Common Trees of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands

BORAGE FAMILY (BORAGINACEAE)
Key to the 5 species illustrated (Nos. 220-224)
A. Flowers tubular, with narrow, tubular calyx and 6-lobed ~vlilte corolla, turning brown; frult a nutlet; leavea
elliptic, long or short-pointed, thin, hairy-221. Cordfa alliodora.
AA. Flowers spreading, mostly small and not showy, with white corolla ; frult a rounded drupe.
B. Leaves mostly rounded at apex, elliptic ; fruit orange red.
C. Leaves 11h-6 inches long, slightly tl\ickened; flowers about % inch broad; frult almost inch in
diameter, slightly flattened-220. Bourreria succrilcnla.
CC. Leaves mostly large, 3-10 inches long, tilick and leathery, with prominent network of many raised veins;
flowers nbout )6 inch broad, fruit about % inch in diameter, broader than long, oblique-222. Cordia
borinquenafe.
BB. Leaves short- or long-pointed at apex.
D. Leaves elliptic, 2.6 inches long, very 8hiny; dowers bell-shaped, inch acm; frult bright red,
4(J-% inch in diameter-223. Cordia nitida.
DD. Leaves large, ovnte to elliptic, mostly 9-12 inches long, rough hairy on upper surface and soft halry
beneath; flowers xe inch broad; fruit whitish, % inch in dlameter-324. Cordlo sulcoto.
220. Palo de vaca, pigeon-berry
A small tree or shrub widely distributed in open
areas at low elevations, characterized by : (1) elliptic
leaves 11/24 inches long and 1-3 inches
broad, rounded or blunt-pointed or sometimes
notched at apes and short-pointed at base, slightly
thickened, green above and paler beneath, the
under surface often finely hairy in dry regions;
(2) many fragrant tubular white flowers inch
across the.5 rounded spreading corolln lobes, in a
much brnnched flat-topped terminal erect flower
cluster; and (3) fleshy orange-red rounded fruit
almost y2 inch in diameter and slightly flattened.
Evergreen tree 12-25 feet high and 4 inches or
more in trunk diameter, or sometimes n shrub, with
spreading or drooping branches. The bark is
smooth and gray, sometimes becoming finely fissured
and slightly rou h and corky. Inner bark
is light brown and s!ghtly bitter. Twigs are
green when young, turning to gay or light brown.
Hairless in wet areas but in ry regions, such as
southwestern Puerto Rico, a hairy form has the
twigs, lower leaf surfaces, bmnches of flower clusters,
and calyx finely soft hairy, and 11 per leaf
surkes and outside of corolla with a ew hairs.
haves are alternate on petioles 1/3-% inch long.
The flower clusters (cymes) are 2-8 inches
across and high, and the short-stalked flowers
nbout 3/g inch hiqh. The light green bell-shaped
tubular calyx j/4 inch long has 5 slightly unequnl
pointed lobes; the white corolla has a tube more
than I/q inch long with 5 rounded spreading lobes
s/,,, inch long, turning brown before shedding; 5
stnmens 1/4 Inch long with white filaments and
brown anthers, inserted on corolla tube and pro-
truding; and pistil sh inch long, with light green
2-celled ovary, slender white style &-forked near
apex, and flattened greenish stiwns.
The fruit (drupe) is broader thnn long, green to
yellow when immature hut turning orange red.
calyx and often the dead style remain attached.
P
Bourreria succulents Jacq.
Inside the flesh are 4 brown ridged bony nutlets.
In flower nnd fruit nearly through the year.
The light brown, hard wood is used for fuel. Reported
to be a good honey plant.
Constnl and limestone forests of Puerto Rico,
especially in thickets and cutover forests. Also in
Mona, Icacos, Culebra, Vieques, St. Cmix, St.
Thomas, St. John, Tortola, Virgin Gorda, .and
Anegada.
PUBLIC FORESTS. - Cnmbalache, Gubnica, Luquillo,
Susila.
~IUNICIP,\LITIES
WHERE ESPECIALLY COMMON.-
12,36,66.
RANGE.-Throughout West Indies (except Ba-
Ilainns) from Cuba, Cayman Islands, Jamaica,
Hispnnioln, and Turks Island to Grenada, Trinidad
and Tobago, and Dutch West Indies. Also
Pnnnma to Venezuela.
OTHER
COJLJION ~aar~s.-doncella, cerecillo, ro-
ble de piayo (Puerto Rico) ; pigeon-wood, spoont,ree
(Virgin Islands) ; pa10 bob0 (Dominican Republic)
; ateje de costa, roble gunyo, fruta de
cntey, curnboca (Cuba) ; chinkswood (Antigua) ;
cut I~ISS (Grenadines) ; caf6 marron, rnapou- gris
(Haiti) ; acomat cote-lette, bois wpm batard
(Guudeloupe) ; pana, watakeeli, white-chank
(1)ntch \Test Indles).
BOTANICA~, SYNONYDL. - Bour/*eTia aucculenta
vnr. cnn.eacens 0. E. Schulz. The generic name is
spelled also BeureG.
A related species (Bwrrsria virpzta (Sw.) G.
Don) is a shrub or small tree of dry forests in
southwestern Puerto Rico and west to Cuba. It
has small elliptic leaves mostly 9/4-2 inches long,
rough nbove, and small red fruits inch in
diameter. Also recorded from the same area and
from Vieques is a doubtfully distinct species (23.
domingemis (DC.) Griseb.) , which differs from
the last in the leaves smooth above.