Common Trees of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands

MADDER FAMILY (RUBIACEAE)
249. Aqail6n Terebraria resinosa (Vahl) Sprague
?
Easily mgnized by the stic or resinous buds,
oung twigs, young leaves, and ower clusteq the
guds wlth a whitish mnss of resin about W Inch
across and 2-pointed. Other distinguishing characters
are: (1) a dense symmetrical and conical
light pen crown; (2) the opposite, narrowly elliptic
or lance-shaped leaves, shin green on upper
surface as if varnished, especial 9 y when young;
(3) small tubular white flowers about % inch long,
5- or Globed, stalkless alon 2 horizontal forks of
a slender lateral axis; and 74) the elliptic, brown
or black, fleshy fruits so inch long.
A small- or medium-sized evergreen tree 20-30
feet high and to 1 foot in trunk diameter, or
shrubby. The gmy bark is smoothish, flaky and
scaly, on Iar trunks becomin mottled as thin
flakes peel ofge 1nner bark is pin I and bitter. The
twigs are green when youn turning light brown
or gray, with hairy ringe i' scales (st~pules) 1/8
inch high at nodes.
Petioles are 4/8+$ inch long. Leaf blades are
2.41/2 inches Ion md S/-1V8 inches broad, mostly
ointed at k 0th ends, the ed turned under,
slig lonu t y thickened and leathery, P airlass, paler beneath.
Flower clusters (cymes have a slender green
stalk 1%-2 inches long wit I, 2 horizontal forks x-
inch long bearing several crowded stalkless
flowvers all on the upper side. Flowers about S/s
inch long are composed of a short green tubular
base (hypanthium) and cu shaped hairy calyx,
together more than H6 inc\-long; white corolla
6/lo inch long, with narrow tube and 4 or 5 lobes
94, inch across, minutely hairy 4 or 5 stamens in-
serted on the corolla tube; an6 pistil of inferior
4- or 5-celled ovary, short style, and 4- or 5-lobed
sti&:'fruit (drupe) has a 4- or 6-celled stone
and 5 or fewer brown seeds more than 1/ inch long.
Flowering in spring and summer and maturing
fruits from summer to winter.
The wood is hard and light brown, the sapwood
with specific gravity 0.8. Used only as a post,
Wood susceptible to attack by dry-wood termites.
The resinous buds can be chewed but are tasteless.
In forests and openings in the moist limestone
region nnd ascending into the lower mountain
forests on the north side of the Cordillera in western
Puerto Rico.
PUBLIC FORESTS.-Cambnlache, Guajatnca, Maricao,
Rlo Abajo, Susfia, Vega.
MUNICIPALITIES
WHERE ESPECIALLY COMMON.-
14,24,31,34,45,60.
RANGE.-Bahamas, Cuba, Hispaniola, Puerto
Rico, Lesser Antilles to St. Vincent, and Trinidad.
BOTANICAL 8~~0~1x8.
- Laugeria re8z*?wsa
Vnlll, L. demiflora (Griseb.) Hitchc., Antirhea
~esinoea (Vahl) Cook & Collins, Stenostomum
densiflorum Griseb.