Common Trees of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands

238. Roble amarillo, ginger-thomas
BIGNONIA FAMILY (BIGNONIACEAE)
Tecoma stans (L.) H. B. K.
The official flotver of the United States Virgin The principal local use is as an ornamental for
Islands, this ornamental shrub or small tree is the showy flowers, such as along roadsides and
characterized b : (1) many large, shoviy, tubular, fences. The slight1 frn rant flowers are a
bell-shaped, 2- r obed, yellow flowers 1v2-2 inches source of honey. Finer Buds will pop when
lon (2) large, narrow, dark brown, cigarlike s ueezed. Bark, leaves, and roots have been eml>oc~'~
inches long nnd S;i6 ~nch in dlnmeter; p 1 o ed in llonle medicines.
nnd (3) opposite pinnate leaves 4-10 inches lon Annted and on open hillsides in the southern
with 5-13 lance-shaped to elliptic nw-toothed leaf foothills of Puerto Rico. Also in Vieques, St.
lets.
Croix, St. Thomas, St. John, and Tortola.
Having a great geographicnl range, this Rr\~a~.-lVidely distributed in tropical Ameris
somewhat variable in shape of leaflets an qecias oth- ica, including varieties, nnd perhaps s read and
er characters and lias been divided into varieties. natumlized fro111 cultivation. Throug R out West
It is evergreen, 10-25 feet high, and to 3 inches or Indies from Bnhamns and Cuba to Trinidad, and
more in trunk dinmeter. The light p y bark is ~ult~ivnted in Dutch lVest Indies. Also Florida
rough and much furrowed. Inner bark is brown, (perhaps naturalized) and from southern Texas,
fibrous, . - and bitter. Young twigs are p n , turn- southern New Mexico, and southern Arizona
in brown.
south through Mesico and Central America to Bo-
%he short-stalked or stalkless leaflets are 1%- livia, northern Argentina, and Brazil.
4 inches long and $$-I% inches broad, lon- OTIIER cosraroN ~~sr~s.---~afico amarillo, ruipointed
at apex and short-pointed at base, thin, bnrbn (Puerto Rico) ; yellow-elder, yellow-cedar
usually hairless, and green on both surfaces. (Virgin Islnnds) ; sniico amarillo (Dominican Re-
Seveml flowers are bone on short stalks in a public, Cuba) ; retnma, tronadorn,
terminal cluster (ixceme). The calyx is % inch ICO) ; Snn Andr6s, trlfiualaiste, marc p uchn, tnsto,
long tubular and 5-toothed. the bright yellow fun- tnche (El Salvador); snrdinillo, San Andrh
uel-shaped or trumpet-shaped corolla 11/2-2 (Hondurns) ; snrdinillo, chilca, flor marilla
inches long and 1% inches across the 2 spreading (Nicn~ngun) ; mndelillo, carboncillo (Costa
lobes; stamens 4, In 2 pairs of different lengths Ricn) ; copete (Pannma) ; fresno nmericnno, roble
inserted on tlie corolln; and on a disk the istii amarillo, chirlobirlos (Colombia) ; fresnillo
with 2-celled ovary, long slender style, and 2- f obed (Venezueln) ; cholin, fresno (Ecuador) ; huaranstigma.
hua (Peru) ; toco-toco (Bolivia) ; gunranguay
The pod (capsule) splits open lengthwise to re- amnrillo, qariin amnrillo, guaran
lense many vety thin light bmn seeds, which are
gunrnngul~rnn (Argentina) ; ye ff om trumpet, b1an*9
Florida yellow-tnltnpet, yellow trumpet-flower,
nearly 1 inch long including the 2 whitish papery ellow-elder (United States) ; coribee (Antip?).;
wings. Flowering and fruiting nearly throughout Kois caraibe (Grenruln) ; Christmas-hope ( nnithe
year.
dnd) ; chevalier Haiti) ; bois fleurs jaunes
The sapwood is light brown and hard. The (Gundeloupe, St. Lucin) ; kelki heel, yellowwood
is seldom available in size large enough for blossom (Dutch West Indles) .
use in Puerto Rim and the Virgin Islands but else- BOTANICAL 8~~0~~nrs.-~!t~m~obium stuns (L.)
where has been employed in cabinetmaking, wood Seem., 8. incimm Rose &, Stnndl., Tecoma tronoturning,
and construction
dora (I~oes.) Johnst.