Common Trees of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands

BUCKWHEAT FAMILY (POLYGONACEAE)
Key to the 6 species illustrated (Sos. 2540)
A. Leaves rounded or short-pointed at apes, without faint lines; fruits fleshy, without wings.
B. Leaves round or nearly so.
C. Leaves very large, 1-1% feet in diameter, appearing wrinkled with lateral reins deeply sunken-%.
Coccoloba pu beecene.
CC. Leaves smaller, 2%4 inches long, flat.
D. Leaves longer than broad; veins green, forming prominent network upon drying-27. Coccoloba
srcartzil.
DD. Leaves broader than long; midrib, larger veins, and young and old leaves often reddish-28.
Coccoloba uvflera.
BB. Leaves elliptic, about twice as long ns broad.
E. Leaves leathery, broadest below middle, mostly rounded tit both ends, with edges turned under-25.
Coccoloba dluersffolfa.
EE. Leaves thin, usually broadest above middle, short- to long-pointed at apex and short-pointed to heart-
shaped at ba-29. Coccoloba venoea.
AA. Leaves long-pointed, oblong, with 24 faint lines on each side of and parallel with midrib; fruits dry, with 3
showy pink whgs-30. Triplaria americana..
25. Uvilla, doveplum Coccoloba diversif olia Jacq.
Trees of this genus are recognized by the twig lnrge brown seed (nkene) l/q-% inch long. The
ringed at the nodes witah n membrnnol~s sheath sour nnd somewhat astringent thin flesh IS eaten
(ocren) at tlie b w of the lenves. This species of b birds nnd children and prepared into jelly.
limestone forests is clinrncterized by : (1) tho dis- dith flowers or developing fruits nenrly tl~rougli
t.inctive smoothish mot,tled Fa nnd brown bark, the ear.
gry at first but peeling off In s i" iort thin flakes ex- TK~ n-hitisli or li ht brown snprood is hnrd.
posing brown benenth; (2 t,\vigs ringed nt nodes, The wood is descri 8e d as dnrk reddish brown,
with gray or brown mem 1 nlnous shenth (ocrea) henv (specific grnvit 0.8), strong, and brittle.
1/1 inch long at base of lenves; (3) elliptic to ornte I3mpfoyed in Puerto iieo mostly for posts nnd
lentliery leaves 11/24 inches long nnd 7/8-21/2 inclies pokq. Else~vliere reportedly used in cnbinetwide,
usually rounded nt both ends and turned mnking.
under at edges; (4) slender flower clusters with Populnr for general planting and Inndscape
many short-stalked spreading 5-parted n-liitisli- work in southern Floridn. Also n l~ol~ey plant.
green flo\vers ?/,, inch tlcross; nnd (5) rounded In both tlie moist and dly limestone forest reor
egg-shaped dnrk red or pu lish fruits %-$ gions of Puerto Rico. Also in Monn, Vieques, nnd
inch long; slightly fleshy and edi T Ae.
St. Croix.
An evergreen, usunlly smnll tree to 80 feet tall PUI~LIC FORESTS. - Cnmbnlriclie, Gunjntaca,
ttnd 10 inches in trunk dinmeter, often with sev- Guilnicn, Susba, Vega.
ern1 slender trunks and cmoked branches. Largc ~~UNICIP~\LITIES WllERE ESPECIALLY COMMON.trunks
may be buttressed, fluted, or nngled. Tlie 7, 0, 11, 14, 24, 26,28, 38, 44, 54, 55, 68, 75.
inner bark is light bro~vn and astringent, or bitter.
Twigs are pen when yonng, becoming p y or
R,\sGE.-Southern Florida including Florida
sometimes brown, nnd hnr nlternnte leaves. Keys, Bahamas, Greater Antilles, St. Croix, nnd
Petioles are 1/1-96 inch long, light green. Blades Lesser Antilles.
nre sometimes blunt.-pointecl at apex. The upper 0 T 11 E R coarAroN NAAIFS.-uverillo (Puerto
surface is dnrk green to green and dull or often Rico) ; uvilln, paynb6n, uvilla de sierra, urn
shiny, and lower sr~rfa~ce is sliglitly pnler dull cimnrronn (Dominican Republic) ; uvilln, gunyagreen.
cnnejo, uverillo, uva de palomn, frutn de paloma
Flower clusters ( rncemes) nre terliiinal nnd 11h- ( Cubn) ; doveplum! pigeon-plum, pigeon seagrape
fi inches long. Flo\ve13 nre male and female on (United States) ; p~geon-plum (Bnhnmns) ; raisin
different trees (dioecioas) nnd hnve short stalks mrirron (Haiti).
inch or less in lengll~. Bit~le flowers hare n Formerly referred to Coccoloba lat~rL'folia Jncq.,
short basal tube (hy pnut hiurn) less tlitln ',$a inch n species described from Venezueln.
long; 5 spreading rountlecl whit isli-green calyx Besides the 5 species of this genus illustrated
lobes more than inch long; 8 white spreading Iiere, 6 others of mostly smnll trees are native in
stnmens ntPtached to tube ; and rutlimentary n-hitish forests of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islnnds and
pistil with o~xry nnd 3 sliort styles. Female nre mentioned under related species. Tlie 2 belonflolve~s
linve basal t ul~, 5 cnlys lobes, minute non- nro distinguished from thnt nbove by the more
funotional stamens? ruid pist.il ~vitli 1-celled oraly liulnerous female flowers 50 or more in nlong an
inch long nnd 3 spreaditig styles.
nsis instend of 10420. lJvero de monte (Cocco-
The fruits consist of basal tube (hypanthium) Ioba xintenis ii Urban), known only from Puerto
with calyx lobes at tlie pointed npex, enclosing 1 Rico, has oblong leatliery lenves 5-8 inches long