Common Trees of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands

BORAGE FAMILY (BORAGINACEAE)
223. Cap6 colorado, red manjack Cordla nitida Vahl
A handsome tree, genernlly small, distinguished
by : (1) whorled branches appearing in horizontal
layers; (2) ver shin elli tlc leaves, short ointed
at both en dq slig ' itly f y enthery and sti$ bent
up a little on both sides of midrib; (3) usually
many bell-shnped white flowers inch across
the 5 spreading corolla lobes, in an erect wide
branching terminnl~flon~er cluster; and (4) clusters
of fleshy, bright red, rounded fruits 1/2-5/8 inch in
diameter but slight1 flattened.
An evergreen or d eciduous tree 15-25 feet high
and to 1 foot in trunk diameter, reported to reach
65 feet, with dense rounded crown, or sometimes
shrubby. The bark is grny, smootliisl~ but becoming
furrowed and thick. Inner bark is light
brown, turning darker upon exposure, fibrous and
almost tasteless. The twigs are light brown,
reen and finely hairy when young, often
forking into 3 unequal twigs.
The alternate leaves have slender light green
etioles inch long. Blades are 2-6 inches
Pang and 1-52 inches broad, hairless, above very
shiny een with midrib and some lateral veins
often s&htly sunken, and beneath light green and
only slightly shiny.
E lower clusters (panicles) are 2-4 inches broad
and high, the slender brnnches widely forking by
2's. The short-stalked flowers have a tubular
11-hitish calyx 4/4 incli long, 3-li-toothed ; the white
corolla inch long hns a short tube and 5 spreading
lobes which become turned under before falling;
5 stamens hairy at base are inserted on corolla
tube between the lobes and extend above; and the
white pistil 5J16 inch long has 4-celled ovary on an
orange bnse and 2 styles united below and each:
forked above.
The fruit (drupe) retains the irregularly split
greenish calyx at bnse. A light brown angled
nut.let is imbedded in the slightly astringent redclisll
flesh. Flowering and frulting irreplnrly
througli the year, frequently with quantities of
fruits.
The wood is used chiefly for posts. When cultivated,
the trees make ttttrnctive ornamentals. A
honey plnnt.
In tl~iclcets and forests of the coastal and limestone
regions of Puerto Rico. Also in Mona, Vieties,
St. Croix, St. Thomas, St. John, nnd Tortola
briginally named and described from St. Cmix in
1703.
Pun~rc ~RESTS.-Cambalnche, Gunjatacn, Gu6nica,
Rio Abajo, Susba.
MUNICIPALITP WHERE E~PECIALLY COMMON.-
13.
Rltrras.-Cuba, Jamaica, His nniola, and Puerto
Rico and Virgin Islands. A f' so Centrnl America
from British Honduras to Costa Rim. Planted
in soutliern Florida.
~ ~ I I E R
COafMON NAMES.--CePeZO, CBTeZO del pds,
palo de goma, muiieco Puerto Rico) ; West-In-
dian-cherry, mild capa Vir$in Islands) ; cerezo,
~tteje de costa, nteje cimarron, atejillo (Cuba);
sombrn de ternero (Honduras) ; buriogre amarillo,
muiieco, buriogre de montafia (Costa Rica) ; bois
pnupit, bois poup4e (Haiti).
Pnlo de muiieca or manjack (Cordia conococ-
ca L. ; synonym C. glabra auth., 'not L.), called
nlso cerezo, is a related tree of Puerto Rico, Mona,
Culebrn, St. Croix, St. Thomas, St. John, and Tor-
tola, nlso through Indies and from Mexico to
South America. It differs in the leaves dull rnther
than shiny and the stalkless white flowers only
incli ncross.