Common Trees of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands

SAPODILLA FAMILY (SAPOTACEAE)
208. Sanguinaria, wild mespel, willow bustic Dipholis salicifolia (L.) A. DC.
This small to medium-sized tree with white
latex is recognized by: (1) lance-shaped or narrowly
elliptic leaves, mostly widest at middle and
lon -pointed at both ends, the edges appearin
T or wrinkled; (2) numerous smal T
fine y ~~avy
whitish-green fragrant flowers, rounded and
about 3/16 inch long and broad, borne in crowded
lateral clusters along the twigs mostly back of the
leaves; and (3) many sound blaclr berries 1/4 inch
or more in diameter along the twigs:
A11 evergreen tree 30-50 feet high and to 1-2
feet in diameter. The brownish-gray bark is
smoothish and much fissured? becoming rough and
flaky or scaly. Inner bark is pinkish and bitter.
The slender twigs are brownish-green hairy when
young, becoming gray.
The leaves are crowded but alternate on brown
hairy or hairless petioles 1/4-1/2 inch long. Leaf
blades are 21/24 inches lon and 3/4-l% inches
broad, slightly thickened, miry when young,
green and slightly shiny on u per surface and
paler beneath. As the scienti c name suggests,
they resemble willow leaves.
Flower clusters are less than 1/2 inch across, mith
each flower on a brolvn hairy stalk less than I/s
inch long. The calyx is composed of 5 nearly
round, brown hai sepals less than % inch long;
the whitish funnzshqed corolla has 5 rounded
lobes each with 2 small lobes 01- appendages; 5
stamens on the corolla tube opposite the lobes ancl
alternating mith 5 toothed appendages (stami-
nodes) ; and pistil with 5-celled ovary and slender
style.
The fruits mostly single back of the leaves are
blunt-pointed, sticky inside, and contain usually
1 brown seed less than ij36 inch in dinmefer.
Flowering chiefly in early spring and spring
(January to May) and maturing fruit in summer
and fall.
Tho sapwood is light brown, and the henrt\.r.oocl
reddish brown or dark brown. The wood is I IIL~~,
very heavy (specific gravity 0.9), stroilg, tough:
P
and moderately durable. It has medium-fine texture,
fairly straight grain, and a bitter taste. In
Puerto Rico used chiefly for posts. Uses elsewhere
include heavy construction, bridges, poles,
flooring, and crossties.
In British Honduras the trees thougll rare reportedly
are tapped for chicle. The flowers are
attractive to bees.
The moist and dry limestone regions of Puerto
Rico. A tree of open areas and probably lightrequiring.
Also in Mona, Vieques, St. Croix, St.
Thomas, St.. John, and Tortola.
PUBLIC ~o~~sm.-Camba1ache, Guajataca, and
Guiinica.
MUNICIPALITIES
WIIERE ESPECIALLY COJIJION.-
7,9.
RANGE.-Southern Florida including Florida
Keys and nearly through West Indies from Bahamas
and Cuba to Ilominica, St. Vincent, and
Barbados. Also in southern BIexico, Guatemala,
and British Honduras.
OTHER COMXON ~Aiu~~.-almendr~n
(Puerto
Rico) ; caya colorada(Dominican Republic) ; cuy6,
nlmendrillo, almendro silvestre, carolina, jubilla
(Cuba) ; xac-chum (Mexico) ; willow bustic, bus-
tic, cassada (United States) ; bustic (commerce) ;
bustic, mild mssada cassada-wood (Bshamas) ;
white bulletwood (Jamaica) ; sweetwood (Bar-
buda) ; bully-tree (Barbados) ; chiichiga, mi jico
(British Honduras) ; acombt rou e, sapotillier
marmn (Haiti) ; ncomat batbrd &uadeloupe).
TWO other species of this genus are native only
in mountain forests of Puerto Rico. Tabloncillo
(DiphoZis bellonis Urban) is a rare large tree
known only from the Central Cordillera. It has
ovate leaves 34/2
apex, and larger black
Espejuelo (Diyholi8
synonym D. sinteni,~iana
and western mountains, has usually smaller obovnte
leaves 1-2s inches long mith usually rounded
apex, and oblong greenish berries s/8 inch long.