Common Trees of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands

BORAGE FAMILY (BORAGINACEAE)
224. Moral, white manjack Cordia sulcata DC.
This medium-sized tree of moist areas is easily
reco nized by its open spreading crown of a few
wide 9 y forking and often nearly horizontal
branches with large, rou h hairy leaves, which nre
ovate to elliptic to near f y round, most1 9-12 ~n-
ches long and 5-8 inches wide and usua ly spaced
apart on laternl branches forking at broad angles.
Other distinguishing characteristics are the muchbranched
flattened clusters of numerous small
whitish flowers 1/4 inch long with tubular 5-lobed
corolla and the round whitish mucilaginous fruits
3/8 inch in diameter.
Deciduous tree 20-65 feet high and 1% feet or
more in trunk diameter. The bark is smooth and
grn , becoming furrowed on large t~unks. Inner
bar{ is li ht brown, slightly astringent. The
twigs are kely hairy, green but becoming gra
slightly furrowed when young, as the scienti c
name su gests.
T
l'
The ayternnte leaves have short stout petioles
I/q-$4 inch long. Blades are short-pointed to
rounded at apex and rounded or sligl~tly heart-
shaped at base, the edges inconspicuously saw-
toothed or without teeth, slightly thickened, green
to dark green, rough and finely hairy on upper sur-
face, and paler and finely soft hairy on lower sur-
f ace.
Flower clusters (panicles) are P 6 inches high
and 410 inches broad, terminal but becoming lat-
eral at the base of 2 forking twigs. There are
numerous fragrant small flowers 1/4 inch long and
inch across, stalkless. Calyx is tubular, 3-5-
toothed, green, and minutely hairy; the white co-
rolla has a tube and 5 shorter lobes turned back;
5 stamens are inserted on the corolla tube; and the
pistil has an ornnge 4-celled ovary with style twice
forked.
The fruits (drupes) containing sticky flesh and
a large irregular-shaped stone are produced in
abundance. Flowering from late spring to fall
and with mature fruits near1 through the year.
The wood is light brown, so t, moderately h ht-
i
1
weight (specific gravity 0.6), and emily wor ed
but not durable. In use classed as roundwood.
Elsewhere the wood has sometimes served for
coo erage.
file trees have been planted along highways for
shade and ornament.
Common and widespread in moist forests at all
elevations in Puerto Rico. It is characteristic of
openings and second-growth forests and probably
is light-requiring. Also in Vieques, St. Thomas,
St. John, and Tortola. Reported long ago from
St. Croix.
P~LIC FORESTS.-Cambalache, Carite, Guajatacn,
Luquillo, Maricao, Rio Abajo, Susiia, Toro
Nep.
MUNICIPALITIES WHERE ESPECIALLY COMMON.-1,
29, 42, 50, 51, 59, 64, 68.
RANGE.--Greater Antilles, Virgin Islands, and
Lesser Antilles from Saba to St. Vincent and
Barbados.
OTHER COMXON NAMES.-~O~~~ de pa2 (Puert0
Rico) ; mucilage manjack (Virgin Islands
cimarrhn, ateje macho, palo tabnco (Cuba
jack (Jamaical St. Kitts Nevis, St. Vincent) ;
bois bd (Dominica) ; wild clammy-cherry (Barbados)
; laylay, mapou, hairy laylay, bois laylay
(Trinidad) ; pan5sol (Haiti) ; grand mapou,
mahot grandes feuilles, mapou (Guadeloupe) ;
manjack (Dutch West Indies).