
with 1-celled ovary and short style.
flo\\.cts about 1/2 inch across.