Common Trees of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands

BUCKWHEAT FAMILY (POLYGONACEAE)
29. Calambreiia, chicory-grape Coccoloba venosa L.
A smnll tree n-ith edible fn~i ts characterized by :
(1) n very spreading crown with nenrly horizontal
brnnches and lenres drooping in 2 rows ; (2) ';hodstnlked
leaves with thin elliptic to obornte blnde,
usunlly broadest nbove middle, the much sunken
Interal veins nenrly pnrnllel but curved and joining
near edges and w~th membranous lone-pointed
slienth (ocread %--s/, inch long snrroun8ng twig
but soon shed ing; (3) very slender erect terminn1
t~ticl lateral flower clusters 3-7 inches long, with
numerous short-stalked 5-parted greenish-yellow
flowers more than I/g incl~
~IC~OSS,
the male and fe-
male flowers on different trees (dioecious) ; and
(4) numerous slloay fleshy white to pinkish fruits
inch long, e€g-shaped, consisting of edible
lobed cnlyx, and Inside n shiny blackish seed
(nkene) .
A deciduous tree or shrub to 30 feet high nnd 8
inches in dinmeter. The brown bnrk is smoothisli
with raised dots (lenticels), the inner bnrk pink
brown and slightly bitter. Twigs nre green when
young, becoming light brown with rnised dots
(lent~cels), with remnins of shenth or ring at
nodes! and bearing nlt,ernnte leaves.
Petloles are yt-l, inch Ion bro~rnisli green.
After the basal shentli sheds, t le base remnins nt-
tnched. Blades nre 31h-8 inches long and llh4
inches wide, or Inrger on rapidly growing shoots,
short- to long-pointed ;it npex nnd gmdunll nnr-
rowed to the short-pointed or slightly heart-s inped
base, the edges not toothed, the upper surface green
and slightly shiny, nnd lower surface dull green
with raised veins.
F'
i
Flowers are bnie along the nvis (s ikelike
rnceme), 1 to few above II scnle on stnlks a g out 1/16
inch long. Encll flower lins n %lobed membranous
scale nbout '/lo inch long nt base. The male flower
consists of :I minute greenish-yellow bnsnl tube
(Iiypanthiam) with 5 sl~resdiny cnlyx lobes nbout
s,t ~nch long, 8 stamens less t lnn '/lo inch long,
nnd ntdimentary . Tlie femnle flower has
bas111 tube (hypant gistil ium) with B cnlyx lobes, sterile
sttunens, tind pistil wit11 3-iulgled 1-celled ovary
tund 3 styles.
Tlie fruit is broadly egg-shnped with fleshy cnlyx
lobes, sweet nnd edible, sarroundin the seed
(nkene) I/g inch long. Recorded in 1 ower from
Mny to September and in fruit in October.
Tl~e wood is whitish, hard, and little used.
In the dry constnl region of Puerto Rico. Also
in Blonn, Vleques, St. Croix, St. Thomas, St. John.
tind Tortoln.
PUBLIC FORESTS.-GU~~~CR, SusGn.
RANGE.-Hispaniola, Puerto Rico and Virgin
Islands, Lesser Antilles from St. Mnrtin south to
G~+enctdn, and Trinidtld nnd Tobngo. Reported
from Jnmnicn nenrly 200 yenrs ngo, perhaps in
error. Also in Venezueln nnd introduced experitnentnlly
in Cuba.
OTIIEI CO~IJION ~~31~s.-fnIse-grnpe, cherrygnlpe,
f rible-gmpe (Virgin Isl~uids) ; gunmpo
(I)on~iliic:~n Republic) ; checker-,mpe (Grenadines)
; hoe-stick-wood ( Bnrbndos) ; white-grape,
snlnll - lenf - grnpe (Trinidnd) ; sugary - grnpe
(D~~tch West Ind~es).
~'~ANICAL ~~~os~.-Coccoloba nivea Jncq.