Common Trees of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands

B~UNICIPALI~TES WHERE ESPECIALLY COMJION.- manacln (Dominican Republic) ; palmn boba,
1, 5, 10 13 17, 10,22,27,35, 36,45, 52, 53, 54,55, p:llma jastn (Cnbn) ; palmiste ?t cha elet, macou-
62, 64, f 0, f 3. touc:? (Haiti) ; palaliste-niontngne P Guadeloupe,
R.t~a~.-Cubn, Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, Lesser Dominica) ; pal~niste franc, cl~ou-palmiste, palm-
Antilles from Saba to Grenada, and Toba o. isto bla~~c (Gundeloupe) ; mountain-palm (Lesser
Onr~rt coararox NAW.-manacla, pa ma do Antilles).
f
PALM FAMILY (PALMAE)
8. Palma de lluvia Gaussia attenuata (0. F. Cook) Beccari
A grncefr~l tall palm of rugged summits of lime- shiny OII bot 11 sides, uttacl~cd obliquely to the green
stone hills, distinguished by : (1) the slencler, :~sis. After turning brown :tnd shedding the leafsliglltly
tapering, smooth brow11 tr~~nk wit11 1nnli-y lets, the nsis wit11 leaf bnse fttlls, making n smooth
prop roots at base; (2) 5-7 erect to spreading pin- scar.
nate leaves 4-0 feet long, with green shentli 8-12 hln~iy s~l~nll flo\vers are borne stt~lkless and scatinches
long around trunk, and blade 2-21/2 feet terrd :dong sle~~tler drooping green branches about
across tl~e Inany ~larrow long-pointed leaflets, G i~lches lo~ig of the curvet1 and drooping brtunchecl
which de art from the keeled axis at a small angle, cluster ( ~nnicle) rlrising insido sheath of older
appnrent F y in 2 rows on each side, erect :~ncl lenves. dcniille flowers tibout 3'lo inch across hare
spreading; (3) srnnll stalkless orange and green 3 ~ninnte broad septlls, 3 flesliy orange spreading
male nr~d fe~nnle flowers scattered :dong slender petals more tl~rtr~ '/lo inch long, 6 minute whitisli
branches of a curved axis about 3 feet long: and sterile stameas (stn~nia~les), tlnd pistil composed
(4) numerous bright red or orange-red fleshy of preen 3-nngled 3-celled ovtiry more than M6
fruits almost 5/s inch long, nearly round or sliglltly inc.11 long rind broad, \\.it11 8 stigmas at apex. Male
pear-sl~nped.
flowers al:~turing earlier in tlie same flower clus-
A slender palm to 40 feet in height, sometimes ter (n~onoecious) are slightly larger, with 3 sepals,
taller, tvith tapering unbrnncl~ed trunk often S 1wt:lls less thnn 2 nim. long, 6 stamens nearly 2
slightly leaning, G-8 inches i11 diameter at base and nlln. long, nntl rudimentnry pistil.
only 3 inches in ditin~eter at apes, evergreen. At Fruits chnn e color from green to yellow,
the base of the trunk up to a height of 2 feet nre orange, and rec f at maturity. The single rounded
light bro11-11 prop roots nbout 1% inclies in diame- brown seed is i~icli or less in length. Flowering
ter, beltring numerous short spinelike projections. :tnd fruit ing probnbly tl~rougli tlie year, at least
Tlie smooth brown trunk is ringed, with faint leaf in 1)otli June nnd I>ccember.
scars 3 inches or less apart. It is relatively soft, Perhaps of vtllue :IS 1111 ornamental.
co~nposecl of n very thin brown outer layer, a thiii This species is co1111no11 on the rocky sumtnits
fibrous \vliitid~ layer \vhicli is sliglitly bitter, nn :1nc1 clilt's of the ~noist limestone region and in the
ortuige-brown \\.oody ring nbout i1ic11 wide, and l~ills between San Germin tlnd Lajas. As these
soft whitish pit11 11.i tli scattered woody strands. p:~lms t11.e tnller tllitii 0t11er trees of the jagged liill-
Tlie nttlier fern large coarse leaves are alternate, tops, clusters of pn11n lettves often rise above the
tl~eir bases overlnppi~ig at intervals of 3 inclies or
less in a rial-rom termi~~ttl cluster at stem apex. At
forest canopy, conspicuous ng~inst the sky. From
:t
btlse of leaf are tl~o green sl~esth opened on 1 side
t1ist:ince tlie leti\~es Itppenr suspended in midair,
and a c~lrved stout grooved pet~ole 1% feet or less since the sle~~der trunk is scarcely visible.
Pmttrc 1~0~~8~.-Cttnlbal~lle.
Rn~a~.-Eaden~ic to Puerto Rico.
OTI~I.:I~ ('o~~oN x.\~c):.-P~~erto Rico llumep:dm
(Englisl~)
in length. Tho crowded overlnpping, narrow
leaflets or segments i11-e &out 12-90 inches long
and l-lyl inches wide, becoming shorter ton~ard
apex, lenthery, parallel-veined, green, and slightly
.