Common Trees of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands

BUCKWHEAT FAMILY (POLYGONACEAE)
28. Uva de playa, seagrape Coccoloba uvifera (L.) L.
Usually limited to snndy and rocky seashores The bnrk contains tannin, nbastringent
and coastal thickets, this familiar small tree or roots and bnrk have been used in medicines elseshrub
is easily identified by: (1) the rounded or ~vliere. \Test Indian or dnmnican kino, an astrinkidney-shaped
thick and leathery leaves slightly gent recl sap exuding or extracted from cut bnrk,
broader than long, 3-0 inches long and &8 inches fortnerly was in commerce for tnnning and dyeing.
broad, hart-shaped at bnse, with short petiole and Jelly clnd a minelike beverage cnn be prepnred
a reddisll-brown membranous sheath (ocrea) from the fruits, which also are enten raw.
%-% inch high around stem; (2) midrib, larger Bunches of fruits in conelike pnckets formed by
veins, and young and very old leaves often red- rolling the leaves have been sold on the streets.
dish; (3) the numerous small whitish or peenish- Enrly Spanish colonists sometitnes used the fresh
white flowers 3/{6 inch across in narrow terminal thick lenves as n substitute for paper, scratching
rtnd lateral clusters 49 inches long; and (4) the messages with a pin or other sharp point.
drooping grapelike clusters of crowded
This is one of the first woody specles to become
fruits about inch long, elliptic or egg-s rrple aped, established on snndy shores, being more hardy in
and edible.
these exposed places nnd more tolernnt of salt
Vnrying greatly in size from n low prostrate thnn most trees. For these reasons it is often
shrub on mind-swept benches to a small, straggly plnnteil as an ornamental or ~vindbrenk along the
or wide sprending tree to 30 feet in height and 1 coast. Since propagation is fro111 cuttings, female
foot in trunk diameter (rnrely to 21,4 feet), ever- plants should be selected for fruits. Also fregreen,
with rounded crown of few coarse branches quently grown in southern Florida in lnndscaping
nnd often brnnclling nenr base. Sometimes a at~d 11s n hedge trimmed to shnpe. A good honey
lnrger tree in protected or fnvornble sites. The plnnt.
smoothish thin bnrk is gray, on Inrge trunks peel- Very probably seagrape was the first land plant
ing off in small flakes and becoming mottled whit- of ilnlericn seen by Christopher Columbus, ncish,
light gray, ancl light bro\rn. Inner bark is cording to Sathnniel L. Rritton. Thnt nutliority,
light brown and bitter. The stout. sprending twigs who visited San Salvndor (\lrntling) Island in
nre green and minutely hairy ~vllen young, becom- 1907, reported this to be the most conspicuous
ing gray, with lenf sheatlls tlnd ring scars at nodes. plat~t enre rest the ocean. However, thnt islnnd np-
Tho leaves are alternnte on pet~oles %-1/2 inch ~):twntly mas not the first discovered.
long. The blades, often turned on edge vertically, On nearly all sandy and rocky senshores ancl
have margins slightly cnrred nnder and are hair- constlrl thickets in Puerto Rico, Monn, Desecheo,
less or nenrly so, tlie upl)er surface green or blue Icttcos, Culebrn, Vieques, St. Croix, St. Thomas,
glren and the lower surfnce prller.
Erect flower clusters (nnrrow rncenles) 69
St. John, Tortola, Virgin Gorcln, nnd Anegada.
i~lclles long hnve nunlerous frngrnnt flowers on R,\sa~.-Widely distributed on tropical Amerishort
stalks S6-1/H inch long, male and femnle on (*III~ sllores. From central and southern Florida,
tli fferent trees (clioecious) . The male flo~ver has inclutling Florida Keys, ancl Bermuda throughout
n greenish-white basnl tube (hypnnthium) $/lo \\'cst Tnclies from Bnhnmas nnd Cubn to Trinidad
incll long and broad bearing 5 sprending rounded nntl Tob;~go, and Curaqao nnd Arubn. On At-
\i7hite calyx lobes rnore than 1/,6 inch long; 8 Inntic const of the continent from northern Mexico
stamens united nt hnse; and rudimentnry pistil. to Cololnbia, Venezuela, and Guiclnns.
In the female flower the stalllens :Ire small, and OTIIEI~ COJI~IOS NAJIES.-IIVR de mar, urero
the Inrger pistil has n I-celled ovary ;und 3 styles. (Puerto Rico) ; grape (Virgin Islnnds) ; uvn de
The frwt has a thin fleslly covering (ligpan- play~t, uva, uvero (Sptulish) ; uvn de mar, uvt~
thiam) with cnlys nt apes, sour or stveetish, and c*~ilct~i (Dominican Republic) ; llva cnleta
enclosing 1 elliptic seed (nkene) $6 inch long. (CIII)~) ; pnpaturro (Honclurns, Costa Ricn) :
Flowering nncl fruiting through the year.
The sapwood is light brown, lulrl the heart~vootl
pt~p~ltnt'ro estranjero (Xicnntgun) ; seagrnpe
is reddish brown. The \vow1 is I~nrd, moderately
(I' n i t e (1 S t a t e s, Englisl~) ; seaside-grnpe
Ilenvy (specific gri~rity 0.7) , nncl very snscept ible (.Tani:~ic:~, Trinidnd, British Guinnn) ; grnpe
to attack by dry-tvootl terlnites. It takes n fine ( I3rit ish Honduras) ; rnisin la nler ( Hniti) ; raisin
polish b ~ is ~ little t usetl ill 1'11erto Rico escept for 1)ortl-cle-n~er, rnisinier bord-de-nler (Gundelonpe,
~~osts and fuel. Strnight pieces should be suited I;rc*ncli Guinna) : zeedreifi, dreifi, clreifi di lamin,
for IF-md turning. Elsr~\-herc, uses for fnrniturc. sctlgrltpe (Dntch West In