Common Trees of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands

MADDER FAMILY (RUBIACEAE)
245. Cafeillo lxora ferrea (Jacq.) Benth.
Small tree or shrub characterized by : (1) twigs
with prominent swollen nodes; (2) op osite nar-
rowly elliptic leaves long- ointed at kth ends,
with paired pointed scales rslipules) at base; (a)
flowers $$ inch long with veiy narrow reddish or
ink tube and 4 or 5 white lobes, nearly stalkless in
item1 clusters scattered alon the larger twigs to
4/q inch in diameter mostly ack of leaves; and
4) rounded red or pink berries about % inch in
d iameter.
An evergreen spreading shrub or small tree to 20
feet high and 3 inches or more in trunk diameter,
hairless throughout. The dark brown bark is
smoothish, slightly fissured, or scaly. Inner bark
is light brown or pilikish and tasteless. Twigs are
,oreen, turning brown, with paired pointed scales
(stipules) 4$+ inch long at nodes.
Green petioles 5-?,$ inch long support the blades
which are 3-734 inches long and 1-8 inches broad,
slightly thickened, the upper surface pen or dark
1 peen and slightly shiny, beneath light p n .
I
I Flower clusters (co mbs) are composed of a
I few fragmnt flo~vers. %he tubular base (hypan-
I thium) about '/la inch long bettrs n short red calyx
tube with 4 indistinct wavy teeth; the corolla has
a very narrow reddish or pink tube ?+-% inch long
and %q inch in diameter and 4 or 5 broad, widely
spreading, white lobes inch across; there are 4
or 5 stamens at open end of tube; and the pistil
F,
consists of inferior 2-celled ovary with slender
style and 2-lobed stipa.
The rounded berries are greenish or yellowish,
t.urning to red or pink, fleshy, and contain 2 dark
brown seeds 7i6 inch long. In flower and fruit at
different times during the gear.
The wood with light brown sapwood is hard,
heavy, strong, and tough. Reported as used elsewllere
for fence osts and in carpentry, but utilization
in Puerto &co is limited to fuelwood by small
size of the trees.
Common in understory of forests in the moist
limestone and lower mountain re 'ons in Puerto
Rico. Also in St. Thomas, St. Jo l? n, und Tortola.
PUBLIC rnm.8~8.-Guajataca, Luquillo, Rio
Abajo.
RANDE.---CI~~~, Hispaniola., Puerto Rico and
Virgin Islands, and through Lesser Antilles from
St. ICitts and Alorltserrat to Grenada and Barbados.
Also reported from Venezuels and British
Guiana.
OTHER COMMON NAMES.-P~~O de dajao, palo de
hierro (Puerto Rico) ; dajao (Dominican Republic)
; cnf6 cimnrlbn, cafetillo .(Cuba) ; black
candlewood (Bfontserrat) ; bois crapuud (Dominia)
; wild-coffee (St. Vincent) ; cafe mamn
(Grenada) ; cafe grand bois (St. Lucia) ; bois de
fer rouge, bois jnurie (Guadeloupe, Mnrtinique) .