|
NEW YORK ACADEMY OF SCIENCES
SCIENTIFIC SURVEY
OF
Porto Rico and the Virgin Islands
VOLUME VI
Botany of Porto Rico and the Virgin Islands
Myrtales to Lycopodiales.
Supplement. Bibliography. Index to Volumes V and VI.
NEW YORK:
PUBLISHED BY THE ACADEMY
1925-1930
CONTENTS OF VOLUME VI.
T ITLE-PAGE....... ......... .................... ............... .....
C ONTENTS ............... ..................... ................. III
DATES OF PUBLICATION OF PARTS ................................. III
DESCRIPTIVE FLORA-DICOTYLEDON S (Continued).................. 1-325
GYMNOSPERMA ............ ........................ ...... ........ 325-330
APPENDIX TO SPERMATOPHYTA ............................. .... 330-371
PTERIDOPHYTA ....... ............................... ........... 373-521
SUPPLEMENT TO DESCRIPTIVE FLORA. ............................... 523-575
I 1BLIOGRAPHIY-SPERMATOPHYTA AND PTERIDOPIIYTA ................ 570-582
INDEX TO VOLUMES V AND VI .................................... 583-603
DATES OF PUBLICATION OF PARTS
Part 1, pp. 1-158. January 14, 1925.
Part 2, pp. 159-316. August 31, 1925.
Part 3, pp. 317-521. June 15, 1926.
Part 4, pp. 523 (i(i3. December 19, 1930.
1)! I "
Order 24. MYRTALES.
Herbs, shrubs or trees, unarmed, sometimes aquatic or amphibious.
Leaves alternate or opposite. Flowers regular, or irregular, complete, and
often showy. Calyx-tube merely enclosing the ovary or adnate to it.
Stamens few or many. Anthers opening by slits, valves or pores. Stigma
terminating the style, or sessile. Fruit capsular, drupaceous or baccate, or
resembling an achene.
Anthers opening by pores.
Anthers opening by longitudinal valves.
Calyx-tube merely enclosing the ovary.
Calyx-tube adnate to the ovary or mainly so.
Cotyledons spirally convolute In the embryo.
Ovary several-celled; ovules many.
Ovary 1-celled; ovules 2-5.
Cotyledons not spirally convolute.
Sepals imbricated, or united and the calyx
falling away as a cap.
Sepals valvate.
Leaves stipulate; sepals leathery.
Leaves not stipulate; sepals membranous
or herbaceous.
Fam. 1. MELASTOMACEAE.
Fam. 2. LYTHRACEAE.
Fam. 3. PUNICACEAE.
Fam. 4. TERMINALIACEAE.
Fam. 5. MTYRTACEAE.
Farm. 6. RHIZOPHORACEAE.
Fam. 7. ONAGRACEAE.
Family 1. MELASTOMACEAE R. Br.
MEADOW-BEAUTY FAMILY.
Herbs, or many shrubs or trees in tropical regions, with opposite 3-9-
nerved leaves pinnatelyy veined or nearly veinless in Mouriri), and regular
perfect often showy but rarely odorous flowers. Stipules none. Calyx-
tube usually 4-5-lobed, the lobes imbricated. Petals as many as the lobes
of the calyx and inserted on its throat, imbricated. Stamens twice as many,
or equal in number to the petals, often inclined or declined, the alternate
ones sometimes shorter. Ovary 2-several-celled (often 4-celled); style
terminal, simple; ovules many, anatropous. Fruit included in the calyx-
tube, capsular or baccate. Seeds mainly small, with no endosperm. About
150 genera and 2500 species, widely distributed in tropical regions, most
abundant in South America. Many or most of the shrubs of this family
are known in Porto Rico as CAMASEY.
A. Fruit many-seeded; seeds minute; leaves 3-9-nerved.
1. Fruit capsular.
Base of the connective prolonged.
Petals obtuse.
Petals acute.
Base of the connective not prolonged.
2. Fruit baccate.
a. Inflorescence terminal, rarely also axillary.
Panicle-branches flattened, 3-flowcred at ends.
Panicle-branches not flattened.
Exterior calyx-lobes inconspicuous or none.
Calyx constricted above the ovary.
Calyx not constricted above the ovary.
Calyx oblong; anthers linear-subulate.
Calyx hemispheric to campanulate,.
Exterior calyx-lobes longer than the interior.
Ovary 3-4-celled; leaves coriaceous.
Ovary 6-12-celled; leaves membranous.
1. Acisanthera.
2. Nepscra.
3. Rhexia.
4. Menendezia.
5. Tetrazygia.
6. Tamonea.
7. AMiconia.
8. Calycogonium.
9. IHeterotrichum.
MELASTOMACEAE
b. Inflorescence axillary or lateral,
Petals obtuse.
Base of the connective prolonged. 10. Afecranium.
Base of the connective not prolonged. 11. Clidemia.
Petals acute or acuminate.
Flowers borne below the leaves. 12. Henrietella.
Flowers axillary. 13. Ossaea.
B. Fruit only 1-4-seeded: leaves pinnately veined. 14. Mouriri.
1. ACISANTHERA P. Br.; Adans. Fam. Pl. 2: 85. 1763.
Herbs or low shrubs, with small, short-petioled or sessile leaves, and small,
axillary or terminal, solitary or panicled flowers. Flowers 4-parted or 5-parted.
Calyx-tube subhemlspheric or campanulate, its lobes acute or acuminate. Petals
obovate or suborbicular, obtuse. Stamens 8 or 10, the smaller alternate ones
often imperfect; filaments glabrous; anthers various, the connective produced
below the sacs, 2-lobed or 2-spurred. Style filiform or subclavate; stigma very
small. Capsule 2--4-valved, many-seeded; seeds minute, foveolate. [Greek,
pointed anthers.] About 20 species, of tropical America, the following typical.
1. Acisanthera Acisanthera (L.) Britton.
Rhexia Acisanthera L. Syst. ed. 10, 998. 1759.
Acisanthera quadrate Juss.; Poir. in Lam. Encycl. Suppl. 1: 111. 1810.
Uranthera dicranophora Naud. Ann. Sci. Nat. III. 12: 283. 1849.
Melastoma uniflora Sess6 & Mog. Fl. Mex. ed. 2. 105. 1894.
Subherbaceous, perennial, usually much branched, 3 dm. high or less, the
branches sharply 4-angled, glabrous or glandular-pubescent, slender. Leaves
ovate or ovate-lanceolate, membranous, serrulate, 1.5 cm. long or less, short-
petioled, the apex acute, the base narrowed or obtuse; flowers solitary in the axils,
short-peduncled; calyx-tube about 3 mm. long, its lobes about as long; petals
rose or purple, about 6 mm. long; capsule globose, about 4 mm. in diameter.
In wet sandy soil at lower and middle elevations, Porto Rico, especially on the north-
ern coastal plaln:-Jamaica; Cuba; Hispaniola; Central and South America.
2. NEPSERA Naud. Ann. Sci. Nat. III. 13: 28. 1849.
A low slender, loosely pilose or glabrate, branching shrub with thin ovate
petloled leaves and small, white or pink, panicled 4-parted flowers. Calyx-tube
ovoid, Its lobes narrowly lanceolate, persistent. Petals oblong-lanceolate, acute.
Stamens 8, the alternate ones unequal; filaments glabrous; anthers subulate, 1-
porose, the connective produced below the sacs into 2 spurs. Ovary globose, 3-
colled; style filiform; stigma very small. Capsule 3-valved, many-seeded. Seeds
minute, foveolate. [Bad anagram of Spennera.] A monotypic genus.
1. Nepsera aquatica (Aubl.) Naud. Ann. Sci. Nat. III. 13: 28. 1849.
Melastoma aquatic Aubl. Pl. Guian. 1: 430. 1775.
Spennera aquatic Mlart.; DC. Prodr. 3: 116. 1828.
Homonoma aridum Bello, Anal. Soc. Esp. Hist. Nat. 10: 269. 1881.
Stem 0.5-1.5 m. high, the larger plants much branched. Leaves membran-
ous, 2-7 cm. long, serrulate, 5-7-nerved, the apex acute or acuminate, the base
rounded or subcordate, the slender petioles 0.5-2 cm. long; panicles loosely
pyramidal with filiform branches and pedicels; calyx-tube 2-3 mm. long, about
as long as the lobes; petals 5-6 mm. long; capsule globose, 2 mm. in diameter.
Woodlands, thickets and grassy banks in wet or moist districts, Porto Rico, ascending
into the eastern mountains; recorded from St. Thomas, probably erroneously:-Jamaica;
recorded from Cuba; Hispaniola; Guadeloupe and Dominica to Trinidad; northern South
America. ALTEA.
MELASTOMACEAE 3
3. RHEXIA L. Sp. Pl. 346. 1753.
Perennial herbs, often somewhat woody at the base, sometimes tuber-bearing,
with mostly sessile opposite 3-5-nerved leaves, and terminal showy cymose or
rarely solitary flowers. Calyx-tube urn-shaped or campanulate, constricted at
the neck, its limb 4-lobed, the lobes shorter than the tube. Petals 4, obovate,
oblique. Stamens 8, equal; anthers incurved or inverted in the bud. Ovary
free from the calyx, glabrous, 4-celled; style slender; stigma truncate. Capsule
4-celled, 4-valved. Placentae 4-central. Seeds numerous, coiled or bent, rough.
[Greek, breaking, applied originally to a different plant.] Thirteen known species,
of eastern North America and the West Indies. Type species: Rhexia virginica L.
1. Rhexia cubensis Griseb. Cat. Pl. Cub. 104. 1866.
Stems slender, branched, loosely glandular-pilose, erect or ascending, 5 dm.
high or less. Leaves linear, sessile, remotely denticulate, 1-2.5 cm. long, 1-3
rnm. wide, 1-nerved; flowers few in terminal cymes or solitary; bracts small;
calyx glandular-pilose or glabrate, 6-8 mm. long, its lobes lanceolate, acuminate,
about 2 mm. long; petals pink or purple, 12-16 mm. long; anthers linear, spurred
at the base; capsule about 7 mm. long, its neck about as long. [R. linearifolia
Hamilt.?; R. Mariana of Stahl, of Cogniaux and of Urban, in part; Melastoma
linearis of Sess6 & Mocino, not of Retnw.j
Wet sandy ground on the northern coastal plain of Porto Rico:-Florida; Cuba.
WEST INDIAN MEADOW-BEAUTY.
4. MENENDEZIA Britton, gen. nov.
Trees, with chartaceous, 3-5-nerved entire petioled leaves, and rather large
white 4-parted flowers in terminal panicles, sessile in 2's or 3's on the flattened
spreading panicle-branches. Calyx-tube 4-angled, scaly, constricted above the
ovary, the lobes ovate or subulate. Petals obovate. Stamens 8; filaments slen-
der; anthers linear, 1-porose. Style filiform. [In honor of Rafael Menendez
Ramos, Director of the Insular Agricultural Experiment Station of Porto Rico.]
Three known species of Porto Rico mountain forests. Type species: Tetrazygia
Stahlii Cogn. The fruit is not known.
Leaves green above, canescent beneath.
Outer calyx-lobes linear-subulate. 1. Mf. Stahlii.
Calyx-lobes narrowly ovate. 2. Mf. Urbanif.
Leaves nearly equally green on both sides. 3. AM. biflora.
1. Menendezia Stahlii (Cogn.) Britton.
Tetrazygia Stahlii Cogn. Jahrb. Bot. Gart. Berlin 4: 279. 1886.
A tree, up to about 20 m. high, the young twigs, inflorescence, petioles and
under leaf-surfaces densely canescent. Leaves lanceolate to ovate-lanceolate,
chartaceous, 5-10 cm. long, entire, green and glabrous above when mature, whit- -
ish-canescent beneath, 5-nerved from the base, the apex acute or acuminate, the
base obtuse or rounded, the lateral venation delicate, spreading, the petioles 1-2
cm. long; panicles narrow; calyx sharply tetragonal, canescent, its tube about
5 mm. long, its subulate outer lobes 6-7 mm. long; petals white, obovate, sub-
truncate, about 10 mm. long; anthers yellow, 5 mm. long.
Thickets, and mountain forests In wet districts, Porto Rico. Endemic.
4 MELASTOMACEAE
2. Menendezia Urbanii (Cogn.) Britton.
Tetrazygia Urbanii Cogn. Jahrb. Bot. Gart. Berlin 4: 278. 1886.
A tree, 5-10 m. high, or shrubby, the twigs, inflorescence, petioles and under
leaf-surfaces canescent. Leaves oblong to oblong-lanceolate, chartaceous, 6-12
cm. long, 5-nerved from the base, green and glabrous above, when mature, densely
whitish-canescent beneath, the apex acuminate, the base rounded or narrowed,
the petioles 1.5-3 cm. long; panicles rather broad, about as long as the leaves;
calyx-tube tetragonal, canescent, about 6 mm. long, its lobes narrowly ovate,
obtusish, 3-4 mm. long; petals white, obovate, rounded, about 8 mm. long;
anthers yellow, 4-5 mm. long.
In forests at middle altitudes in the Luquillo Mountains. Similar to the preceding
species, but the calyx-lobes quite different. Endemic.
3. Menendezia biflora (Cogn.) Britton.
Calycogonium biflorum Cogn. Jahrb. Bot. Gart. Berlin 4: 276. 1886.
Tetrazygia Krugii Cogn. in DC. Mon. Phan. 7: 719. 1891.
Tetrazygia biflora Urban, Repert. 17: 405. 1921.
A tree, up to about 10 m. in height, the slightly angular twigs, the petioles,
inflorescence and under leaf-surfaces puberulent. Leaves ovate-oblong to oblong-
lanceolate, chartaceous, 6-12 cm. long, 5-nerved from the base, green on both
sides, minutely scurfy above or glabrous when mature, the apex short-acuminate,
the base rounded or narrowed, the petioles 1-2.5 cm. long; panicles about as long
as the leaves or shorter; calyx-tube 6-7 mm. long, its ovate-triangular lobes
nearly as long; petals obovate, acute, about 10 mm. long.
Thickets and forests, Porto Rico, at middle and higher elevations in moist or wet
districts. Endemic.
5. TETRAZYGIA L. C. Rich.; DC. Prodr. 3: 172. 1828.
Trees or shrubs, the foliage often scurfy, with petioled, entire or toothed
leaves, and rather small flowers in terminal panicles or corymbs. Calyx con-
stricted above the ovary, its limb 4-5-lobed or subtruncato. Petals 4 or 5, ob-
ovate. Stamens 8 or 10, nearly equal; filaments subulate; anthers linear, opening
by a pore. Ovary 4-5-celled; style curved, filiform; stigma minute. Fruit a
4-5-colled fleshy berry. [Greek, referring to the 4-parted flowers of the type
species.] About 16 species, of the West Indian region. Type species: Melastoma
discolor L.
Leaves sessile, crenulate. 1. T. crotonifolia.
Leaves petioled, entire or nearly so.
Panicle corymbiform, many-flowered. 2. T. angustifolia.
Panicle pyramidal, few-flowered. 3. T. elaeagnoides.
1. Tetrazygia crotonifolia (Dosv.) DC. Prodr. 3: 172. 1828.
Melastoma crotonifolia Desv. in Lam. Encycl. 4: 43. 1797.
A shrub, about 1 m. high or loss, the slender but stiff, toreoto branches glabrous.
Leaves lanceolate to ovate, sessile, rigid, 3-8 cm. long, acuminate, 3-5-nerved
from the base with the lateral venation delicate and distant, yellow-green and
glabrous above, pale-tomentulose beneath, the apex acuminate or acute, the base
cordate; panicles loosely few-flowered, about as long as the leaves or shorter,
glabrous; pedicels filiform, purple, about 1 cm. long or shorter; calyx glabrous,
purple, its tube oblong, 3-4 mm. long, its lobes short, acute; petals ovate, white
or pink, about 4 mm. long; fruit black, ovoid, about 5 mm. long.
Hillsides and cliffs, at middle altitudes in moist parts of the western districts of Porto
Rico:-Hispaniola.
MELASTOMACEAE 5
2. Tetrazygia angustifolia (Sw.) DO. Prodr. 3: 172. 1828.
Melastoma angustifolia Sw. Prodr. 71. 1788.
Miconia angustifolia Griseb. Fl. Br. W. I. 258. 1860.
A small tree, reaching, on St. Jan, a maximum height of about 12 m., usually
much smaller, often shrubby, the many slender twigs densely canescent, the
branches nearly erect. Leaves lanceolate or linear-lanceolate, 4-8 cm. long,
4-12 mm. wide, subchartaceous, entire, strongly 3-nerved from the base with the
lateral venation prominent beneath, yellow green and glabrous above, stellate-
canescent beneath, the apex acuminate, the base narrowed or obtuse, the slender
petioles 5-10 mm. long; panicles corymbiform, many-flowered, about as long as
the leaves, stellate-canescent; pedicels short; calyx about 1.5 mm. long, its lobes
triangular, acute; petals yellowish or pink, obovate, 2 mm. long; fruit blue-black,
globose, about 5 mm. in diameter.
Attributed to Porto Rico by Sess6 and Mocino; St. Croix; St. Thomas; St. Jan:
Tortola; Virgin Gorda:-Montserrat; Guadeloupe; Dominica; Martinique. Recorded
by Swartz from Jamaica, and by Cogniaux from Trinidad, both records perhaps er-
roneous. Shoots from stumps bear thin glabrate larger leaves, green on both sides.
3. Tetrazygia elaeagnoides (Sw.) DC. Prodr. 3: 172. 1828.
Melastoma elaeagnoides Sw. Prodr. 72. 1788.
A tree, up to about 10 m. high, often smaller, sometimes shrubby, much
branched, the slender twigs, the petioles and inflorescence densely scurfy-puberu-
lent, the bark separating in narrow flakes. Leaves oblong-lanceolate or narrowly
oblong, chartaceous, 3-nerved from a little above the base, with the delicate lateral
venation spreading, green and glabrous above, canescent beneath, the apex acute
or obtuse, the base narrowed, the petioles 4-16 mm. long; panicles loosely few-
flowered, mostly shorter than the leaves; pedicels short; calyx scurfy, about 5 mm.
long, its short lobes obtuse; petals white, obovate, about 10 mm. long; anthers
linear, 5-6 mm. long; fruit depressed-globose, 4-lobod, 6-8 mm. thick.
Hillsides, thickets and woodlands, Porto Rico, at lower and middle elevations in
dry and moist districts; Vieques; St. Croix; St. Thomas; St. Jan; Tortola:-Hispaniola;
recorded from Montserrat. CENIzo. VERDE SECO. KRE KRE.
6. TAMONEA Aubl. Pl. Guian. 1: 441, pl. 175. 1775.
Trees or shrubs, the leaves ample, the inflorescence large, terminal, panicu-
late, the flowers large, 5-6-parted. Calyx oblong or oblong-cylindric, its limb
truncate or merely denticulate. Petals obovate, rounded or retuse; stamens twice
as many as the petals; anthers linear-subulate, elongated, mostly curved or
falcate, minutely 1-porose. Fruit baccate, many-seeded. [Guiana name.]
About 40 species of tropical America. Type species: Tamonea guianensis Aubl.
In two slightly differing editions of the "Plantes de Guiane" Aublet published this
genus both as Tamonea and as Fothergilla, but there is an earlier genus Fothergilla
of Linnaeus.
Calyx tomentose; leaves stellate-pubescent beneath. 1. T. macrophylla.
Calyx glabrous; leaves scurfy beneath. 2. T. guianensis.
1. Tamonea macrophylla (D. Don) Krasser in E. & P. Nat. Pfl. 37: 188. 1893.
Chitonia macrophylla D. Don, Mem. Worn. Soc. 4: 319. 1823.
Diplochita serrulata DC. Prodr. 3: 177. 1828.
Miconia macrophylla Triana, Trans. Linn. Soc. 28: 103. 1871.
A small tree, up to about 12 m. high, or sometimes shrubby, the stout twigs
compressed, densely short-tomentose. Leaves ovate to elliptic-ovate, charta-
MELASTOMACEAE
ceous, 1-3 dm. long, 5-7-nerved and with many slender lateral veins, closely
crenulate-serrulate, dark green and glabrous or nearly so above, densely stellate-
pubescent and whitish beneath, the apex short-acuminate or acute, the base
rounded or subcordate, the stout pubescent petioles much shorter than the
blades; panicles many-flowered, tomentose, as long as the leaves or shorter;
flowers 6-parted, sessile or nearly so; bracts about 5 mm. long; calyx densely
tomentulose, subtruncate, oblong, about 7 mm. long; petals white or pink, 6-8
mm. long; filaments hirtellous; anthers violet, linear-subulate, elongated; fruit
subglobose, about 6 mm. in diameter. [M. holosericea of Bello, not of de Candolle.]
Hillside thickets and mountain forests in wet or moist districts of Porto Rico,
ascending to 500 meters altitude or higher; St. Croix: St. Thomas (according to Eggers):-
Jamaica; Cuba; Hispaniola; Trinidad; continental tropical America.
2. Tamonea guianensis Aubl. Pl. Guian. 1: 441. 1775.
Diplochaeta Fothergilla DO. Prodr. 3: 176. 1828.
Miconia guianensis Cogn. Jahrb. Bot. Gart. Berlin 4: 280. 1886.
Tamonea Fothergilla Cook. & Collins, Contr. U. S. Nat. Herb. 8: 249. 1903.
A shrub, or small tree up to about 7 m. high, the young twigs scurfy-puber-
ulent. Leaves oblong, elliptic, or ovate, chartaceous, 8-20 cm. long, 5-nerved and
with many spreading slender lateral veins, green and glabrous above, pale and
more or less scurfy beneath, entire or sparingly denticulate, the apex acuminate,
the base obtuse or subcordate, the petioles 2-5 cm. long; panicles many-flowered,
rather narrow, often longer than the leaves; flowers 6-parted, very short-pedi-
celled; bracts oblong, canescent, 6-10 mm. long, caducous; calyx glabrous, its
lobes broad, nearly 1 mm. long; petals white, 6-8 mm. long; filaments glabrous;
anthers yellow, elongated; fruit subglobose. about 6 mm. in diameter. [M. punc-
tata of Bello, not of Don.]
Woodlands and forests, Porto Rico, in wet or moist districts, ascending to high
elevations; Tortola:-Jamaica; Cuba; Hispaniola; St. Kitts to Trinidad; continental
tropical America. Doubtfully recorded from Porto Rico by Cogniaux as Aliconia
splendens.
7. MICONIA R. & P. Syst. 1: 104. 1798.
Trees or shrubs, the foliage various, the inflorescence terminal, paniculate
or corymbose, the flowers mostly small and 5-parted. Calyx hemispheric, sub-
globose or campanulate, mostly small, its limb toothed or lobed. Petals oblong
or obovate. Stamens usually twice as many as the petals; anthers subulate,
linear, obovoid or cuneate, 1-4-porose. Fruit baccate, mostly globose. [Com-
memorates D. Micon, a Spanish physician.] An immense genus of tropical
America, the species probably 600 or more. Type species: Miconia pulverulenta
R. & P.
1. Anthers elongated, subulate. 1. MA. thomasiana.
2. Anthers short.
a. Anthers linear.
*Panicle-branches simple, spike-like; leaves subamplexi-
caul, sessile. 2. Af. impeliolaris.
**Panicle compound; leaves not amplexicaul.
tLeaves glabrous, or nearly so, beneath.
Leaves 3-5-nerved from the base.
Young branches densely pilose; leaves narrowed
at the base. 3. Al. affinis.
Young branches furfuraceous; leaves rounded
or narrowed at the base. 4. M. laevigata.
Leaves 5-nerved above the base. 5. Ai. prasina.
ttLeaves pubescent or lepidote beneath.
Mature leaves glabrous or loosely stellate-tomentu-
lose above. 6. M1. rubiginosa.
Leaves densely stellate-tomentose on both sides. 7. Af. lanata.
Leaves densely brown-lepidote beneath. S. Af. punctata.
MELASTOMACEAE 7
b. Anthers obovoid-oblong or cuneiform.
*Anthers apically 1-porose.
Flowers second on the panicle-branches; leaves ser-
rulate. 9. A. racemosa.
Flowers not second; leaves entire, subcordate. 10. M. pachyphylla.
**Anthers 2-porose; leaves entire. 11. M. tetrandra.
***Anthers 2-rimose.
tLeaves bullate, setulose above, deeply cordate at base,
7-nerved. 12. Al. foveolata.
ttLeaves glabrous above, narrowed or cordate at base,
3-5-nerved.
Panicle pyramidal or elongated; leaves denticulate. 13. M. Sintenisii.
Panicle corymbiform, broad; leaves entire.
Leaves chartaceous, oblong-lanceolate; panicles
loose. 14. Al. subcorymbosa.
Leaves coriaceous, ovate; panicles very dense. 15. A pycnoneura.
1. Miconia thomasiana DC. Prodr. 3: 189. 1828.
Miconia vernicosa Naud. Ann. Sci. Nat. III. 16: 191. 1851.
Acinodendrum thomasianum Kuntze, Rev. Gen. P1. 953. 1891.
Tamonca thomasiana Cook & Collins, Contr. U. S. Nat. Herb. 8: 249. 1903.
A shrub, or a little tree about 4 nunm. high, the young twigs and the inflores-
cence somewhat scurfy. Leaves ovate to elliptic, coriaceous, 5-nerved, with
slender lateral veins, 5-15 cm. long, green and glabrous on both sides, distantly
serrulate with short curved teeth or entire, the apex acute or acuminate, the base
rounded or subcordate, the setulose petioles 15 mm. long or less; panicles diffusely
several-many-flowered, commonly longer than the leaves; longer pedicels filiform,
2 cm. long or less; flowers 5-parted; calyx campanulate, somewhat scurfy, about
3 mm. long, its spreading limb obscurely lobod; petals rose or pink, retuso, 5-6
mm. long; anthers subulate, elongated; fruit globose, about 6 mm. in diameter.
Thickets and hillsides at lower elevations, in moist parts of the northern and eastern
districts of Porto Rico, mostly near the coasts: Tortola; doubtfully and apparently erro-
neously recorded as found on St. Thomas. Endemic.
2. Miconia impetiolaris (Sw.) D. Don, Mem. Worn. Soc. 4: 316. 1823.
Melastoma impetiolaris Sw. Prodr. 70. 1788.
Miconia Wydleriana DC. Mom. Mel. 77. 1828.
Tamonea impetiolaris Cook & Collins, Contr. U. S. Nat. Herb. 8: 249. 1903.
A small tree, 4-10 m. high, or shrubby, the twigs and inflorescence densely
scurfy-tomentulose. Leaves elliptic, oblong or ovate-oblong, chartaceous, sessile,
2-5 dm. long, 5-nerved, and with many lateral veins, denticulate, dark green and
glabrous above, paler and densely stellate-tomentuloso beneath, the apex acu-
minate, the base subauriculate; panicles densely many-flowered, the branches
spike-like, mostly shorter than the leaves; flowers small, sessile; calyx densely
stellate-scurfy, about 3 mm. long, with 5 short lobes; petals white, retuse, about
2 mm. long; fruit globose, about 4 mm. in diameter. [M. elata of Bello, not of
de Candolle.]
Thickets, woodlands, valleys and shaded hillsides In moist or wet districts of Porto
Rico, ascending to higher elevations; recorded from St. Thomas and St. Croix, but not
found on those islands In many years:-Jamaica; Cuba; Hispaniola; St. Eustatius;
Guadeloupe; Dominica; continental tropical America.
3. Miconia affinis DC. Prodr. 3: 187. 1828.
A small tree, up to about 8 m. high, the young twigs densely pilose. Leaves
oblong to oblong-obovate, rigid, entire, 15-20 cm. long, 6-8 cm. wide, 5-nerved
with the transverse venation prominent, dark green and glabrate above, stellulate-
punctate beneath, the apex short-acuminate, the base obtuse, the petioles 1-2
cm. long; panicles pyramidal, about as long as the leaves; flowers sessile or nearly
so; calyx about 2.5 mm. long, obscurely 5-lobed; petals oblong, obtuse, about 3
mm. long; fruit about 4 mm. in diameter.
8 MELASTOMACEAE
Monte Santo do Leon, near Juncos, Porto Rico, collected only by Sintenis:-Cuba;
French Guiana.
4. Miconia laevigata (L.) DC. Prodr. 3: 188. 1828.
Melastoma laevigata L. Syst. ed. 10, 1022. 1759.
Melastoma portoricensis Sprong. Neue Ent. 3: 61. 1822.
Miconia pyramidalis DC. Prodr. 3: 188. 1828.
Acinodendrum laevigatum Kuntze, Rev. Gen. Pl. 244. 1891.
Tamonea laevigata Krasser in E. & P. Nat. Pfl. 37: 142. 1893.
A shrub, or a small tree 4-6 m. high, the slender twigs, the inflorescence and
the petioles finely scurfy. Leaves oblong to ovate-oblong or elliptic, submem-
branous, 8-20 cm. long, 5-nerved from the base, serrulate or entire, green on both
sides, glabrous above, usually scurfy on the veins beneath, the lateral venation
slender, the apex acuminate, the base rounded or narrowed, the slender petioles
about 3 cm. long or less; panicles many-flowered, as long as the leaves or shorter;
flowers small, short-pedicelled or sessile; calyx about 3 mm. long, its teeth acute;
petals white or pale pink, 3-4 mm. long; fruit blue, globose, about 3 mm. in
diameter. [M. ascendens of Sprengel, not of Swartz; M. racemosa of Bello, not
of do Candolle; M. trinervis of Millspaugh, not of Don; M. prasina of Millspaugh,
not of de Candolle.]
Thickets, hillsides, woodlands and forests, Porto Rico, in wet or moist districts; Vieques;
St. Croix; St. Thomas; St. Jan; Tortola:-Jamaica; Cuba; Hispaniola; St. Martin to
Trinidad; Margarita; continental tropical America.
5. Miconia prasina (Sw.) DC. Prodr. 3: 188. 1828.
Melastoma prasina Sw. Prodr. 69. 1788.
AMiconia collina DC. Prodr. 3: 185. 1828.
Acinodendrum prasinum Kuntze, Rev. Gen. Pl. 245. 1891.
Tamonea prasina Krasser in E. & P. Nat. Pfl. 37: 142. 1893.
A shrub, or a small tree, occasionally 10 m. high, the slender young twigs
scurfy-puberulent or glabrous. Leaves oblong to oblong-lanceolate, subchar-
taceous, 8-20 cm. long, repand-denticulate or entire, 5-nerved above the base,
glabrous and nearly equally bright green on both sides, or dark green above, pale
and puberulent beneath, the apex acute or acuminate, the base narrowed, the
petioles 1-3 cm. long, margined or marginless; paniclos ample, pyramidal, many-
flowered, often as long as the leaves, glabrous or scurfy; flowers 5-parted, sessile
or very nearly so; calyx about 3 mm. long; petals white, about 3 mm. long; anthers
linear, 1-porose; fruit blue or purple, about 3 mm. in diameter. [M. trichotoma
of Bello, not of de Candolle.]
Thickets, hillsides, valleys and mountain forests, Porto Rico, in wet or moist districts,
ascending to high elevations; Tortola; erroneously recorded from St. Thomas:-Jamaica;
Cuba; Hispaniola; Grenada; Trinidad; Margarita; continental tropical America.
6. Miconia rubiginosa (Bonpl.) DC. Prodr. 3: 183. 1828.
AMelastoma rubiginosa Bonpl. Melast. 109. 1816.
Tamonea rubiginosa Krasser in E. & P. Nat. Pfl. 31: 142. 1893.
A shrub, or a small tree 4-8 m. high, the stout twigs, the inflorescence, the
petioles and the under leaf-surfaces densely brownish-tomentose. Leaves ovate
or elliptic-ovate, subcoriaceous, 6-13 cm. long, entire, dark green and glabrous or
loosely minutely stellate-pubescent above, 5-nerved, the apex acute or acuminate,
the base rounded or subcordate, the lateral venation slender, spreading, the stout
short petioles 3-8 mm. long; panicles many-flowered, as long as the loaves or
longer; flowers 5-parted, sessile, clustered; calyx tomentuloso, about 3 mm. long;
petals white, about 2 mm. long; anthers linear, short, 1-porose; fruit black, about
3 mm. in diameter.
MELASTOMACEAE 9
Mountain woods and thickets, western districts of Porto Rico:-Hispaniola; con-
tinental tropical America.
7. Miconia lanata (DC.) Triana, Trans. Linn. Soc. 27: 113. 1871.
Clidenia lanata DO. Prodr. 3: 162. 1828.
Twigs, leaves and inflorescence densely tomentose. Leaves ovate, short-
petioled, entire, subchartaceous, 8-20 cm. long, 5-nerved from the base with the
lateral venation slender, the apex short-acuminate, the base rounded or sub-
cordate; panicles as long as the leaves or longer, the fragrant 5-parted flowers
glomerate on its branches; calyx 5-lobed, about 4 mm. long; petals white, 3-4 mm.
long; anthers linear, short, 1-porose; fruit black, about 5 mm. in diameter.
Recorded by Cogniaux as collected In Porto Rico by Bertero:-Cuba; St. Vincent;
Trinidad; northern South America.
8. Miconia punctata (Dosv.) D. Don, Mem. Wern. Soc. 4: 316. 1823.
Melastoma punctata Desv.; Lam. Encycl. 4: 50. 1797.
A small tree, about 4 m. high, the stout angular twigs lepidote. Leaves
oblong to oblanceolate, 1-2.5 dm. long, subcoriaceous, entire, 3-nerved from the
base with the slender lateral venation spreading, dark green and glabrous above,
densely brownish-lepidote beneath, the apex acute or acuminate, the base nar-
rowed or cunoate, the stout petioles 2 cm. long or less; panicles large, many-
flowered; calyx about 2 mm. long; petals about 3 mm. long; anthers short, narrow;
fruit about 3 mm. in diameter. [Miconia fulva of Cogniaux, in part; Miconia
chrysophylla of Urban, in part.]
Mountain forests near Utuado:-Cuba; Hispaniola; Guatemala; Bolivia.
9. Miconia racemosa (Aubl.) DC. Prodr. 3: 179. 1828.
Mfelastoma racemosa Aubl. Pl. Guian. 1: 406. 1775.
Miconia brachypoda DC. Prodr. 3: 180. 1828.
Tamonea racemose Cook & Collins, Contr. U. S. Nat. Herb. 8: 249. 1903.
A shrub, 2-3 m. high, or occasionally a small tree about 4 m. high, the twigs
with a ring of hairs at the nodes, otherwise glabrous. Leaves obovate to elliptic,
submembranous, 5-nerved from the base with the lateral venation prominent
and ascending, serrulate, ciliate, green on both sides but paler beneath than above,
stellate-puberulent when young, glabrous when mature, the apex acute, short-
acuminate or obtuse, the base mostly obtuse, the rather stout petioles 1-4 cm.
long; flowers sessile and second on the branches of the panicles; calyx about 2 mm.
long; petals white, pink or purple, 1.5-2 mm. long; anthers oblong, purple, short;
fruit dark blue to black, about 3 mm. in diameter. [Melastoma decussatum of
Sprengel, not of Vahl.]
Banks, thickets and woodlands in moist or wet districts, Porto Rico, ascending to
higher elevations:-Jamaica; Hispaniola; Grenada; Tobago; Trinidad; northern South
America.
10. Miconia pachyphylla Cogn. Jahrb. Bot. Gart. Berlin 4: 279. 1886.
Acinodendrum pachyphyllum Kuntze, Rev. Goun. Pl. 952. 1891.
A tree, up to 10 m. high, the young twigs flattened, densely scurfy. Leaves
ovate to oblong-lanceolate, subcoriaceous, 8-15 cm. long, 5-nerved from the base,
with the delicate lateral venation widely spreading, entire, dark green, glabrous
above, scurfy on the veins beneath, the apex acute, acuminate or blunt, the base
cordate or subcordate, the petioles 1-3 cm. long; panicles several-many-flowered,
shorter than the leaves; flowers 4-parted, short-pedicelled; calyx about 2.5 mm.
MELASTOMACEAE
long; petals oblong, purple, about 4 mm. long; anthers short, 1-porose; fruit
blue-black, about 5 mm. in diameter.
Forests at higher elevations in the eastern mountains of Porto Rico. Endemic.
11. Miconia tetrandra (Sw.) D. Don; London, Hort. Brit. 174. 1830.
Melastoma tetrandra Sw. Prodr. 72. 1788.
Tetrazygia tetrandra DC. Prodr. 3: 172. 1828.
Cremanium tetrandrum Griseb. FIl. Br. W. I. 262. 1860.
A tree, up to about 15 m. high, or sometimes shrubby, the obtusely 4-angled
young twigs, the petioles, the under leaf-surfaces and the inflorescence finely
scurfy. Loaves oblong to oblong-lanceolate, subchartaceous, entire, 8-20 cm.
long, 3-nerved with the lateral venation delicate, green on both sides but paler
beneath than above, the apex acuminate, the base rounded or obtuse, the upper
surface glabrous or nearly so, the petioles 2-4 cm. long; panicles pyramidal,
many-flowered, often longer than the leaves; flowers 4-partod, sessilo; calyx sub-
truncate, about 1.5 mm. long; petals white or greenish, about 1 mm. long; anthers
short, 2-porose; fruit globose, black, 3-4 mm. in diameter.
Mountain forests at high elevations In wet districts of Porto Rico:-Jamaica; Cuba;
Guadeloupe; Dominica; Grenada; Trinidad (?).
12. Miconia foveolata Cogn. Jahrb. Bet. Gart. Berlin 4: 281. 1886.
Acinodendrum foveolatum Kuntze, Rev. Gon. Pl. 951. 1891.
A shrub, or a small tree 5-10 m. high, the twigs, petioles, inflorescence and
calyx piloso with black gland-tipped hairs. Loaves ovate to ovate-elliptic, 7-
nerved with numerous spreading lateral veins, stiff, subchartaceous, entire, ciliate,
8-16 cm. long, the upper surface scabrous-bullate and setulose, the under surface
foveolate-reticulate, the apex acute or acuminate, the base rounded or cordate,
the stout petioles 3-9 mm. long: panicles several-many-flowered, as long as the
leaves or shorter; flowers 5-parted, short-pedicelled; calyx subcampanulate, its
tube about 4 mm. long, its lobes 1-1.5 mm. long; petals rose or white, about 3
mm. long; anthers obovoid; fruit blue, about 7 mm. in diameter.
Forests at high elevations in the eastern mountains of Porto Rico. Endemic.
13. Miconia Sintenisii Cogn. Jahrb. Bot. Gart. Berlin 4: 281. 1886.
Acinodendrum Sintenisii Kuntze, Rev. Gen. Pl. 952. 1891.
A large shrub, or a small tree up to about 8 m. in height, the twigs, petioles
and inflorescence glabrous or nearly so. Leaves ovate to elliptic-ovate, cori-
aceous, 8-25 cm. long, 5-nerved from the base with the delicate lateral venation
spreading, denticulate, green on both sides but paler beneath than above, the
apex acute, the base cordate or rounded, the upper surface glabrous, the under
side with minute tufts of short hairs, the stout petioles 2-5.5 cm. long; panicles
long-peduncled, several-many-flowored; podicels 2-6 mm. long; calyx urceolate,
about 6 mm. long, its lobes triangular; petals white, 6-7 mm. long; anthers short,
obovoid; fruit light blue, about 8 mm. in diameter.
Mountain forests, Porto Rico, at middle and higher elevations. Endemic.
14. Miconia subcorymbosa Britton, sp. nov.
Miconia cubensis latifolia Cogn. in DC. Mon. Phan. 7: 932. 1891.
Miconia cubensis nervulosa Cogn. loc. cit. 933. 1891.
Miconia cubensis minor Cogn. loc. cit. 1891.
A tree, 5-10 m. high, or shrubby, glabrous or very nearly so throughout.
Leaves oblong to oblong-lanceolate, subchartaceous, entire, 8-17 cm. long,
MELASTOMACEAE 11
5-nerved from the base with the two lateral nerves marginal and the transverse
veins numerous and delicate, bright green above, paler beneath, the apex acu-
minate, the base narrowed or obtuse, the petioles 2-4 cm. long; panicles broad,
subcorymbose, many-flowered, about as long as the leaves; pedicels slender, 3-8
mm. long; flowers mostly 5-parted; calyx-tube about 4 mm. long, its ovate lobes
about 1 mm. long; petals white, 3-4 mm. long; fruit globose, blue or turning white,
about 6 mm. in diameter. [M. laevigata of Bello, not of de Candollo; Charianthus
coccineus of Cogniaux, as to the Porto Rico plant; included by Cogniaux and by
Urban in Miconia cubensis (Griseb.) C. Wright.]
Mountain forests, Porto Rico, at middle and higher elevations:-Hispaniola (ex
Cogniaux); Cuba; differs from Af. cubensis in foliage and in inflorescence. Type from
Indiera Baja (Britton 7390).
15. Miconia pyenoneura Urban, Report. 17: 162. 1921.
Miconia Grisebachii reticulata Cogn. Jahrb. Bot. Gart. Berlin 4: 280. 1886.
A shrub, or a small tree up to 7 m. high, the rather stout 4-angled twigs and
the inflorescence minutely scurfy. Leaves ovate to elliptic-ovate, coriaceous,
entire, 8-14 cm. long, 5-nerved from the base, with the transverse veins very
numerous, impressed above, rather prominent beneath, green on both sides, the
apex acute or acuminate, the base rounded or subcordate, the petioles 3-5 cm.
long; panicles corymbiform, densely-many-flowered, often broader than high,
10 cm. broad or less; pedicels 2-6 mm. long; calyx about 2 mm. long, its broad
lobes much shorter than the tube; petals about 2 mm. long; fruit globose, 4-5 mm.
in diameter.
Forests at higher elevations in the eastern mountains of Porto Rico. Endemic.
Miconia stenostachya (Schr. & Mart.) DC., recorded by authors as col-
lected by Finlay on St. Thomas, was really from Trinidad. [Melastoma steno-
stachya Schr. & Mart.; M. argyrophylla of Bentham, not of de Candolle.]
Miconia Acinodendrum (L.) Triana, also recorded by authors as collected
by Finlay on St. Thomas, was really from Trinidad. West recorded it from St.
Croix, apparently erroneously, as it is otherwise known only from Martinique
southward.. [Melastoma Acinodendrum L.; Tshudya berbiceana Grisob.]
Urban records another Miconia, known only from a barren specimen col-
lected by Krug (no. 413) near Mayaguez.
8. CALYCOGONIUM DC. Prodr. 3: 168. 1828.
Shrubs or trees, with rather small, mostly entire and coriaceous 3-5-nerved
leaves, the white flowers variously clustered or solitary, terminal or also axillary,
4-6-parted. Calyx various, in some species 4-angled, its lobes subulate, often as
long as the tube or longer. Petals oblong or obovate, mostly obtuse. Stamens
twice as many as the petals, the anthers linear or oblong, 1-porose, the connective
unappendaged. Ovary 3-5-celled. Fruit globose, baccate, few-seeded. [Greek,
angled calyx.] About 30 species, natives of the West Indies.' Type species:
Calycogonium stellatum (Vahl) DC.
Flowers 4-parted; leaves oblong or obovate, entire. 1. C. squamulosum.
Flowers 6-parted; leaves oval or suborbicular, bullate, serrate,
scabrous. 2. C. Krugii.
1. Calycogonium squamulosum Cogn. Jahrb. Bot. Gart. Berlin 4: 277. 1886.
A tree, 8-15 m. high, the young twigs, petioles, inflorescence and calyx
densely scaly. Leaves oblong to obovate, coriaceous, 4-8 cm. long, entire, 3-
MELASTOMACEAE
nerved with the 2 lateral nerves near the margin and the transverse venation
rather delicate, the apex obtuse or acutish, the base narrowed, the petioles 8-12
mm. long; peduncles terminal and in the upper axils, about as long as the petioles,
mostly 3-flowered, the flowers nearly sessile, 4-parted; calyx-tube narrowly cam-
panulate, about 5 mm. long, its broad lobes 1-2 mm. long; petals white, ovate,
about 6 mm. long.
Forests at middle and higher elevations in the eastern mountains of Porto Rico.
Endemic.
2. Calycogonium Krugii Cogn. Jahrb. Bet. Gart. Berlin 4: 278. 1886
A shrub, 3 m. high or less, much branched, the twigs, petioles and calyx
densely setose-lepidote. Leaves oval to elliptic or orbicular, rigid, 2-4.5 cm.
long, serrulate, 5-nerved with the lateral venation slender, bullate above, densely
lepidote beneath, the apex and base both obtuse or rounded, the petioles 4 mm.
long or loss; flowers solitary at the ends of twigs, sessile, 6-parted; calyx-tube
subcampanulate, about 5 mm. long, its subulate lobes 7-9 mm. long, petals white,
obovate, obtuse, about 15 mm. long; fruit globose, setose, about 12 mm. in
diameter.
Summit of Mt. Cerrote near Adjuntas, and on Mt. Alegrillo and vicinity near
Maricao. Endemic.
9. HETEROTRICHUM DC. Prodr. 3: 173. 1828.
Shrubs or small trees, mostly hispid, hirsute or glandular-hirsute, with
petioled, 5-7-nerved leaves and rather large, 5-9-parted flowers in terminal pan-
icles. Calyx-tube campanulate to subglobose, its lobes mostly subulate and
elongated. Petals obovate, spreading. Stamens twice as many as the petals;
filaments filiform; anthers narrow, 1-porose, the connective unappondaged.
Ovary 6-12-celled; style slender or stout; stigma small. Fruit a many-seeded
berry. [Greek, various pairs.] About 12 species of tropical America. Type
species: Heterotrichum angustifolium DC.
Leaves broadly ovate, membranous. 1. H. cymosum.
Leaves lanceolate to oblong-lanceolate, subcorlaceous. 2. H. angustifolium.
1. Heterotrichum cymosum (Wendl.) Urban, Symb. Ant. 4: 462. 1910.
Melastoma cymosum Wendl.; Spreng. Syst. 2: 299. 1825.
lleterotrichum Eggersii Cogn. Jahrb. Bet. Gart. Berlin 4: 282. 1886.
A shrub, or a small tree 5-10 m. in height, the twigs, petioles and inflores-
cence densely stellate and glandular-pubescent, somewhat viscid. Leaves long-
petioled, the blades very broadly ovate, submembranous, 8-15 cm. long, denticu-
late, ciliate, 7-nerved from the base with the transverse veins numerous and
slender, pale, densely stellate-pubescent, and setulose on the veins beneath,
bright green, scabrate and setulose above, the apex acuminate, the base cordate,
the stout petioles 2-10 cm. long; panicles broad, few-several-flowered, shorter
than the leaves; pedicels short or none; calyx-tube subcampanulate, 6-7 mm.
long, its outer lobes 5-6 mm. long; petals white, about 9 mm. long; fruit globose,
glandular-hirsute, about 12 mm. in diameter.
Thickets, forests and rocky hillsides in wet or moist districts, Porto Rico, ascending
to higher elevations. Endemic. TERC1OPELO.
2. Heterotrichum angustifolium DC. Prodr. 3: 173. 1828.
A shrub, the twigs, petioles, inflorescence and under leaf-surfaces densely
stellate-tomontulose and long-setulose, not glandular. Leaves lanceolate to
MELASTOMACEAE 13
oblong-lanceolate, coriaceous, rigid, short-petioled, entire, ciliate, 5-nerved, 6 -12
cm. long, pale beneath, the transverse venation spreading, the apex acuminate,
the base rounded or subcordate, the petioles 1-2 cm. long; inflorescence few-
several-flowered, shorter than the leaves; calyx-tube urceolate, about 6 mm.
long, the exterior lobes about as long; petals white, 8-10 mm. long; fruit globose,
nearly black, described as edible.
Recorded by Cognlaux as collected In Porto Rico by Riedl6:-Known otherwise
only from Hispaniola.
10. MECRANIUM Hook. f. in Benth. & Hook. Gen. Pl. 1: 980. 1867.
Glabrous shrubs or small trees, with petioled oblong, ovate or lanceolate,
3-5-norved leaves and small 4-5-parted flowers in short lateral or axillary panicles.
Calyx-tube ovoid, campanulate or hemispheric, the short lobes obtuse. Petals
obovate, obtuse or retuse. Stamens twice as many as the petals, the filaments
subulate, the anthers linear, 1-2-porose, the base of the connective prolonged, not
appendaged. Ovary 3-5-celled; style short; stigma small. Fruit a small
globose berry. [Anagram of Cremanium.] About 10 species, natives of the
Greater Antilles. Type species: Cremanium virgatum (Sw.) Griseb.
1. Mecranium amygdalinum (Dosr.) C. Wright; Sauvalle, Anales Acad.
Habana 5: 435. 1869.
Melastoma amygdalina Desr. in Lam. Encycl. 4: 35. 1797.
Ossaea amygdalina DC. Prodr. 3: 169. 1828.
Cremanium amygdalinum Griseb. Fl. Br. W. I. 261. 1860.
Tamonea integrifolia Cook & Collins, Contr. U. S. Nat. Herb. 8: 249. 1903.
A shrub, or a small tree 5-8 m. high. Leaves lanceolate to oblong or ovate,
subchartaceous, 5-15 cm. long, green on both sides butsomewhat paler beneath
than above, serrulate or entire, 3-nerved from above the base and with a pair of
slender marginal veins, the transverse venation slender, the apex acuminate, the
base narrowed or obtuse, the slender petioles 1-3 cm. long; panicles few-several-
flowered, about as long as the petioles; pedicels short; calyx ovoid, about 2 mm.
long; petals white, about 1 mm. long; fruit globose, black, 2-3 mm. in diameter.
Mountain forests in wet or moist districts, Porto Rico, mostly at middle and higher
elevations:-Jamaica; Cuba; HIispaniola. Erroneously attributed to St. Thomas.
Races differ in shape and width of the leaves.
11. CLIDEMIA D. Don, Mem. Wern. Soc. 4: 306. 1823.
Shrubs, mostly hirsute or villous, with 3-5-nerved leaves, the small 4-5-
parted flowers in axillary panicles or fascicles. Calyx-tube campanulate to ur-
ceolate, variously lobed. Petals obtuse or retuse. Stamens mostly twice as
many as the petals; the filaments glabrous, filiform or subulate, the anthers linear,
1-porose, the connective not prolonged. Ovary 3-5-collod; style short or long;
stigma very small. Berry usually hirsute, many-seeded. [Dedicated to Clide-
mus, an ancient Greek physician, who studied plant diseases.] About 100 species
or more, natives of tropical America. Type species: Clidemia neglect D. Don.
Flowers 5-6-parted.
Inner calyx-teeth very short or none. 1. C. hirla.
Inner calyx-teeth 2-3 mm. long. 2. C. strigillosa.
Flowers 4-parted.
Leaves densely long-hirsute on both sides. 3. C. polystachya.
Leaves sparsely short-hirsute on both sides. 4. C. domingensis.
14 MELASTOMACEAE
1. Clidemia hirta (L.) D. Don, Mom. Wern. Soc. 4: 309. 1823.
Melastoma hirta L. Sp. PI. 390. 1753.
Clidemia crenata DC. Prodr. 3: 157. 1828.
A shrub, 1.5 m. high or less, the rather slender twigs, the petioles and In-
florescence densely setose. Leaves ovate or elliptic-ovate, membranous, 5-10
cm. long, green and setose on both sides, 5-7-nerved from the base with the
transverse venation slender, denticulate, the apex acute or short-acuminate, the
base rounded or subcordate, the petioles about 2 cm. long or shorter; panicles
short, few-flowered; pedicels 2-6 mm. long; flowers 5-6-parted; calyx-tube about
5 mm. long, its inner teeth very short, the outer 2-4 mm. long, setose; petals white,
about 8 mm. long; berry globose or ovoid, loosely strigose, black, about 6 mm. In
diameter.
Banks, hillsides and woodlands in moist or wet districts, Porto Rico, ascending to
higher elevations; recorded from St. Thomas, perhaps erroneously; Tortola:-Jamaica;
Cuba; Hispaniola; St. Kitts to Trinidad; continental tropical America.
2. Clidemia strigillosa (Sw.) DC. Prodr. 3: 159. 1828.
Melastoma strigillosa Sw. Prodr. 71. 1788.
Staphidium spicatum Naud. Ann. Sci. Nat. III. 17: 316. 1852.
Clidemia spicata strigillosa Grisob. Fl. Br. W, I. 247. 1860.
A shrub, about 1 m. high or less, the twigs, petioles, inflorescence and calyx
densely glandular-pubescent. Leaves ovate to ovate-elliptic, membranous, 5-12
cm. long, denticulate, 7-norved from the base, with the transverse venation rather
prominent, dark green and setulose above, pale green, reticulated and hirsute
beneath, the apex acuminate, the base rounded or subcordato, the petioles 1-2
cm. long; panicles peduncled, mostly many-flowered and shorter than the leaves;
flowers 5-6-parted, subsessile; calyx-tube about 5 mm. long, the inner teeth 2-3
mm., the outer 5-7 mm. long; petals white, about 5 mm. long; fruit subglobose,
black, 6-7 mm. in diameter. [C. lima of Bello, not of de Candolle; C. neglecta
of Stahl, not of Don.]
Banks and thickets In moist parts of the central and western districts of Porto Rico,
ascending to high elevations:-Jamaica; Cuba; Hispaniola; Guiana and Peru.
3. Clidemia polystachya (Naud.) Cogn. in DC. Mon. Phan. 7: 1021. 1891.
Staphidiastrum polystachyum Naud. Ann. Sci. Nat. II. 17: 327. 1852.
Sagraea polystachya Triana, Trans. Linn. Soc. 27: 138. 1871.
Branches densely and softly hirsute. Leaves narrowly ovate, minutely
crenulate, 12-18 cm. long, 6-10 cm. wide, densely long-hirsute on both sides, 5-
nerved from the base; panicles up to 10 cm. long, geminate, many-flowered, their
branches verticillate, slender, elongated, the 4-parted flowers subsessile; calyx-
tube campanulate, hirsute, 2 mm. long, the outer teeth 0.5 mm. long; petals 1.5
mm. long; fruit globose, very small.
Porto Rico, collected only by Plee, and known to us from descriptions only. En-
demic.
4. Clidemia domingensis (DC.) Cogn. Jahrb. Bet. Gart. Berlin 4: 283. 1886.
Sagraea domingensis DC. Prodr. 3: 171. 1828.
A shrub, 1-3 m. high, the twigs hirtellous. Leaves narrowly ovate, or oblong-
ovate, membranous, 10-17 cm. long, denticulate, 5-nerved, sparsely short-hirsute
on both sides, the apex acute or short-acuminato, the base rounded, the petioles
3-7 cm. long; panicles slender, diffuse, few-flowered, 10 cm. long or less; flowers
4-parted; calyx-tube hirtellous, about 2 mm. long, the outer teeth 0.5 mm. long;
petals white, about 1 mm. long; berry black or blue, subglobose, 2-3 mm. in
diameter.
MELASTOMIACEAE 15
Woodlands near Bayamon, in the Yabucoa Mountains and on Mt. Piedra Azul at
JAcana:-Hispaniola; St. Vincent.
Clidemia umbrosa (Sw.) Cogn. was recorded by Cogniaux as found at
Mayaguez by Krug, after a study of a leaf only, noting that the determination was
uncertain. Nothing more is known about the species in Porto Rico; it ranges
from St. Kitts to St. Lucia.
Clidemia spicata DC., recorded by Cogniaux as collected on St. Thomas
by Finlay, was really from Trinidad. Eggers erroneously records it as found on
all three of the former Danish Islands.
Clidemia rubra Mart., attributed by Naudin to St. Thomas as collected
by Finlay, was really from Trinidad.
Clidemia attenuata (Naud.) Cogn., recorded by authors as from St.
Thomas, collected by Finlay, was also from Trinidad. [Sagraea attenuata Naud.]
12. HENRIETELLA Naudin, Ann. Sci. Nat. III. 18: 107. 1852.
Shrubs or trees, with petioled, 3-5-nerved, mostly entire leaves and small
4-5-parted flowers in fascicles borne on the twigs below the leaves. Calyx cam-
panulate to hemispheric, its limb truncate or 4-5-toothed. Petals acute or
acuminate. Stamens usually 10; filaments filiform; anthers oblong, obtuse, 1-
porose, the connective not appendaged. Ovary 4-5-celled; style filiform. Fruit
a many-seeded berry. [Diminutive of Henriettea, a related genus.] About 25
species, natives of tropical America. Type species: Henrietella Seemanni Naudin.
Calyx-limb truncate; foliage glabrous; leaves 3-nerved. 1. H. AacFadyenif.
Calyx-limb obtusely dentate; leaves pubescent, 5-nerved.
Leaves rounded at base; flowers nearly sessile. 2. H. membranifolia.
Leaves narrowed at base; flowers pedicelled. 3. H. fascicularis.
1. Henrietella MacFadyenii Triana, Trans. Linn. Soc. 27: 143. 1871.
A tree, up to 20 m. high, nearly glabrous throughout, the young foliage some-
what scurfy, the slender young twigs angular. Leaves oblong, submembranous,
3-nerved above the base, 5-12 cm. long, bright green above, light green beneath,
the transverse venation delicate, the apex short-acuminate, the base narrowed, the
petioles 1-2 cm. long; fascicles few-flowered; pedicels filiform, 5-10 mm. long;
calyx subhemispheric, about 3 mm. long, its slightly dilated limb truncate; fruit
subglobose, about 4 mm. in diameter.
Forests on Mt. Jimenes In the Luquillo Mountains and at Viva Cristo, between
Adjuntas and Guayanilla:-Jamaica. The petals of this species are unknown.
2. Henrietella membranifolia Cogn. in DC. Mon. Phan. 7: 1042. 1891.
A shrub, or a tree up to about 10 m. high, the slender twigs terete, hirsute.
Leaves ovate, membranous, long-petioled, 1-2 dm. long, 5-nerved from above the
base, ciliate, the apex acute, the base rounded, the petioles 3.5 cm. long or shorter;
flowers small, 4-parted, nearly sessile in the fascicles; calyx ovoid-campanulate,
2 mm. long, 4-denticulate; petals white, triangular-lanceolate, long-acuminate,
2-3 mm. long.
Woodlands near Lares and Aguada. Endemic. Collected only by Sintenis.
16 MELASTOMACEAE
3. Henrietella fascicularis (Sw.) C. Wright; Sauvalle, Anales Acad. Habana 5:
435. 1869.
Melastoma fascicularis Sw. Prodr. 71. 1788.
Sagraea fascicularis DC. Prodr. 3: 170. 1828.
Sagraea acutiflora Naud. Ann. Sci. Nat. III. 18: 99. 1852.
Ossaea fascicularis Griseb. Fl. Br. W. I. 246. 1860.
A tree, 6-15 m. high, or sometimes shrubby, the young twigs and petioles
densely hirsute. Leaves elliptic or oblong-elliptic, membranous, 5-nerved above
the base with the transverse venation slender, green on both sides but paler
beneath than above, short-hirsute on both sides, especially on the veins beneath,
the apex acute, the base narrowed, the petioles 1.5 cm. long or shorter; fascicles
few-several-flowered; pedicels 2-6 mm. long; calyx campanulate, about 3 mm.
long, obscurely 4-denticulate; petals white, about 4 mm. long, triangular-lance-
olate, long-acuminate; berry black, globose, about 6 mm. in diameter.
Woodlands and forests In moist or wet districts of Porto Rico, ascending to high
elevations:-Jamaica; Cuba; Hispaniola.
13. OSSAEA DC. Prodr. 3: 168. 1828.
Shrubs, mostly with pubescent or scabrous foliage, the leaves 3-7-nerved,
the small 4-6-parted flowers in axillary clusters. Calyx campanulate to oblong,
its limb truncate or dentate, the outer teeth often subulate. Petals lanceolate or
subulate, acuminate, often coherent. Stamens twice as many as the petals;
filaments filiform. Ovary 3-5-celled; style filiform, glabrous. Fruit a many-
seeded, small berry. [Commemorates Jos6 Antonio de la Ossa, Spanish botanist.]
About 50 species, natives of tropical America. Type species: Ossaea scalpta
(Vent.) DC.
Flowers 5-6-parted, red. 1. 0. Krugiana.
Flowers 4-parted, white.
Leaves ovate, 7-nerved. 2. 0. scabrosa.
Leaves oblong-lanceolate, 3-nerved. 3. 0. domingensis.
1. Ossaea Krugiana Cogn. in DC. Alon. Phan. 7: 1048. 1891.
A shrub, about 3 m. high, the slender twigs, the petioles and inflorescence
densely strigose with thick scale-like hairs. Leaves ovate, membranous, 4-10
cm. long, serrulate, green on both sides but paler beneath than above, 5-nerved
with the transverse venation delicate, the apex acuminate, the base rounded, the
petioles 1-3 cm. long, the upper surface conic-pustulate, the under side strigose
on the veins; flowers 5-6-parted, nearly sessile, in small, short-peduncled cymes;
calyx-tube ovoid, about 3 mm. long, its narrow teeth 1-1.5 mm. long; petals red,
acute, triangular-ovate, about 3 mm. long.
Primeval forests near Adjuntas. Endemic. The fruit of this species is unknown.
2. Ossaea scabrosa (L.) DC. Prodr. 3: 169. 1S28.
Melastoma scabrosa L. Syst. ed. 10, 1022. 1759.
Clidemia scabrosa Griseb. Fl. Br. W. I. 248. 1860.
A shrub, up to about 4 m. high, the twigs and petioles densely plumose-stri-
gose. Leaves ovate, suburembranous, 5-12 cm. long, denticulate, about 7-nerved
with the transverse venation delicate, dark green and sparsely tuberculate above,
pale green and hirtellous beneath, the apex bluntly acute, the base rounded or
obtuse, the rather stout petioles 1-7 cm. long; flowers in small axillary glomerules;
calyx-tube campanulate, hirsute, about 2 mm. long, its triangular-subulate teeth
MELASTOMACEAE 17
about 1 mm. long; petals acuminate, white, about 2 mm. long; berry small,
bluish.
Primeval forest near Utuado, collected only by Sintenis:-Jamaica; Cuba.
3. Ossaea domingensis Cogn. in Urban, Symb. Ant. 7: 530. 1913.
A slender shrub, the terete twigs and the petioles densely stellate-scurfy.
Leaves oblong or oblong-lanceolate, membranous, 6-11 cm. long, nearly 3 times
as long as wide, 3-nerved, entire, dark green and sparsely setulose above, light
green and stellulate-puberulent beneath at least on the veins, the apex acute or
acutish, the base narrowed or obtuse, the petioles 1-2.5 cm. long; flowers in
small axillary clusters, 4-parted, the calyx about 1.5 mm. long, puberulent, its
subulate teeth 1 mm. long or shorter; berry about 2 mm. in diameter.
Alto de la Bandera, Porto Rico (Stevens 8717):-Hispaniola.
14. MOURIRI Aubl. P1. Guian 1: 452. 1775.
Glabrous shrubs or trees, with entire, short-potioled or sessile, coriaceous,
faintly pinnately veined or veinless leaves but the midnerve prominent, the
mostly small and 5-parted flowers fascicled or solitary at the nodes of twigs, or
in the axils. Calyx-tube turbinate to hemispheric, smooth or in some species
scurfy, the limb cup-like, lobed or subtruncate. Petals acute or acuminate.
Stamens twice as many as the petals, the filaments filiform, the anthers 2-rimose.
Ovary 1-5-celled; style slender; stigma small; ovules 2-several in each cavity.
Fruit a drupe-like, 1-4-seeded berry. [Guiana name.] About 40 species, of
tropical America. Type species: Mouriri guianensis Aubl.
Leaves ovate to ovate-lanceolate, acuminate, 5-8 cm. long. 1. !. domingensis.
Leaves obovate to oval, obtuse, 2-3 cm. long. 2. M. Helern.
1. Mouriri domingensis (Tuss.) Spach, Hist. Nat. Veg. 4: 276. 1835.
Petaloma domingensis Tuss. Fl. Ant. 3: 119. 1824.
Aulacocarpus quadrangularis Griseb. Fl. Br. W. I. 239. 1860.
Eugenia teirasperma Bello, Anal. Soc. Esp. Hist. Nat. 10: 271. 1881.
A tree, reaching a maximum height of about 10 m., with slender, somewhat
4-angled twigs. Leaves ovate, slightly fleshy, 4-9 cm. long, shining above, faintly
few-veined, the apex acute or short-acuminate, the base obtuse or somewhat
narrowed, the petioles 3-5 mm. long; flowers fascicled; pedicels 6 mm. long or
less; calyx-tube turbinate, about 3 mm. long, its lobes short and broad; petals
oblong, rose, acute, 4 mm. long; fruit subglobose, yellow or orange, about 15 mm.
in diameter. [Petaloma Mouriri of West.]
Woodlands and thickets at lower and middle altitudes, Porto Rico; Vieques; St.
Croix:-Bispaniola; Antigua; Guadeloupe. Sometimes cultivated. CAIMITILLO. GUA-
SAVARA. MURTA.
2. Mouriri Helleri Britton, Torreya 2: 10. 1902.
A spreading shrub, 2-3 m. high, much branched, the slender young twigs
quadrangular. Leaves obovate to oval or oval-obovate, 2-3 cm. long, bluish
green, shining, coriaceous, very obscurely veined, the apex rounded or obtuse, the
base narrowed, the margins slightly revolute, the petioles about 1 mm. long,
flowers solitary in the upper axils; pedicels 5-6 mm. long, 2-bracteolate at about
the middle; fruit orange, 10 mm. in diameter or larger, the persistent calyx-limb
with short broad acute lobes. [M. domingensis of Bello, not of Spach.]
Sandy and rocky soil, near Cataflo, Hatillo and Guanica. Endemic. MAMEYUELO.
Mouriri guianensis Aubl., a related species, of Trinidad and northern
South America, was recorded by Krebs in 1852, as found in St. Thomas; it may
have been planted there.
Tibouchina (?) diffusa (Pay.) Cogn., described as from Porto Rico by
D. Don, has not been identified with any known species by modern botanists.
[Melastoma diffusa Pay.; D. Don, Mem. Worn. Soc. 4: 291. 1823. Pleroma (?)
diffusa DO.]
Charianthus nodosus (Desr.) Triana, of the Lesser Antilles from St. Kitts
southward, was recorded by Krebs as found in St. Thomas, presumably in error.
[Melastoma nodosa Desr.]
Conostegia procera (Sw.) D. Don, a species endemic in Jamaica, was
erroneously recorded by Krebs from St. Thomas; there is a parish of St. Thomas in
Jamaica.
Family 2. LYTHRACEAE Lindl.
LOOSESTRIFE FAMILY.
Herbs, shrubs, or often trees in tropical regions, mostly with opposite
leaves and perfect flowers. Stipules usually none. Calyx persistent, free
from the ovary, the limb toothed. Petals as many as the primary calyx-
teeth; inserted on the calyx, or none. Stamens inserted on the calyx;
anthers versatile. Ovary 2-6-celled or sometimes 1-celled; style 1; ovules
oo, rarely few, anatropous. Capsule 1-several-celled. Seeds without
endosperm; cotyledons flat, often auricled at the base. About 21 genera
and 400 species of wide distribution.
Calyx-tube short, globose to turbinate.
Herbaceous plants.
Capsule septicidally dehiscent. 1. Rotala.
Capsule bursting irregularly. 2. Ammannia.
Shrubs or small trees.
Stamens 10-20; capsule dehiscent: native tree. 3. Ginoria.
Stamens 8: capsule indehiscent or irregularly bursting; introduced. 4. Lawsonia.
Calyx-tube tubular; flowers irregular. 5. Parsonsia.
1. ROTALA L. Mant. 143, 175. 1771.
Low annual mainly glabrous herbs, usually with opposite leaves, 4-angled
stems, and axillary, mainly solitary, small flowers. Calyx campanulate or globose.
4-lobed. Stamens 4, short. Ovary free from the calyx, globose, 4-celled. Cap-
sule subglobose, 4-celled, the valves minutely and densely striate transversely.
[Latin, wheel, from the whorled leaves of some species.] About 30 species, of
wide distribution. Type species: Rotala verticillata L.
1. Rotala ramosior (L.) Koehne, in Mart. Fl. Bras. 132: 194. 1877.
Ammannia ramosior L. Sp. Pl. 120. 1753.
Ammannia humilis Michx. Fl. Bor. Am. 1: 99. 1803.
Peplis occidentalis Spreng. Syst. 2: 135. 1825.
Ammannia occidentalis DC. Prodr. 3:.78. 1828.
Glabrous, 5-25 cm. high. Leaves oblong or linear-oblong, 1-3 cm. long,
blunt at the apex, narrowed and sessile at the base or tapering into a short petiole,
LYTHRACEAE
18 .
LYTHRACEAE 19
not auricled; flowers solitary or rarely 3 in the axils, very small; petals minute;
style almost none; capsule about 3 mm. long.
Wet or moist open grounds, Porto Rico, at lower and middle elevations:-Hispani-
ola; Guadeloupe; Martinique; Trinidad; Margarita; continental temperate and tropical
America; Philippine Islands. YERBA DE CANCER.
2. AMMANNIA [Houst.] L. Sp. Pl. 119. 1753.
Annual glabrous or glabrate herbs, mostly with 4-angled stems, opposite
sessile narrow leaves, and small axillary flowers. Calyx campanulate, globose or
ovoid, 4-angled, 4-toothed, often with small accessory teeth in the sinuses. Petals
4, deciduous, or none. Stamens 4-8, inserted on the calyx-tube. Ovary nearly
globular, 2-4-colled. Capsule bursting irregularly. [Named for Johann Am-
mann, 1699-1741, a German botanist.] About 20 species, of wide distribution,
known as CRAB-WEED and YERBA DE CANCER. Type species: Ammannia
latifolia L.
Style very short. I. A. latifolia.
Style filiform, usually more than half as long as the capsule. 2. A. coccinea.
1. Ammannia latifolia L. Sp. Pl. 119. 1753.
Erect, 2-11 dm. high, the branches nearly erect, or ascending. Leaves
linear-lanceolate or linear-oblong, 2-7 cm. long, 2-10 cm. wide, acute or blunt
at the apex, sessile, clasping the stem by an auricled base; flowers minute, green,
sessile and solitary or few together in the axils; calyx about 2 mm. long; petals
none; style short; capsule about 4 mm. in diameter, enclosed by the calyx.
Marshes, ditches, borders of lakes and in cultivated ground, Porto Rico, at lower
elevations; St. Croix; St. Thomas; Tortola:-Florida; West Indies; continental tropical
America.
2. Ammannia coccinea Rottb. Pl. Hort. Havn. Descr. 7. 1773.
Ammannia sanguinolenta Sw. Fl. Ind. Occ. 272. 1797.
Erect, 1.5-5 dm. high. Leaves obtusely cordate-auriculato and dilated at
the somewhat clasping base, entire, 2-8 cm. long, 2-6 mm. wide; flowers 1-5 in
each axil, sessile or nearly so; petals purple, fugacious; style very slender; cap-
sule 3-4 mm. in diameter, enclosed by the calyx.
Marshes, ditches and borders of lakes, Porto Rico, at lower elevations; St. Croix;
St. Thomas; St. Jan:-Jamaica; Cuba; Hispaniola; Martinique; Curacao; temperate
and tropical continental America; Pacific and Philippine Islands.
3. GINORIA Jacq. Enum. 5, 22. 1760.
Shrubs or small trees, prickly or unarmed, with opposite entire leaves, and
large or small, solitary or clustered, often showy, axillary pedicelled flowers.
Calyx hemispheric to turbinate, 4-6-lobed. Petals 4-6, broad, erose. Stamens
10-20, borne on the calyx-tube; filaments filiform; anthers oblong. Ovary sub-
globose; style slender; stigma capitate. Fruit a loculicidally dehiscent capsule.
Seeds many, small. [Commemorates Carlo Ginori, Italian botanist.] About 10
species, natives of the West Indies. Type species: Ginoria americana Jacq.
1. Ginoria Rohrii (Vahl) Koehne, Bot. Jahrb. 3: 351. 1882.
Antherylium Rohrii Vahl, Skr. Nat. Selsk. 21: 211. 1792.
A shrub, or small tree about 5 m. high, the branches nearly erect, glabrous
throughout, the twigs sharply 4-angled, bearing 2-4 short decurrent prickles at
20 LYTHRACEAE
the nodes. Leaves ovate to elliptic or elliptic-obovate, membranous when
young, chartaceous when old, 3-8.5 cm. long, strongly pinnately veined, green
on both sides, the apex acute, obtuse or rounded, the base mostly narrowed, the
petioles 3 mm. long or shorter; flowers in sessile axillary or lateral umbels or
sometimes solitary; pedicels filiform, 2-13 mm. long; calyx about 6 mm. long,
its lobes much longer than the tube; petals obovate, white, 6-9 mm. long; style
filiform; capsule globose-ovoid, about as long as the calyx.
Thickets, hillsides and plains along and near the eastern and southern coasts and about
Lake Guanica, Porto Rico; Vieques; St. Croix; St. Thomas; St. Jan; Tortola; Virgin
Gorda:-Hispaniola; recorded from St. Vincent. Sometimes occurs within saline in-
fluence. UCARILLO. ROSA DE CIENEGA. BASTARD GREGRE.
4. LAWSONIA L. Sp. Pl. 349. 1753.
A glabrous shrub, the slender branches unarmed or spinescent, the small
opposite leaves entire, the small fragrant flowers paniculate. Calyx-tube tur-
binate, 4-angled, much shorter than the 4 ovate spreading lobes. Petals 4,
sessile, rose. Stamens 8, borne at the base of the calyx-tube; filaments subulate;
anthers oblong. Ovary globose, 4-celled; style filiform; stigma capitate. Cap-
sule globose, at length irregularly bursting. [Commemorates John Lawson,
English physician and naturalist.] A monotypic genus.
1. Lawsonia inermis L. Sp. PI. 349. 1753.
A densely much-branched shrub, 2 m. high or higher, the twigs terete.
Leaves oblong, or some of them obovate, thin, dark green, 2-5 cm. long, delicately
pinnately veined, the apex acute, the base narrowed, the petioles 1-2 mm. long;
panicles subcorymbose, longer than the leaves, commonly many-flowered; pedicels
filiform, 3-6 mm. long; flowers white, about 8 mm. broad; stamens rather longer
than the petals; capsule 5-7 mm. in diameter.
Spontaneous after cultivation in Porto Rico; St. Croix: St. Thomas:-widely planted
for ornament and spontaneous in the West Indies. Native of the Old World tropics.
RESEDA. EGYPTIAN PRIVET. HENNA PLANT. MIGNONETTE-TREE.
5. PARSONSIA P. Br.; Adans. Fam. Pl. 2: 234. 1763.
Herbs (some shrubs in tropical regions), with opposite or verticillate leaves.
Flowers axillary, irregular and unsymmetrical. Calyx-tube elongated, 12-ribbed,
gibbous or spurred at the base, oblique at the mouth, with 6 primary teeth and
usually as many accessory ones. Petals 6, unequal. Stamens 6-11, inserted on
the throat of the calyx, unequal; filaments short. Ovary with a curved gland at
its base, unequally 2-celled; style slender; stigma 2-lobed. Capsule oblong,
1-celled, laterally dehiscent. Seeds flattened. [In honor of James Parsons,
M.D., a Scotch botanist.] About 180 species, natives of America, those of
Porto Rico called CHIAGARI. Type species: Lythrum Parsonsia L.
Pubescence short, rough; plant diffuse. 1. P. Parsonsia.
Pubescence long, often viscid; plant erect. 2. P. micrantha.
1. Parsonsia Parsonsia (L.) Britton; Northrop, Moem. Torr. Club 12: 53. 1902.
Lythrum Parsonsia L. Syst. ed. 10, 1045. 1759.
Parsonsia herbacea J. St. Ilil. Exp. Fam. Nat. 2: 173. 1805.
Cuphea Parsonsia R. Br.; Steud. Nom. 1: 245. 1821.
Parsonsia radicans Hitchc. Rep. Mo. Bot. Gard. 4: 87. 1893.
Lythrum repens Sess6 & MAlo. Fl. Mex. ed. 2, 121. 1894.
Annual; stem little-branched, the branches prostrate or ascending, 1-3 din.
long, rough-pubescent. Leaves ovate or oblong, 1-2 cm. long, very short-
PUNICACEAE
petioled, acute or obtuse at the apex, mostly narrowed at the base, scabrous or
nearly smooth; flowers solitary in upper axils, short-peduncled; calyx about 4
mm. long, gibbous at the base, its teeth very small; petals pale purple, about 2
mm. long; stamens mostly 6, included; filaments glabrous; capsule about 5 mm.
long, few-seeded.
Sandy and rocky soil, and In cultivated grounds at lower and middle elevations in wet
or moist districts of Porto Rico:-Bahamas; Cuba; Hispaniola; Martinique; Mexico.
2. Parsonsia micrantha (II.B.K.) Jennings, Ann. Carnegie MIus. 11: 198. 1917.
Cuphea micrantha H.B.K. Nov. Gen. 6: 196. 1823.
Melanium hirtum Spreng. Syst. 2: 454. 1825.
Annual; stem erect, slender, simple or branched, pubescent and glandular-
hirsute, 1-4.5 dm. high. Leaves lanceolate to oblong-lanceolate, nearly sessile,
thin, loosely hirsute, 1.5-6.5 cm. long, the apex acute or acuminate, the base
narrowed, rounded or subcordate; flowers solitary or few in the upper axils, the
peduncles 1-3 mm. long; calyx 4-7 mm. long, slightly gibbous, the teeth short;
stamens 11.
Wet sand near Dorado, Porto Rico, collected only by Stahl; we failed to find It in
that vicinity in 1922 and 1923:-Cuba; Hispaniola; continental tropical America.
Parsonsia platycentra (Lemaire) Britton, Mexican, occasionally grown in
Porto Rico flower gardens, is a low shrub, 3-5 dm. high, with oblong thin pu-
berulent acuminate petioled leaves 2-4 cm. long, slender-peduncled flowers 2-3
cm. long, the nearly cylindric calyx scarlet with a white 6-toothed mouth; there
are no petals. [Cuphea platycentra Lemaire.]
Lagerstroemia indica L., ASTROMEDA, ASTROMERA, CRAPE M1\YRTLE,
QUEEN OF SHRUBS, Asiatic, much planted for ornament in Porto Rico and the
Virgin Islands, perhaps sometimes subspontaneous after cultivation, is a tall
shrub or small tree, with rather small, entire, mostly opposite leaves, the showy
pink or white flowers in terminal panicles, with 6-clawed and crisped petals and
many long unequal filaments, the fruit a leathery capsule about 1 cm. in diameter.
Lagerstroemia speciosa (L.) Pers., QUEEN OF FLOWERs, East Indian,
occasionally planted for ornament in Porto Rico and the Virgin Islands, is a tree,
becoming under favorable conditions 10 m. high or higher; the elliptic leaves
are pinnately veined, 8-10 cm. long, the elegant rose to purple flowers 5-8 cm.
broad, in panicles 2-3 dm. long, the fruit a capsule 3-5 cm. long. [Munchausia
speciosa L.; Lagerstroemia Flos-reginae Retz.]
Family 3. PUNICACEAE Horan.
POMEGRANATE FAMILY.
Shrubs or small trees, with terete branches. Leaves opposite or nearly
so, entire. Flowers perfect, showy, solitary or clustered in the axils, short-
peduncled. Calyx leathery, turbinate, adnate to the ovary, its lobes 5-7.
Corolla of 5-7 petals inserted at the throat of the calyx-tube, wrinkled.
Stamens numerous in many series on the calyx-tube; filaments filiform;
anthers versatile. Ovary several-celled, inferior; styles united; stigma
slightly lobed. Ovules numerous, superimposed in 2 series. Fruit a several-
celled berry crowned with the calyx, with a leathery coat, its septa mem-
branous. Seeds angled, in a watery. pulp, with a leathery testa. Embryo
with spirally convolute cotyledons, each auricled at the base. Only the
following genus containing the one typical species and perhaps one other.
22 TERMINALIACEAE
1. PUNICA L. Sp. Pl. 472. 1753.
Characters of the family. [Latin, from the Roman name for Carthage,
where the fruit was obtained.]
1. Punica Granatum L. Sp. Pl. 472. 1753.
Punica nana L. Sp. Pl. ed. 2, 676. 1763.
A shrub, or tree reaching a height of 7 m. Foliage glabrous; leaves leathery,
oval, elliptic or oblong, varying to broadest slightly above or below the middle,
1-8 cm. long, obtuse or acute, or rarely retuse, flat, short-petioled; peduncles
stout, 1-several-flowered; calyx-tube turbinate, becoming campanulate, later
subglobose, its lobes triangular or triangular-lanceolate, much shorter than the
tube, acute, finally deciduous; petals scarlet or white, their blades suborbiculhr or
orbiculhr-obovate, 2.5 cm. long or less, short-clawed; fruit subglobose, 6-14 cm.
In diameter.
Occasionally spontaneous after planting for its fruit in Porto Rico: St. Croix; St.
Thomas; St. Jan:-widely planted in tropical and subtropical regions. Native of the
Mediterranean region. The dwarf, small-leaved and small-flowered race was seen
growing well In Mrs. McKinley's garden near San Juan in 1924. GRANADA. POME-
GRANATE.
Family 4. TERMINALIACEAE J. St. Hil.
WHITE MANGROVE FAMILY.
Trees, shrubs, or vines, with petioled, usually simple and entire, estipu-
late leaves, and regular, perfect or rarely polygamo-dioecious flowers, mostly
spicate, racemose or capitate. Tube of the calyx adnate to the ovary, the
limb 4-8-cleft. Petals usually small or none. Stamens various; filaments
filiform; anthers didymous or 2-celled, the sacs dehiscent longitudinally or
by valves. Ovary 1-celled; ovules 1-several; style usually straight; stigma
simple. Fruit various, mostly indehiscent, coriaceous or baccate. About
15 genera and some 275 species, mostly tropical.
Petals wanting.
Calyx deciduous.
Flowers in axillary spikes; fruit drupaceous.
Fruit ellipsoid, compressed. 1. Terminalia.
Fruit oblong, subterete. 2. Buchenavia.
Flowers in globose heads; fruit scale-like. 3. Conocarpus.
Calyx persistent. 4. Bucida.
Petals present; calyx persistent. 5. Laguncularia.
1. TERMINALIA L. Mant. 1: 21, 128. 1767.
Trees or shrubs, with broad alternate entire loaves, usually clustered at the
ends of the branches, and small spicate flowers. Calyx-tube terete, ribless, the
lobes deciduous. Petals none. Stamens 10 to 20, exserted, the filaments
slender, the anthers cordate. Fruit a flattened drupe. [Latin, referring to the
clustered leaves at the ends of the branches.] About 100 species, mostly of the
Old World tropics. Type species: Terminalia Catappa L.
1. Terminalia Catappa L. Mant. 1: 128. 1767.
Buceras Calappa 1litchc. Rep. Mo. Bot. Gard. 4: 85. 1893.
A tree, up to 24 m. high, with a trunk diameter of 1.5 m., usually much
smaller, the spreading branches whorled, the twigs stout, glabrous, the bark
TERMINALIACEAE
shallowly fissured. Leaves clustered at the ends of the twigs, obovate or broadly
oblanceolate, 1-3 dm. long, short-petioled, glabrous, rounded or short-pointed
at the apex, cuneate at the base, dark green and shining above, pale green
beneath; spikes slender, many-flowered, 5-15 cm. long; calyx 8-10 mm. long,
pubescent, its ovate lobes about as long as the tube or longer; drupe ellipsoid,
,compressed, glabrous, 2-edged, pointed, 4-7 cm. long; seed 3-4 cm. long.
Hillsides and sand dunes, Porto Rico, mostly near or along the coasts; Vieques:
St. Croix; St. Thomas; St. Jan; Tortola; Virgin Gorda; much planted for shade:-Florida;
West Indies; continental tropical America and Old World tropics. Native of Malaya.
The brownish hard and strong wood, used for furniture and in construction, has a specific
gravity of about 0.7. The ripe seeds are eaten, like almonds; the green fruits are highly
astringent and may be used in tanning. ALMENDRON. INDIAN ALMOND. MALABAR
ALMOND.
2. BUCHENAVIA Eichl. Flora 49: 164. 1866.
Trees or shrubs, with alternate entire leaves, mostly clustered at the ends of
the twigs, the small flowers capitate or spicate. Calyx terete, 5-toothed, the
teeth deciduous. Petals none. Stamens 10, scarcely exserted, in 2 series;
filaments cylindric; anthers subdidymous. Fruit an oblong or ovoid drupe.
[Named in honor of Franz Buchenau, German botanist, 1831-1906.] About 8
species, the following typical one widely distributed in tropical America, the others
mostly Brazilian.
1. Buchenavia capitata (Vahl) Eichl. Flora 49: 165. 1866.
Bucida capitata Vahl, Eclog. 1: 50. 1796.
Pseudolmedia bucidaefolia Bello, Anal. Soc. Esp. Hist. Nat. 12: 109. 1883.
A large tree, up to 25 m. high or higher, with a trunk 6-15 din. in diameter,
the young twigs pubescent, the brown bark slightly fissured. Leaves obovate to
spatulate, subcoriaceous, 3-7 cm. long, reticulate-veined, dark green, nearly
glabrous and shining above, light green beneath and appressed-pubescent on the
veins, the apex rounded or obtuse, the base cuneate, the petioles 3-8 mm. long,
pubescent; peduncles pubescent, 1-3 cm. long; spikes subglobose or oblong, 10-
18 amm. long; flowers green, very small; drupe oblong, 1.5-2.5 cm. long.
Woodlands and forests in wet or moist districts, Porto Rico, mostly at middle and
higher elevations; Tortola:-Jamaica; Cuba; Hispaniola; Montsorrat to St. Vincent;
continental tropical America. The wood is satiny, hard, strong and heavy, valued for
furniture and in construction. GRANADILLO.
3. CONOCARPUS L. Sp. PI. 176. 1753.
A shrub or tree of the seacoast, with alternate entire leathery leaves, the
petioles 2-glandular, the small greenish perfect flowers in racemed or panicled
heads. Calyx-tube flattened, not prolonged beyond the ovary; sepals 5, decidu-
ous. Petals none. Stamens mostly 5, with slender elongated filaments and
cordate anthers. Style pubescent. Ovules 2. Drupes scale-like, densely aggre-
gated. Seeds flat; cotyledons convolute. [Greek, referring to the cone-like heads
of fruit.] A monotypic American genus.
1. Conocarpus erecta L. Sp. Pl. 176. 1753.
A glabrate or silky-pubescent shrub or tree, sometimes 20 m. tall, sometimes
less than 1 m. high, with angled or winged twigs, the bark astringent. Leaves
2-5 cm.. long, elliptic to oval or acuminate at both ends, entire, short-petioled;
racemes 3-5 cm. long, peduncled; heads 5-8 mm. in diameter at flowering time;
calyx-tube funnel-like, greenish, a little over 1 mm. long; its lobes triangular,
',-.
I.
*. , 5t
24 TER\MINALIACEAE
about as long as the limb of the calyx, pubescent; stamens and style conspicuously
oxserted; heads of fruit 9-14 mm. long; drupes 2-winged, 4-7 mm. long.
Coastal rocks and mangrove swamps, Porto Rico: Mona; Icacos; Vieques; St. Croix;
St. Thomas; St. Jan; Tortola; Virgin Gorda; Anegada:-Florida; Bermuda; West Indies;
continental tropical America; western tropical Africa. The wood is brownish, hard,
strong and very heavy, its specific gravity barely 1.00. MANGLE BOTON. BUTTONWOOD.
BUTTON-TREE.
4. BUCIDA L. Syst. ed. 10, 1025. 1759.
Trees or shrubs, sometimes spinescent, with coriaceous entire alternate leaves
clustered at the end of the twigs, and small spicate or capitate flowers, some
perfect, some staminate. Calyx broadly campanulate, slightly 5-toothod, per-
sistent. Petals none. Stamens 10, in 2 series; filaments slender, exserted.
Fruit a small, slightly fleshy drupe, crowned by the at length deciduous calyx.
[Latin; slender horn-like galls develop from the fruit after it is bitten by a mite.]
Two species, natives of the West Indian region. Type species: Bucida Buceras L.
1. Bucida Buceras L. Syst. ed. 10, 1025. 1759.
A tree, attaining a maximum height of about 25 m., the trunk up to 1 m. in
diameter or more, the young twigs and leaves pubescent, becoming glabrous, the
old bark grey, separating into oblong scales. Leaves clustered at the ends of
twigs, spatulate to elliptic, 3-9 cm. long, obtuse or emarginate at the apex, nar-
rowed at the base, short-petioled; spikes peduncled, slender, pubescent, 3-10 cm.
long; calyx-lobes triangular, acute; stamens exserted; drupe ovoid-conic, about
8 mm. long, tomentulose, slightly curved.
Plains, hillsides, river banks and coastal woods, at lower elevations, Porto Rico;
Mona; Vieques; St. Croix; St. Thomas; St. Jan:-Florida; West Indies; Panama. The
light brown or nearly white wood is used for shingles, cogs, in carpentry and for boats;
it is durable, hard, heavy, strong and tough, with specific gravity about 1.04. A resin
exudes from cut trunks; the astringent bark has been used in tanning. BUCAnR. BLACK
OLIVE. WATER GREGRE. GREGORY WOOD.
5. LAGUNCULARIA Gaertn. f. Fr. & Sem. 3: 209. 1805.
A halophytic tree or shrub, with opposite entire leaves, the petioles 2-glandu-
lar, and small greenish flowers in clustered spikes. Flowers polygamous or per-
fect. Calyx-tube terete, 5-lobed. Petals 5, minute. Stamens 10, short, the
filaments subulate, the anthers cordate. Ovary with a scalloped opigynous disk;
style short, glabrous; stigma somewhat 2-lobed; ovules 2 in each cavity. Drupes
coriaceous, ribbed or angled. Seed solitary, germinating within the drupe.
[Latin, from the fancied resemblance of the drupe to a flask.J A monotypic genus.
1. Laguncularia racemosa (L.) Gaertn. f. Fr. & Sem. 3: 209. 1805.
tonocarpus raccmosa L. Syst. ed. 10, 930. 1759.
A tree, reaching a maximum height of about 20 m. with a trunk up to 8 dm.
in diameter, usually much smaller, and often shrubby, the reddish brown, glabrous
twigs thickened at the nodes. Leaves oblong, oval or obovate, 2-7 cm. long,
emarginate or rounded at the apex, rounded, narrowed or subcordate at the base,
the stout petioles 0.5-2 cm. long; spikes 3-6 cm. long, few-several-flowered;
calyx tomentulose, its lobes rounded; petals 5, orbicular, not longer than the
calyx; drupes oblong to obovoid, reddish, 1.5-2 cm. long, constricted below the
persistent calyx-lobes.
Coastal swamps, Porto Rico; Mona; Vieques; St. Croix; St. Thomas; St. Jan;
Anegada:-Florida; West Indies; continental tropical America; west tropical Africa.
MYRTACEAE 25
Its yellowish brown wood is hard and strong, with specific gravity about 0.86; the bark is
astringent. MANGLE BLANCO. WHITE MANGROVE.
Quisqualis indica L., QUISQUAL, RANGOON CREEPER, a woody vine of the
Old World tropics, is planted for ornament about houses in Porto Rico and the
Virgin Islands; it has opposite, elliptic to oblong-lanceolate, entire, acuminate
leaves 7-10 cm. long, the flowers numerous and showy in terminal drooping
spikes with a very slender calyx-tube 7 or 8 cm. long and 5 white, pink to red
oblong-lanceolate petals 1.5-2 cm. long, the leathery capsular fruit 5-angled.
Grislea coccinea (Lam.) Britton, Madagascan, an elegant vine seen in
1923 in a garden at St. Thomas, where it had flourished for many years, becomes
at least 6 m. long, slender and with long branches, the opposite oblong-glabrous
acute leaves 7-10 cm. long, the small numerous bright red flowers in terminal
panicled racemes, the calyx 5-lobed, the petals 5, the 10 exserted stamens about
12 mm. long. [Combretum coccineum Lam.]
Family 5. MYRTACEAE R. Br.
MYRTLE FAMILY.
Trees or shrubs, with simple, usually opposite and entire, pellucid-
punctate, estipulate leaves, the regular and perfect, often bracteolate flowers
mostly panicled. Calyx-tube (hypanthium) adnate to the ovary, the limb
usually 4-5-cleft. Petals usually 4 or 5, imbricated, rarely wanting. Disc
mostly annular and fleshy. Stamens usually numerous, sometimes only as
many as the petals; filaments filiform, distinct, or united at the base; anthers
small, 2-celled. Ovary inferior, 2-several, or rarely 1-celled, style simple;
stigma terminal, small; ovules usually 2-several in each cavity. Fruit
drupaceous or baccate, often crowned by the calyx-limb, or in some genera
capsular. Seeds various; endosperm usually wanting. About 60 genera,
including over 1700 species, mostly tropical in distribution.
A. Radicle well developed, usually about as long as the cotyledons or longer.
1. Embryo much curved or spiral.
Testa of the seed horny.
Calyx-lobes persistent. 1. Psidium.
Calyx-limb closed in bud, circumscissile and irregularly
separating. 2. Calyptropsidium.
Testa of the seed thin or crustaceous. 3. Amomis.
2. Embryo straight or somewhat curved.
a. Anther-sacs all alike and equal.
Calyx-limb persistent.
Calyx-lobes 4 or 5, distinct. 4. Mryrcia.
Calyx closed In bud, rupturing in anthesis. 5. Plinia,.
Calyx-limb deciduous, cup-like. 6. Calyplranthes.
b. The two inner anther-sacs higher than the two outer. 7. Gomidesia.
B. Radicle very short, much shorter than the thick cotyledons.
Inflorescence centripetal.
Calyx-tube subhemispheric. 8. Eugenia.
Calyx-tube obconic. 9. Jambos.
Inflorescence centrifugal, cymose. 10. Anamomis.
1. PSIDIUM L. Sp. Pl. 470. 1753.
Trees or shrubs with pinnately veined leaves and large, axillary or terminal,
solitary or clustered flowers. Calyx-tube somewhat prolonged beyond the ovary,
its 4 or 5 lobes often united in the bud, irregularly parting at anthesis, persistent.
Petals 4 or 5, spreading. Stamens numerous, with filiform filaments in several
series. Ovary 4-5-celled; ovules several or many in each cavity. Berry
crowned by the calyx-lobes. Seeds several or many, the testa horny. Embryo
MYRTACEAE
curved, with small cotyledons and a long radicle. [Greek, referring to the
edible fruit.] A large genus, of which about 100 species have been described.
Type species: Psidium Guajava L.
Leaves oblong, short-petloled, not cordate, chartaceous. 1. P. Guajava.
Leaves suborbicular, subsessile, subcordate, coriaceous. 2. P. amplexicaule.
1. Psidium Guajava L. Sp. P1. 470. 1753.
Psidium pyriferum L. Sp. PI. ed. 2, 672. 1762.
Psidium pomiferum L. Sp. P1. ed. 2, 672. 1762.
Psidium pumilum Vahl, Symb. 2: 56. 1794.
Psidium Guava Griseb. Fl. Br. WV. 1. 241. 1860.
A shrub, or a small tree, sometimes 7 m. tall, the trunk up to 2 dm. in
diameter, with pubescent 4-angled branchlets. Leaves subchartaceous, oblong
or nearly so, 4-8 cm. long, acute or obtuse, pubescent beneath, with prominent
rib-like nerves, short-petioled; calyx-lobes 1-1.5 cm. long, united in the bud;
petals 1.5-2 cm. long; fruit globular or pyriform, yellow, 3-6 cm. in diameter.
Thickets and hillsides at lower and middle elevations, Porto Rico; Vieques: St. Croix;
St. Thomas; St. Jan; Tortola:-Florida; Bermuda; West Indies and continental tropical
America; widely planted for its fruit in tropical and subtropical regions. The fruit yields
the well-known dulce de guayava or guava jelly. The hard brownish, strong and tough wood
has a specific gravity of about 0.7, and is used for implements and in carpentry. GUAYAVA.
GUAVA.
2. Psidium amplexicaule Pers. Syn. 2: 27. 1807.
Psidium cordatum Sims, Bot. Mag. pl. 1779. 1816.
A glabrous shrub, 2-4 m. high, the twigs gray, rather stout, subdivaricate.
Leaves suborbicular or ovate-orbicular, coriaceous, very nearly sessile, sub-
cordate, 4-7 cm. long, the venation spreading; peduncles terminal and sometimes
axillary, solitary or few together, stout, 1 cm. long or less; calyx 6-8 mm. long;
ovary 2-4-celled; fruit subglobose, about 2 cm. in diameter.
Hillsides, St. Thomas; St. Jan; Tortola; Virgin Gorda. Recorded as planted on
St. Croix and on Guadeloupe. Recorded by Sims from Nevis. SPERRY GUAVA. MIOUN-
TAIN GUAVA.
Psidium aromaticum Krebs, recorded from St. Thomas, is not identified;
it is not the same as P. aromaticum Aublet.
Psidium Cattleyanum Sabine, PURPLE GUAVA, STRAWBERRY GUAVA,
Brazilian, occasionally planted in Porto Rico and the Virgin Islands for its fruit,
is a small tree with obovate cuneate leaves, its twigs terete, its flowers smaller
than those of the Common Guava, its globose purplish fruit about 2.5 cm. in
diameter.
A tree, planted at the Agricultural Experiment Station at Mayaguez, about
7 m. high when seen in 1913, called GUAYABOTA, has small oblong-oblancoolate,
short-petioled leaves about 2 cm. long, narrowed at both ends, the filiform axillary
peduncles somewhat shorter than the leaves, the globoso fruit about 5 mm. in
diameter.
2. CALYPTROPSIDIUM Berg, Linnaea 27: 349. 1856.
Trees, with opposite, densely punctate leaves and mostly solitary, axillary
flowers. Calyx closed in bud, circumscissile and irregularly separating. Petals 5.
Stamens many, filiform, in several, series. Ovary 5-celled; ovules many. Fruit
a many-seeded small berry. Embryo curved, with a long radicle and short
MYRTACEAE
cotyledons. [Greek, capped-Psidium.] About 10 species of tropical America.
Type species: Calyptropsidium Friedrichsthalianum Berg.
1. Calyptropsidium Sintenisii Kiaersk. Bot. Tids. 17: 280. 1890.
A small tree, up to about 8 m. high, the foliage glabrous, the twigs slender.
Leaves elliptic or oblong-elliptic, 3-6 cm. long, subehartaceous, indistinctly
veined, densely punctate, the apex acute, the base narrowed, the slender petioles
6 mm. long or less; flowers solitary, lateral, the slender peduncles 1-2.5 cm. long;
calyx-tubo about 2 mm. long; fruit subgloboso, about 8 mm. long, crowned by
the calyx.
High mountain forests In the Sierra de Luquillo. Endemic.
3. AMOMIS Berg. Handb. Pharm. Bot. ed. 3, 1: 339. 1855.
Aromatic trees, with large coriaceous punctate pinnately veined leaves, and
small 5-parted flowers in axillary many-flowered panicles. Calyx-tube scarcely
prolonged beyond the ovary, its spreading lobes persistent. Petals spreading.
Stamens many, in several series, with filiform filaments. Ovary 2-celled; ovules
about 6 in each cavity; style short; stigma slightly oblique. Seed with a thin
crustaceous testa, the embryo spiral, with a long radicle and short cotyledons.
[Name, Greek, significance not given.] Three species, of the West Indies and
northern South America. Type species: Myrtus acris Sw.
Leaves glabrous or nearly so. 1. A. carophyllata.
Leaves densely whitish-puberulent beneath. 2. A. grisea.
1. Amomis caryophyllata (Jacq.) Krug & Urban, Bot. Jahrb. 19: 573. 1895.
Myrtus caryophyllatus Jacq. Obs. 2: 1. 1767.
Myrtus Pimenta Ortega, Hist. Malagueta. 1780.
Myrtus acris Sw. Prodr. 79. 1788.
Myrica acris DC. Prodr. 3: 243. 1828.
Pimenta acris Kostel. Allg. Mled. Fl. 4: 1526. 1835.
Pimenta acuminata Bello, Anales Sec. Esp. Hist. Nat. 10: 270. 1881.
A tree, reaching a maximum height of about 15 m., with a trunk up to about
6 dm. in diameter, usually lower, mostly 5-10 m. high, sometimes shrubby, the
angular and glandular twigs, the leaves and inflorescence glabrous or nearly so.
Leaves elliptic, oblong-elliptic or obovate, 5-15 cm. long, bright green and finely
many-veined and reticulated on both sides, the apex rounded, obtuse, emarginate
or sometimes acutish, the base narrowed or obtuse, the rather stout petioles 5-15
mm. long; panicles usually ample and many-flowered, longer than the leaves,
glandular; calyx-tooth broad, short, acutish; petals rounded, about 4 mm. long;
fruit oval to obovoid, 8-10 mm. long, few-seeded. [P. vulgaris of Bello, not of
Lindley.]
Hillsides and forests in moist districts, Porto Rico, at lower and middle elevations;
Vieques; St. Croix (according to Eggers); St. Jan; Tortola:-Cuba; Hispaniola; St. Martin
to Trinidad and northern South America. The leaves and twigs yield by distillation the
important oil of bay or bay oil; a superior kind of this oil is produced on St. Jan, where
there are extensive forests of the tree, obtained for the most part by clearing away other
trees and bushes thus permitting the bay trees to grow from seedlings without much
cultivation. Much oil is also obtained from wild trees In Porto Rico, but little or none
in St. Croix, St. Thomas or Tortola. The species consists of many races differing mainly
in the amount and quality of the oil contained, but also in shape, size and color of the
leaves and shape of the fruit. Reference is made to an important paper on "The Bay
Rum and Bay Oil Industries of St. Thomas and St. Jan" written by Mr. W. C. Fishlock
and published in West Indian Bulletin, Vol. 12, No. 4. The dark wood is strong, very
hard, tough, mottled and durable, with a specific gravity of about 0.9; it is utilized for
rollers, sills, posts and to some extent in carpentry. MALAGUETA. AUSU. GUAYAVITA.
BAY RUM TREE. WILD CINNAMON.
28 MYRTACEAE
2. Amomis grisea (Kiaersk.) Britton.
Pimenta acris grisea Kiaersk. Bot. Tids. 17: 289. 1890.
Amomis caryophyllata grisea Krug & Urban, Bot. Jahrb. 19: 575. 1895.
A tree, up to 8 m. high or higher, the young twigs densely puberulent, angular,
slender. Leaves elliptic to obovate, coriaceous, similar to those of the preceding
species, but pale, whitish and densely puberulent beneath, at least when young;
panicles short, often not longer than the leaves, densely puberulent or tomentu-
lose; calyx tomentose, its teeth ovate. [Pimenta Pimento of Bello, not of Grise-
bach.j
Wooded hills and forests In wet or moist districts, Porto Rico; St. Thomas (ex
Eggers); Tortola:-Hispaniola. LImoNCILLO. CINNAMON BUSH.
4. MYRCIA DC.; Guill. Dict. Class. Nat. 11: 378, 401. 1826.
Trees or shrubs, with opposite punctate pinnately veined leaves, and small
flowers in terminal and axillary panicles. Calyx-tube scarcely, or not at all
produced beyond the ovary, the limb mostly 5-lobed. Petals mostly 5. Stamens
many, in several series, the anthers filiform. Ovary usually 2-celled; ovules 2
in each cavity; style very slender; stigma very small. Berry crowned by the
persistent calyx-lobes, 1-2-seeded. Seeds subglobose, the radicle curved, the
cotyledons large. [Greek, like Myrtus.] A very large genus, the species perhaps
as many as 500, natives of tropical America. Type species: Myrtus coriacea Vahl.
Calyx-tube produced beyond the nearly glabrous ovary.
Leaves ovate to oblong or elliptic, obtuse or acute. 1, Af. citrifolia.
Leaves elliptic to ovate-lanceolate, acuminate. 2. Af. leptoclada.
Calyx-tube not produced beyond the silky ovary.
Panicles and twigs glabrate or pubescent.
Leaves densely reticulate-veined; fruit little longer than thick. 3. A splendens.
Leaves pinnately veined; fruit twice as long as thick. 4. Al. Berberis.
Panicles and twigs densely brown-tomentose. 5. A. deflexa.
Affinity unknown. 6. lM. (?) Pagant.
1. Myrcia citrifolia (Aubl.) Urban, Repert. 16: 150. 1919.
Myrtus citrifolia Aubl. Pl. Guian. 1: 513. 1775.
Eugenia paniculata Jacq. Coll. 2: 108. 1788.
Myrtus coriacea Vahl, Symb. 2: 59. 1791.
Myrcia coriacea DC. Prodr. 3: 243. 1828.
Eugenia acetosans Poir. in Lam. Encycl. Suppl. 3: 125. 1813.
Aulomyrcia coriacea Berg, Linnaea 27: 70. 1855.
Myrtus trifida Sess6 & Moc. Fl. Hisp. od. 2. 124. 1894.
Myrcia paniculata Krug & Urban, Bot. Jahrb. 19: 577. 1895.
A tree, up to about 15 m. high, usually lower, sometimes shrubby, with
slender puberulent twigs. Leaves oblong, elliptic or ovate, glabrous or nearly
so, chartaceous or coriaceous, shining, 2-6 cm. long, the apex obtuse or acute,
the base narrowed, the margin more or less revolute, the petioles 2-4 mm. long,
puberulent; panicles terminal, glabrous, few-several-flowered; pedicels slender,
5-15 mm. long; hypanthium glabrous; calyx-tube slightly produced beyond the
ovary, its lobes short, rounded; petals 2-3 mm. long, obtuse, punctate; fruit
globular, 6-9 mm. in diameter. [? Myrtus nitida Sess6 and Mocino, not of Vahl.]
Thickets, forests and hillsides, Porto Rico, at lower and middle elevations in wet or
moist districts; St. Croix; St. Thomas; St. Jan; Tortola; Virgin Gorda:-Cuba; St.
Martin and Saba to Barbados. Doubtfully recorded from Hispaniola. HOYA MENUDA.
2. Myrcia leptoclada DC. Prodr. 3: 244. 1828.
Aulomyrcia leptoclada Berg, Linnaea 27: 40. 1855.
A tree, up to about 10 m. high, or shrubby, glabrous throughout, or the
young slender twigs sparingly puberulent. Leaves elliptic to ovate-lanceolate,
MYRTACEAE
chartaceous, shining, 5-10 cm. long, the apex acuminate, the base narrowed, the
margins not revolute, the petioles 3-6 mm. long; panicles terminal and axillary,
loosely soveral-many-flowered; pedicels very slender, 3-10 mm. long; hypanthium
glabrous; calyx-tube a little produced beyond the ovary, its lobes broadly ovate;
petals about 1.5 mm. long; fruit globose, about 6 mm. in diameter. [Myrcia
divaricata of Bello and of Stahl, not of de Candolle; Myrcia Kegelianaof Kiaerskou,
not of Berg; ? M!yrtus acuminata of Sess6 and Mocino, not of Miller.]
Forests and wooded hills In wet or moist districts, Porto Rico, mostly at higher
elevations:-Hispaniola; Guadeloupe; Martinique; St. Vincent; Trinidad. Doubtfully
recorded from Jamaica. GUAYABACON.
3. Myrcia splendens (Sw.) DC. Prodr. 3: 244. 1828.
Myrtus splendens Sw. Prodr. 79. 1788.
Myrcia sororia DC. Prodr. 3: 243. 1828.
A tree, up to 10 m. high, sometimes flowering as a shrub, the slender twigs,
the young leaves, the petioles and inflorescence pubescent. Leaves glabrous
when mature, chartaceous, strongly shining, 3-7 cm. long, densely reticulate-
veined, ovate to lanceolate, the apex acuminate, the base-obtuse or narrowed,
the petioles 2-4 mm. long; panicles mostly axillary, sometimes also terminal,
several-many-flowered; pedicaIs very short; hypanthiumn pubescent; calyx-tube
not prolonged beyond the ovary, its lobes ovate, unequal; petals nearly orbicular,
sericeous, about 2 mm. long; fruit oval, obovoid or subglobose, 6-8 mm. long.
Thickets and woodlands in wet or moist districts at lower and middle elevations,
Porto Rico, ascending into the eastern mountains; St. Croix; Tortola:-Cuba; Hispaniola;
Saba to Trinidad. Doubtfully recorded from St. Thomas, probably erroneously. RAMAL
WENUDA. PUNCH BERRY.
4. Myrcia Berberis DC. Prodr. 3: 254. 1828.
Similar to M. splendens, but not known to form so large a tree, the twigs,
petioles and inflorescence somewhat pubescent. Loaves ovate to lanceolate,
2-8 cm. long, less strongly reticulate-veined than those of M. splendens, the apex
acuminate, the base narrowed or obtuse; panicles axillary and terminal, mostly
many-flowered; hypanthium pubescent; petals small; fruit oblong or obovoid,
8-15 mm. long. [M. divaricata of Grisobach, not of de Candolle.]
Monte Jimenes, Sierra de Luquillo (according to Urban) collected only by Sin-
tenis:-Montserrat to Tobago; northern South America. We have not seen Porto Rico
specimens; those collected by Sintenis were referred to this species by Urban with hesita-
tion; they may represent an undescribed one.
5. Myrcia deflexa (Poir.) DC. Prodr. 3: 244. 1828.
Eugenia deflexa Poir. in Lam. Encycl. Suppl. 3: 124. 1813.
Myrcia Humboldliana DO. Prodr. 3: 256. 1828.
Myrcia ferruginea Berg, Linnaoa 27: 90. 1855.
A tree, 8-18 m. high, perhaps sometimes flowering as a shrub, the twigs,
young leaves, petioles and inflorescence densely brown-tomentose. Leaves
oblong, oblong-lanceolate or elliptic, coriaceous, 5-15 cm. long, glabrous and
shining above, pubescent on the veins beneath, strongly pinnately veined, the
apex acuminate or acute, the base narrowed or obtuse, the petioles 3-6 mm. long;
panicles terminal or axillary, usually many-flowered; pedicels short; hypanthium
tomentose; calyx-tube not prolonged beyond the ovary, its lobes suborbicular;
petals about 3 mm. long; fruit oval, 6-7 mm. long.
Woodlands and forests in wet or moist districts, Porto Rico, ascending to higher
elevations:-Cuba; TTispaniola; Guadeloupe to Trinidad and northern South America.
The wood Is hard, reddish, heavy and strong. CIENEGUILLO.
30 MYRTACEAE
6. Myrcia (?) Pagani Krug & Urban, Bet. Jahrb. 19: 587. 1895.
Described as a tree up to 20 m. high, the young twigs villous, compressed,
the leaves oval to olliptic-oblong, 10-16 cm. long, 4-9 cm. wide, the apex rounded
or obtuse, the base narrowed, the petioles 4-5 mm. long, the under side reticulate-
veined.
Primeval forest near Guajateca, Sierra de Lares, collected only by Sintenis, its
flowers and fruit unknown. AusU.
5. PLINIA [Plum.] L. Sp. Pl. 516. 1753.
Trees or shrubs with chartaceous or subcoriaceous punctate leaves, the in-
florescence lateral, axillary or terminal. Calyx subturbinate or hemispheric,
closed in the bud, irregularly rupturing in anthesis. Petals 4 or 5. Stamens
numerous, in several series; filaments filiform; anther-sacs longitudinally dehis-
cent. Ovary 2-4-colled; ovules mostly 2 in each cavity; style filiform; stigma
small. Berry globose. Seeds 1 or few. Embryo nearly straight, the radicle
long, incurved. [Dedicated to PUny.] Perhaps 50 species or more, natives of
tropical America. Type species: Plinia pinnata L.
Leaves ovate to elliptic, petioled, narrowed or cuneate at the base;
inflorescence nearly sessile. 1. P. Dussii.
Leaves ovate-orbicular, sessile, rounded or subcordate at the base; in-
florescence peduncled. 2. P. Sintenisi.
1. Plinia Dussii (Krug & Urban) Urban, Repert. 15: 413. 1919.
Marlieria Dussii Krug & Urban, Bet. Jahrb. 19: 590. 1895.
A small tree, up to about 10 m. high, or shrubby, the young twigs short-
pilose. Leaves ovate to elliptic, subcoriaceous, 2-4 cm. long, glabrous, shining,
deep green above, pale green beneath, the apex bluntly acuminate or obtuse,
the base mostly narrowed or cuneate, the petioles 6 mm. long or shorter; in-
florescence subsessile, lateral or axillary, few-flowered; pedicels 1-3 mm. long;
buds obovoid, glabrous, 3-4 mm. long; calyx-lobes 4; petals 4, white, about 1
mm. long, puberulent; berry 6-8 mm. in diameter.
Mountain forests, central and western districts of Porto Rico:-Guadeloupe;
Martinique.
2. Plinia (?) Sintenisii (Kiaersk.) Britton.
Marlierea Sintenisii Kiaersk. Bet. Tids. 17: 252. 18S9.
A shrub, 3-4 m. high, the young twigs and inflorescence ferruginous-
tomentose. Leaves ovate-orbicular or ovate, sessile or very short-petioled, about
9 cm. long or shorter, glabrous or somewhat tomentose, rounded at the apex,
subcordate at the base; panicles small; peduncle 6-25 mm. long; flowers glomerate,
sessile; flower-buds obovoid, blunt, 2.5 mm. long; calyx 4-lobed; petals 4, obovate,
1.5 mm. long;stamens about twice as long as the petals.
Monte Jimenes, Sierra de Luquillo, collected only by Sintenis. Endemic. Com-
plete specimens are needed to make the generic position of this species certain; its fruit
Is unknown.
6. CALYPTRANTHES Sw. Prodr. 79. 1788.
[CHYTRACULIA P. Br. Hist. Jam. 239. IIyponym. 1756.]
Evergreen shrubs or trees, with opposite coriaceous or subcoriaceous leaves,
and small panicled cymose or rarely solitary flowers. Calyx closed at anthesis,
circumscissile, the top falling away like a cap or calyptra. Petals none. Stamens
I
MYRTACEAE 31
numerous, in several series; filaments filiform; anthers longitudinally dehiscent.
Ovary 2-3-celled; ovules 2 in each cavity. Fruit a 1-few-seeded berry, crowned
by the basal part of the calyx. Seeds subglobose, the radicle long, the cotyledons
large. [Greek, referring to the cap-like lid of the calyx.] About 75 species, of
tropical and subtropical America. Type species: Calyptranthes Chytraculia (L.)
Sw.
Inflorescence paniculate or cymose; leaves 3-8 cm. long.
Leaves acuminate.
Fruit 4-5 mm. in diameter. 1. C. pallens.
Fruit 6-7 mm. in diameter. 2. C. Sintenisii.
Leaves acute or obtuse.
Leaves oblong-obovate. 3. C. thomasiana.
Leaves elliptic to ovate. 4. C. portoricensis.
Flowers solitary, sessile; leaves 2.5 cm. long or less. 5. C. Krugii.
Flowers and fruit unknown; leaves obovate, 2.5 cm. long or less. 6. C. Kiaerskovii.
1. Calyptranthes pallens (Poir.) Griseb. Kar. 67. 1857.
Eugenia pallens Poir. in Lam. Encycl. Suppl. 3: 122. 1813.
Calyptranthes Chytraculia ovalis Berg, Linnaoa 27: 27. 1855.
Calyptranthes Chytraculia zuzygium Berg, Linnaea 27: 28. 1855.
A tree, attaining a maximum height of about 10 m., with a trunk sometimes
1.5 din. in diameter, usually smaller and sometimes shrubby, the bark thin and
light gray, the young twigs pubescent, soon becoming glabrous. Leaves elliptic
to oblong-elliptic, 3-8 cm. long, acuminate at the apex, narrowed at the base,
shining above, the petioles 5-12 mnm. long; panicles as long as the leaves or longer,
pubescent, many-flowered, the flowers sessile or nearly so, about 3 mm. broad;
fruit subglobose or oval, 4-5 mm. in diameter. [C. Chytraculia of West and of
Krebs, not of Swartz.]
Base of limestone cliffs, Mona; St. Croix; St. Thomas:-Florida; Bahamas; Jamaica;
Cuba; Hispaniola; Cayman Islands; Guadeloupe. WHITE STOPPER.
2. Calyptranthes Sintenisii Kiaersk. Bot. Tids. 17: 250. 1889.
A tree, up to about 10 m. high, or sometimes shrubby, the slender brownish
twigs and the petioles sparingly appressed-pubescent. Leaves elliptic, charta-
ceous, 5-9 cm. long, flat, the numerous lateral veins slender, the upper surface
bright green and faintly shining, the under surface pale and dull, sometimes
slightly pubescent, the apex abruptly bluntly acuminate, the base narrowed or
obtuse, the petioles 3-8 mm. long; panicles axillary, several-many-flowered,
mostly shorter than the leaves, slender-peduncled, glabrous or nearly so; flower-
buds about 3 mm. long; fruit subglobose, 6-7 mm. in diameter. [C. Chytraculia
of Bello, not of Swartz.]
Forests at lower and middle elevations in moist districts of Porto Rico:-Hispaniola.
LIMONCILLO DE MONTE.
3. Calyptranthes thomasiana Berg, Linnaea 27: 26. 1855.
Chytraculia thomasiana Kuntze, Rev. Gen. Pl. 258. 1891.
A shrub, 3 m. high or a small tree, the twigs, young leaves and panicles
strigose, the branches glabrous. Leaves subobovate-oblong, rigidly coriaceous,
2-4.5 cm. long, impressed-punctate on both sides, shining and obsoletely veined
above, dull and very indistinctly veined beneath, the apex narrowed and obtuse,
the base cuneate, the petioles about 4 mm. long; inflorescence subaxillary, the
cymes trichotomous; flower-buds obovoid, apiculate, 3 mm. long; petals 4, small,
spatulato.
Signal Hill and Bolongo, St. Thomas. Endemic. Known to us only from de-
scriptions.
32 MIYRTACEAE
4. Calyptranthes portoricensis Britton, Bull. Torr. Club 51: 11. 1924.
A tree or shrub, the twigs and inflorescence densely brown-pubescent.
Leaves elliptic or ovate-elliptic, coriaceous, glabrous above, pubescent beneath
when young, 3-7 cm. long, very obscurely punctate, the apex rounded or acutish,
the base obtuse, the midvein prominent beneath, the lateral venation obscure;
peduncles rather stout, 7 cm. long or shorter; panicles several-flowered, the
flowers subglomerate, nearly sessile; calyx densely brown-pubescent, about 2 mm.
long, obovoid, rounded: fruit finely pubescent, globose, about 5 mm. in diameter.
Vicinity of Maricao, Porto Rico. Endemic.
5. Calyptranthes Krugii Kiaersk. Bot. Tids. 17: 248. 1889.
A shrub, or a small tree up to about 6 m. high, much branched, the branches
forked, the short young twigs tomentose. Leaves obovate, small, coriaceous,
1.5-2.5 cm. long, pubescent when young, glabrous when mature, dark green and
obsoletely veined above, light green and rather strongly pinnately veined beneath,
the apex obtuse or rounded, the base cuneate or narrowed, the stout pubescent
petioles 2 mm. long or less; flowers solitary and sessile or nearly so in the axils;
flower-buds about 4 mm. long; calyx pubescent.
Forests at middle and higher altitudes in the eastern mountains of Porto Rico.
Endemic.
6. Calyptranthes Kiaerskovii Krug & Urban; Urban Symb. Ant. 1: 42. 1898.
Calyptranthes obovata Krug & Urban, Bot. Jahrb. 19: 600. 1895. Not
Kiaersk.
Glabrous; branches dichotomously forked. Leaves obovate, 2.5 cm. long
or less, 1-2 cm. wide, chartaceous or subcoriaceous, minutely punctate, the apex
obtuse or rounded, the base cuneate or narrowed, shining above, pale beneath,
the venation rather prominent on the upper surface, somewhat reticulated, the
petioles 1-2.5 mm. long.
Tortola. (Eggers 3217). Endemic. Known only from its foliage.
Calyptranthes paniculata Grosourdy, recorded by the author as Porto
Rican in 1864, called LIMONCiLLO, has not been identified by subsequent botanists.
7. GOMIDESIA Berg, Linnaea 27: 6. 1854.
Trees or shrubs with opposite leaves, the flowers mostly in axillary or terminal
panicles. Calyx 5-lobed. Petals 5. Stamens many in several series; filaments
distinct; anthers 4-celled, two anther-sacs higher than the other two. Ovary
2-5-celled; style filiform; stigma small, simple. Berry 1-4-seeded, crowned by
the calyx-lobes. Radicle elongated; cotyledons foliaceous. [Commemorates
Dr. Gomides, a Brazilian physician.] Perhaps 40 species, of tropical America,
mostly Brazilian. Type species: Mlyrcia spectabilis DC. (?).
1. Gomidesia Lindeniana Berg, Linnaea 29: 208. 1858.
Myrcia Sintenisii Kiaersk. Bot. Tids. 17: 257. 1890.
A tree, 4-10 m. high, or sometimes shrubby, the twigs, inflorescence and under
leaf-surfaces densely brown-tomentose. Leaves oblong to elliptic, coriaceous,
glabrous and dark green above, 6-12 cm. long, strongly pinnately veined, the
apex acute or acuminate, the base narrowed, the stout petioles 8 mm. long or less;
panicles axillary and terminal, mostly somewhat shorter than the leaves, many-
MYRTACEAE 33
flowered; flowers fragrant, nearly sessile; bractloets ovate, about 4 mm. long;
calyx-lobes about 1.5 mm. long; petals whito, suborbicular, about 3 mm. long;
fruit subgloboso, red, turning black, tomentose, about 8 mm. in diameter.
Forests in wet or moist districts, Porto Rico:-Jamaica; Cuba; Hispaniola; St. Kitts;
Montserrat; Brazil. CIENEGUILLO.
8. EUGENIA L. Sp. Pl. 470. 1753.
Shrubs or trees, with usually glabrous foliage. Leaves opposite, punctate,
commonly leathery, pinnately-veined, the flowers mostly axillary, solitary, or In
umbel-like, raceme-like or congested clusters. Calyx-lobes 4 or 5. Petals 4 or 5
white. Stamens numerous; filaments filiform, distinct and in several series, or
aggregated into 4 groups and slightly united. Ovary sessile, 2-3-collod. Ovules
several in each cavity. Berries crowned by the calyx-lobes. Seeds often 1-4.
Embryo with thick cotyledons and a short radicle. [Named in honor of Prince
Eugene of Savoy (1663-1736), a patron of botany and horticulture.] About 600
species, of tropical distribution. The Spanish name HOYA MENUDA and the
English name STOPPER are applied to many of the species. Type species:
Eugenia uniflora L.
A. Flowers axillary to linear bracts mostly below the leaves,
long-peduncled, mostly solitary.
Leaves ovate to ovate-lanceolate, the base obtuse or rounded;
fruit grooved.
Leaves oblong, the base narrowed; fruit not grooved.
B. Inflorescence racemose, panicled, glomerate, or solitary.
1. Flowers pedicelled.
a. Flowers small; calyx-lobes 5 mm. long or less; pedicels
slender.
*Inflorescence racemose or racemose-paniculate.
Leaves 5-16 cm. long; fruit 10-15 mm. in di-
ameter.
Fruit smooth; pedicels 4-10 mm. long.
Fruit verrucose; pedicels only 1 mm. long.
Leaves 7.5 cm. long or less; fruit 6-8 mm. in
diameter.
**Inflorescence short-racemose, umbellate or glomer-
ate, or pedicels sometimes solitary.
tInflorescence glomerate or short-racemose;
flowers short-pedicelled.
tLeaves obovate to oblong-lanceolate, rounded
or obtuse at the apex.
ttLeaves ovate to elliptic or lanceolate, acute,
obtusish or acuminate.
Leaves 1-5 cm. long; fruit 3-5 mm. in
diameter.
Leaves dark green above, pale beneath,
very short-petioled.
Leaves about equally green on both
sides, manifestly petioled.
Twigs and inflorescence puberulent.
Twigs and inflorescence tomentose.
Leaves 4-9 cm. long, manifestly petioled;
fruit 7-10 mm. in diameter.
tfInflorescence umbellate, or flowers solitary;
flowers slender pedicelled.
Fruit4-9 mm. in diameter; leaves 2-7 cm. long.
Twigs glabrous.
Leaves shining, strongly veined.
Leaves dull, faintly veined.
Twigs pubescent; fruit black.
Fruit 10-15 mm. in diameter; leaves larger.
b. Flowers large; calyx-lobes 7-10 mm. long; pedicels
stout.
Leaves elliptic to obovate, narrowed at base, short-
petioled.
Leaves orbicular, subcordate, sessile.
1. E. uniflora.
2. E. ligustrina.
3. E. aeruginea.
4. E. Eggersii.
5. E. lancea.
6. E. buxifolia.
7. E. monticola.
S. E. Underwoodii.
9. E. boqueronensis.
10. E. axillaris.
11. E. confuse.
12. E. rhombea.
13. E. procera.
14. E. pseudopsidium.
15. E. Slahlii.
16. E. borinquensis.
34 MIYRTACEAE
2. Flowers sessile, or essentially sessile.
a. Leaves rounded or obtuse at the apex.
Calyx-lobes only about 1-2 mm. long; fruit small.
Leaves rounded or cordate at the base.
Leaves 2-3.5 cm. long, rounded, pale beneath. 17. E. cordata.
Leaves 4-6 cm. long, obtuse, bright green on
both sides. 18. F. Slewardsonii.
Leaves narrowed at the base. 19. E. Sinlenisii.
Calyx-lobes 5-6 mm. long; fruit up to 2 cm. in
diameter. 20. E. sessiliflora.
b. Leaves long-acuminate. 21. E. floribunda.
C. Species not grouped, incompletely known 22. E. serrasuela.
23. E. Bellonis.
24. E. (?) corozalensis.
25. E. (?) xerophylica.
1. Eugenia uniflora L. Sp. Pl. 470. 1753.
Eugenia Michelii Lam. Encycl. 3: 205. 1789.
A shrub, or small tree up to 5 m. high, with slender branches. Leaves ovate
to ovate-lanceolate, dark green and shining above, paler beneath, bluntly acute
or acuminate at the apex, rounded at the base, dotted, thin in texture, 2.5-6 cm.
long; pedicels solitary or few together, very slender, glabrous, about 2.5 cm. long,
bracted at the base and 2-bractoolate near the summit; calyx-lobes linear-oblong,
obtusish; petals about twice as long as the calyx-lobes; fruit subglobose, longi-
tudinally furrowed, 8-10 mm. in diameter, bright red, pleasantly acid, edible.
Spontaneous after planting for its fruit, St. Croix; St. Thomas:-widely planted in
tropical regions. Native of tropical America. SURINAM CHERRY. CEREZO DE CAYENA.
2. Eugenia ligustrina (Sw.) Wilid. Sp. Pl. 2: 962. 1800.
Myrtus ligustrina Sw. Prodr. 78. 1788.
Myrius cerasina Vahl, Symb. 2: 57. 1791.
Stenocalyx ligustrinus Berg, Linnaea 27: 312. 1856.
Myrtus bractciflora Sess6 & lMog. Fl. Mex. ed. 2, 124. 1894.
A shrub, or a small tree 5-S m. high, glabrous throughout, the twigs very
slender. Leaves oblong to narrowly elliptic, subcoriaceous, shining, 2-5 cm.
long, dark green above, pale beneath, the apex obtuse or acutish, the base nar-
rowed, the petioles 2-5 mm. long; peduncles nearly filiform, 2-3 cm. long, mostly
solitary in the axils of linear bracts below the leaves; calyx-lobes about 5 mm.
long; petals 8-12 mm. long; fruit globose, not grooved, punctate, about 8 mm. in
diameter. [Eugenia buxifolia of Bello, not of Willdenow.]
Woodlands, hillsides and thickets, Porto Rico, mostly in the southern dry districts;
Culebra; Vieques; St. Croix; St. Thomas; St. Jan:-Jamaica; Cuba; Hispaniola; St.
Martin to Trinidad; Brazil. PALO DE MULTA. PRIVET STOPPER. BIRCII-BERRY.
3. Eugenia aeruginea DC. Prodr. 3: 283. 1828.
Eugenia domingensis Berg, Linnaea 27: 296. 1856.
Eugenia calyculata Bello, Anal. Soc. Esp. Hist. Nat. 10: 271. 1881.
A tree, up to 20 m. high with a trunk up to 6 dm. in diameter, the young
twigs, leaves and inflorescence pubescent, the bark whitish. Leaves elliptic to
ovate-elliptic or oblong-lanceolate, chartaceous, 6-11 cm. long, glabrous or nearly
so when mature, shining, the apex acuminate, the base narrowed or obtuse, the
slender petioles 5-12 mm. long; flowers in axillary or lateral simple or compound
racemes shorter than the leaves; pedicels 4-10 mm. long; bractlets 2, obtusish,
connate at base, about 1 mm. long; outer calyx-lobes about 2 mm. long; petals
suborbicular, about 4 mm. long; fruit oval, or subgloboso, purple, 10-15 mm.
long. [E. tetrasperma of Stahl, not of Bello; ? Myrtus Cumini of Sess6 & Alogino,
not of Linnaeus.]
Thickets and woodlands at lower and middle elevations, Porto Rico:-Cuba; His-
paniola; Dominica; Martinique; St. Vincent; Trinidad; doubtfully recorded from Jamaica.
The light brown wood is hard, strong and heavy. GUASAVARA.
MIYRTACEAE 35
4. Eugenia Eggersii Kiaersk. Bot. Tids. 17: 268. 1890.
A shrub, or a tree up to about 20 m. high, the young twigs, leaves and in-
florescence appressed-pubescent, the mature foliage glabrous. Twigs slender,
terete; leaves oblong to elliptic or oblong-lanceolate, subehartaceous, 5-16 cm.
long, the apex acuminate, acute or rarely obtuse, the base narrowed or obtuse, the
petioles 4-11 mm. long; flowers in short axillary racemes; podicels very short,
about 1 mm. long; bractlets acute, 1-2 mm. long; calyx-lobes verrucose-glandular,
rounded, the outer 2-2.5 mm. long; petals oval, about 6 mm. long; fruit globular,
verrucose, 10-13 mm. in diameter.
Forests at higher elevations in the central and eastern mountains of Porto Rico.
Endemic. GUASAVARA.
5. Eugenia lance Poir. in Lam. Encycl. Suppl. 3: 123. 1813.
Myrtus lance Spreng. Syst. 2: 482. 1825.
Eugenia virgultosa DC. Prodr. 3: 280. 1828.
Eugenia ludibunda Bert.; DC. Prodr. 3: 280. 1828.
Eugenia biflora ludibunda Krug & Urban, Bot. Jahrb. 19: 630. 1895.
Eugenia biflora lance Krug & Urban, loc. cit. 631. 1895.
Myrcia (?) thomasiana DC. Prodr. 3: 244. 1828.
A much-branched shrub, or a small tree 4-6 m. high, the slender twigs,
petioles and inflorescence puberulent. Leaves oval, ovate or oblong-lanceolate,
rarely obovate-oval, chartaceous or subcoriaceous, 2-7.5 cm. long, the 'apex
bluntly acuminate or acute, the base narrowed or obtuse, the petioles 3-12 mm.
long; flowers in axillary racemes mostly shorter than the leaves; bractlets about
1 mm. long; pedicels 3-12 mm. long; calyx-lobes broad, about 2 mm. long; petals
orbicular-obovate, 3-4.5 mm. long; fruit globose, 6-S mm. in diameter. [E. por-
toricensis of Stahl, not of do Candolle; E. glabrata of Berg and of Eggers, not of
do Candolle; Myrtus virgultosa of Vahl, not of Swartz; Eugenia pallens of
Eggers.]
Thickets at lower elevations, Porto Rico, mostly in moist districts; Culebra; Vieques;
St. Croix; St. Thomas; Tortola; Virgin Gorda:-Hispaniola; St. lMartin. Recorded from
Jamaica, perhaps erroneously. PITANGUEIRA. BiLCK ROD-WOOD.
6. Eugenia buxifolia (Sw.) Willd. Sp. P1. 2: 960. 1800.
Myrtus buxifolia Sw. Prodr. 78. 1788.
Eugenia foetida Poir. in Lam. Encycl. Suppl. 3: 129. 1813.
A small tree, becoming about 6 m. high, with a trunk up to 3 dm. in diameter,
usually smaller, often shrubby, the bark reddish-brown, scaly, the slender twigs
sparingly pubescent or glabrous. Loaves obovate, oblanceolate or nearly oblong,
glabrous, 2-4 cm. long, rounded or obtuse at the apex, narrowed at the base,
short-potioled, dark green above, pale green beneath; inflorescence axillary or
lateral, 1-few-flowerod; pedicels pubescent, very short; calyx 4-lobed, the lobes
obtuse; petals oblong, 2-3 mm. long; fruit oval to subglobose, black, 5-7 mm. in
diameter.
Coastal woods and thickets, Porto Rico, in the dry southwestern districts; Mona;
Muertos; Vieques; St. Croix; St. Thbmas (according to Krebs and to Eggers):-Florida;
Bahamas; Jamaica; Cuba; Hispaniola. ANGUILLA. SPANISH STOPPER.
7. Eugenia monticola (Sw.) DO. Prodr. 3: 275. 1828.
Myrtus monticola Sw. Prodr. 78. 1788.
Eugenia flavovirens Berg, Linnaea 27: 184. 1856.
A shrub, or a tree up to about 10 m. high, the branches often virgate, the
numerous, very slender twigs and the petioles puberulent. Leaves commonly
crowded and appearing distichous, glabrous or nearly so, lanceolate to ovate,
36 M\IYRTACEAE
subcoriaceous, dark green above, pale beneath, 1.5-4 cm. long, the apex mostly
bluntly acute or acuminate, the base narrowed, the petioles 1-2.5 mm. long;
inflorescence glomerate in the axils, several-many-flowered; pedicels 1-5 mm.
long; bractlets very small; calyx-lobes 1-1.5 mm. long; petals about 2 mm.
long; fruit globose, black when mature, about 5 mm. in diameter. [E. foetida of
West, not of Poiret; E. Poiretii of Borg, not of de Candolle.)
Thickets and woodlands, Porto Rico, at lower and middle elevations in moist and
dry districts; Culebra; Vieques; St. Croix; St. Thomas; St. Jan; Tortola; Virgin Gorda:-
Jamaica; Cuba; Hispaniola; St. Martin to Trinidad. Bmuii. SLANG BERRY. RED
ROD-WOOD. BLACK CHERRY.
Eugenia monticola latifolia Krug & Urban, similar to E. monticola but
with leaves up to 8 cm. long, was recorded by Urban as found in St. Croix.
8. Eugenia Underwoodii Britton, Bull. Torr. Club 51: 10. 1924.
A shrub, 2.5-3 m. high, much branched, the very slender gray terete twigs
puberulent -when young, the inflorescence pubescent. Leaves elliptic or elliptic-
lanceolate, chartaceous, 2-5 cm. long, slightly paler green beneath than above
somewhat shining, delicately veined and scarcely reticulated, rather coarsely
punctate, flat, the apex acuminate, the base narrowed, the puberulent petioles
1.5-2.5 mm. long; flowers in small short-peduncled racemes near the ends of the
twigs; pedicels 2-3 mm. long; bractlets about 1 mm. long; calyx-tube campanulate,
glabrate, about 1.5 mm. long, the lobes a little shorter, puberulent, ciliate, obtuse;
petals nearly 2 mm. long; fruit unknown.
Yauco, Porto Rico. Endemic.
9. Eugenia boqueronensis Britton, Bull. Torr. Club 51: 10. 1924.
A tree, about 8 m. high, the slender short twigs gray, densely tomentose when
young. Leaves ovate or elliptic-ovate, coriaceous, 2-3.5 cm. long, shining, nearly
equally green on both sides, coarsely blackish-punctate, finely pinnately veined
and scarcely reticulated, pubescent on the midvein beneath when young, glabrous
or very nearly so when mature, the apex abruptly and bluntly acuminate, the
base narrowed, the stout pubescent petioles 2-3 mm. long; racemes few-flowered,
about 1 cm. long, borne in the uppermost axils, densely tomentose; pedicels about
3 mm. long; bractlets oblong, shorter than the pedicels; calyx-lobes broad, rounded
or obtuse, about 1.5 mm. long; petals rounded, not longer than the calyx-lobes;
fruit unknown.
Base of limestone hill, Salinas de Boqueron, Porto Rico. Endemic.
10. Eugenia axillaris (Sw.) Willd. Sp. Pl. 2: 970. 1800.
Myrtus axillaris Sw. Prodr. 78. 1788.
Psidiastrum dubium Bello, Anales Soc. Esp. Hist. Nat. 10: 272. 1881.
A shrub or tree, sometimes reaching a height of 12 m., with a maximum
trunk diameter of about 3 dm., the bark shallowly fissured, the branchlets terete,
glabrous. Leaves elliptic-ovate to ovate-lanceolate or nearly elliptic, unpleas-
antly odorous, glabrous, chartaceous, 4-9 cm. long, revolute-margined, paler
beneath than above and black-dotted, the petioles 2-5 mm. long, margined;
racemes short, axillary; pedicels short, pubescent; calyx-lobes 4, rounded; corolla
3-4 mm. broad; petals 4, surpassing the calyx-lobes, glandular-punctate; fruit
depressed-globose, 7-10 mm. in diameter, black, smooth, glandular-punctate,
sweet, often deformed and enlarged. [E. flavovirens of Stahl, not of Berg.]
Thickets and woodlands at lower and middle elevations, Porto Rico; Mona; Mluertos;
Desecheo; Icacos; Vieques; St. Croix; St. Thomas; Anegada:-Florida; Bermuda; Ba-
hamas; Jamaica; Cayman Islands; Cuba; Hispaniola; St. Martin to Guadeloupe and
Marie Galante. BATTLE. KRUM BERRY.
MYRTACEAE 37
11. Eugenia confusa DC. Prodr. 3: 279. 1828.
Eugenia Krugii Kiaersk. Bot. Tids. 17: 259. 1890.
A tree, attaining a maximum height of about 18 m., with a trunk up to 5 dm.
in diameter, usually much smaller, the bark scaly, the slender twigs glabrous.
Leaves ovate to lanceolate, coriaceous, glabrous, 3-6 cm. long, long-acuminate
at the apex, narrowed or obtuse at the base, dark green and shining above, dull
green beneath, pinnately many-veined, the slender petioles 5-10 mm. long;
flowers umbellate or solitary in the axils, on filiform pedicels 2-3 times as long
as the petioles; calyx-lobes broadly ovate, 1.5-2 mm. long; petals ovate, about
twice as long as the calyx-lobes; fruit subglobose, orange to scarlet, 5-6 mm. in
diameter.
Forest, Monte Alegrillo, near Marlcao:-Florida; Bahamas; Jamaica; Cuba; Guade-
loupe; Dominica. Recorded from the Virgin Islands, apparently erroneously. CIENE-
GUILLO. IRONWOOD.
12. Eugenia rhombea (Berg) Krug & Urban, Bot. Jahrb. 19: 644. 1895.
Eugenia foetida rhombea Berg, Linnaea 27: 212. 1856.
Eugenia foetida parvifolia Berg, Linnaea 27: 212. 1856.
A small tree, sometimes 8 m. high with a trunk up to 3 dm. in diameter, or
shrubby, the twigs slender, the smooth bark gray, the foliage glabrous. Leaves
ovate to elliptic or rhombic-ovate, rather thin, inconspicuously veined, 3-6 cm.
long, bluntly acuminate or acute at the apex, obtuse or narrowed at the base,
short-petioled; flowers in sessile axillary umbels, often appearing on twigs from
which the leaves have fallen, the slender glabrous pedicels 8-15 mm. long; calyx-
tube shorter than the 4 rounded lobes; petals ovate, about 5 mm. long, about
twice as long as the calyx-lobes; fruit depressed-globose, orange, red or nearly
black, 0.8-1.5 cm. in diameter. [Eugenia pallens of Eggers; E. Poeretti of Mills-
paugh, not of de Oandolle.]
Coastal thickets In the southwestern districts of Porto Rico; Desecheo, Muertos;
Mona; St. Croix; St. Thomas (according to Berg):-Florida; Bahamas; Jamaica; Cuba;
Hispaniola; Saba; St. Martin; St. Eustatius; Antigua; Guadeloupe. RED STOPPER.
13. Eugenia procera (Sw.) Poir. in Lam. Encycl. Suppl. 3: 129. 1813.
Myrtus procera Sw. Prodr. 77. 1788.
Myrtus brachystemon DC. Prodr. 3: 240. 1828.
A shrub, or a tree 4-10 m. high, the young twigs slender, pubescent. Loaves
ovate or oblong-ovate, chartaceous, 6 cm. long or less, glabrous, finely reticulate-
veined, the apex bluntly acuminate, the base narrowed, the petioles 2-4 mm. long;
flowers in sessile axillary umbels: pedicels very slender, puberulent, 6-15 mm. long;
calyx-lobes thin, rounded, about 1 mm. long: petals about 3 mm. long; fruit sub-
globose, black, viscid, about 5 mm. in diameter. [Myrtus cerasina of Eggers, not
of Vahl.]
Woods and thickets at lower and middle elevations, Porto Rico, mostly In dry parts
of the southern districts; St. Croix; St. Thomas; St. Jan; Tortola:-Jamaica; Cuba;
Hispaniola; St. Martin to Martinique; Trinidad and Curacao. ROCK MYRTLE.
14. Eugenia pseudopsidium Jacq. Enum. 23. 1760.
Myrtus Willdenovii Sprong. Syst. 2: 486. 1825.
Eugenia portoriccnsis DC. Prodr. 3: 266. 1828.
Eugenia thomasiana Berg, Linnaea 27: 183. 1856.
Stenocalyx portoricensis Berg, Linnaea 29: 246. 1858.
Eugenia pseudopsidium portoricensis Krug & Urban, Bot. Jahrb. 19: 647.
1894.
A shrub, or a tree up to about 12 m. high, the young slender twigs minutely
strigose or glabrous. Leaves ovate to elliptic, subchartaceous, glabrous. shining,
MYRTACEAE
4-13 cm. long, the apex acuminate, the base narrowed or obtuse, the petioles
3-8 mm. long; flowers few or solitary in the axils, or also terminal; pedicels very
slender, 1-2.5 cm. long; calyx-lobes 2-4.5 mm. long, oblong, obtuse; petals 3-7 mm.
long; fruit subglobose, red, smooth, 10-15 mm. in diameter. [Myrtus parviflora
of Sess6 & Mocino, not of Sprengel.]
Woodlands and thickets, Porto Rico, at lower and middle elevations, mostly in
moist districts; Vieques; St. Croix; St. Thomas; St. Jan; Tortola:-Hispaniola; Mont-
serrat; Guadeloupe; Martinique. QUIEBRA RACHA. PETANGUEIRA. BASTARD GUAVA.
CHRISTMAS CHERRY. WILD GUAVA.
15. Eugenia Stahlii (Kiaersk.) Krug & Urban, Bet. Jahrb. 19: 650. 1895.
Myrtus Stahlii Kiaersk. Bet. Tids. 17: 286. 1890.
A tree, up to about 20 m. in height, glabrous throughout, the twigs rather
stout, subterete. Leaves elliptic to elliptic-obovate, coriaceous, 5-10 cm. long,
the apex rounded or obtuse, the base narrowed or cuneate, the stout petioles
5-7 mm. long, the lateral venation slender; inflorescence lateral or axillary;
flowers subcorymbose or solitary; pedicels stout, 2-3 cm. long; bracts 2-3 mrm.
long; calyx-lobes 4, suborbicular, coriaceous, glandular-verrucose, the inner
ones 7-9 mm. long, nearly twice as long as the outer; petals suborbicular, 10-15
mm. long; fruit subglobose, glandular-verrucose, about 2 cm. in diameter.
Mountain forests at middle and higher elevations, Porto Rico. Endemic. GUAYA-
BOTA.
16. Eugenia borinquensis Britton.
31yrtus Sintenisii Kiaersk. Bot. Tids. 17: 284. 1890.
Eugenia Sintenisii Krug & Urban, Bot. Jahrb. 19: 650. 1895. Not
Kiaersk. 1890.
A shrub, or a small tree up to about 7 m. high, or perhaps higher, glabrous
throughout, the branches forking, the twigs straight, stiff, short, flattened under
the internodes. Leaves orbicular, stiff, coriaceous, 4-10 cm. broad, strongly
pinnately veined and reticulated, subcordato, rounded, the stout petioles only
1 or 2 mm. long; flowers few or solitary, axillary; peduncles about 2 cm. long;
outer calyx-lobes rounded, about 4 mm. long; petals white, purplish mottled,
obovate, about 15 mm. long; fruit oval or subgloboso, about 2 cm. in diameter,
reddish green.
Forests at higher elevations in the eastern mountains of Porto Rico; it forms char-
acteristic thickets near the summit of El Yunque, its broad, light green leaves very con-
spicuous. Endemic.
17. Eugenia cordata (Sw.) DC. Prodr. 3: 272. 1828.
Myrtus cordata Sw. Prodr. 78. 1788.
? Myrtus ramiflorus Vahl, in West St. Croix 290. 1795.
Tricera cordifolia Willd. Sp. Pl. 4: 339. 1805.
Buxus cordifolia Sprong. Syst. 3: 847. 1826.
Alyrciaria (?) stirpiflora Berg, Linnaea 30: 702. 1860.
A shrub, or a tree up to about 5 m. high, the slender young twigs puberulent,
otherwise glabrous. Leaves short-ovate, sessile, or nearly so, subcoriaceous,
crowded, 2-3.5 cm. long, shining above, pale and dull beneath; the apex rounded,
the base rounded to subcordate; flowers sessile, in small lateral or axillary clusters,
mostly below the leaves; larger calyx-lobes broad, rounded, about 1 mm. long;
petals suborbicular, about 2 mm. long; fruit subglobose to oval, greenish, about
7 mm. long. [E. lateriflora of Eggers, not of Vahl.]
Hillsides, Culebra; St. Thomas; St. Jan; Tortola; St. Creix. Endemic. LATI-
BERRY
MYRTACEAE 39
18. Eugenia Stewardsonii Britton, Bull. Torr. Club 51: 11. 1924.
A tree, 5-10 m. high, glabrous throughout, the slender twigs gray. Leaves
ovate, subchartaceous, very nearly sessile, 4-6 cm. long, bright green and shining
on both sides, the venation rather prominent, coarsely reticulated, the apex obtuse
or rounded, the base rounded or subcordate, the stout petioles about 1 mm. long;
flowers sessile, in lateral clusters below the leaves; larger calyx-lobes obtuse,
about 2 mm. long; fruit subglobose or depressed-globose, 5-7 nun. in diameter.
Mountain forests and summits, Central Cordillera of Pcrto Rico Type from the
summit of Monte Torrecillo (Britton, Cowell and Stewardson Brown, 5603). Included by
Urban in Eugenia cordata (Sw.) DC.
19. Eugenia Sintenisii Kiaersk. Bet. Tids. 17: 263. 1890.
Engenia cordata Sintenisii Krug & Urban; Urban Bet. Jahrb. 19: 656. 1894.
A shrub, or a small tree up to about 5 m. tall, glabrous throughout. Leaves
oval to obovate, subchartaceous, 4-8 cm. long, the apex obtuse or rounded, the
base narrowed or cuneate, the petioles 1-3 mm. long; flowers sessile in clusters
below the leaves or also axillary; calyx-lobes about I mm. long; petals suborbicular,
about 2 mm. long; fruit subglobose, 4-5 mm. in diameter.
Forests at higher elevations, central and western districts of Porto Rico; Tortola;
St. Eustatius to St. Vincent and Bequia: doubtfully recorded from Ilispanicla. Recorded
from St. Croix, St. Thomas and St. Jan. MIURTA.
20. Eugenia sessiliflora Vahl, Symb. 3: 64. 1794.
Engenia lae.riflora Willd. Sp. Pl. 2: 961. 1800.
Mlyrtus sessiliflora Spreng. Syst. 2: 479. 1S25.
A shrub or small tree, glabrous throughout, the rather stout branches pale
gray. Leaves oval or oval-orbicular, coriaceous, 4-6 cm. long, revolute-margined,
the apex rounded or obtuse, the base narrowed or obtuse, the venation rather
prominent on both sides, the stout petioles 1.5-4 mm. long; flowers sessile,
about 12 mm. broad, in lateral clusters below the leaves; larger calyx-lobes 4-6
mm. long, rounded, black-glandular; petals a little longer; fruit globose, rose-
colored, about 2 cm. in diameter.
Hillsides, St. Croix; St. Thomas (according to Eggers); Tortola. Endemic.
21. Eugenia floribunda West; Willd. Sp. PIl. 2: 960. 1800.
lMyrciaria floribunda Berg, Linnaea 27: 330. 1856.
A tree, reaching a maximum height of about 10 m. with a trunk diameter of
1-3 dm., glabrous throughout, the twigs very slender, the bark separating in thin
scales. Leaves lanceolate, ovate-lanceolate or oblong-lanceolate, subcharta-
ceous, 4-7 cm. long, flat, delicately veined, the apex long-acuminate, the base
narrowed or obtuse, the slender petioles 2-4 mm. long; flowers sessile, in small
axillary and lateral clusters; calyx-lobes rounded, 1-2 mm. long; petals sub-
orbicular, 1.5-2 mm. long; fruit globose, red or yellow, aromatic, 8-10 mm. in
diameter. [Eugenia disticha of Bello (and of Krebs ?), not of de Candolle.]
Woodlands, near Cayey, Lares and Quebradillas, Porto Rico; Vieques; St. Croix;
St. Thomas; St. Jan; Tortola:-Cuba; Hispaniola; St. Martin; St. Eustatius; St. Kitts;
Martinique; northern South America. The fruit yields an excellent jam and was formerly
used in the Virgin Islands in making guava-berry rum. MURTA. GUAVA-BERRY.
22. Eugenia serrasuela Krug & Urban, Bot. Jahrb. 19: 652. 1895.
A tree, the bark chinked, the branches cylindric, glabrous. Leaves ovate-
oblong, coriaceous, pollucid-punctate, up to 13 cm. long and 6 cm. wide, shining
above, the apex bluntly acuminate, the margin recurved, the petioles 5-6 mm.
MIYRTACEAE
long, the venation conspicuous; flowers subsessile, 5-parted, clustered at the ends
of the branches; calyx-lobes ovate; ovary semiglobose, woolly; fruit globose,
pubescent, costate, 2.5 cm. in diameter; seed solitary. [E. costata of Bello and of
Stahl, not of Camb.J
Near Anones, Porto Rico, according to Bello. The species is known to us from
description only, and specimens were, apparently, studied only by Bello, prior to 1881,
and none collected since. SERRASUELA.
Barren specimens from a tree 20 m. high, in the Barrio de Maizales, Sierra de Naguabo
(Britton and Cowell, 2202), may possibly belong to this species.
23. Eugenia (?) Bellonis Krug & Urban, Bot. Jahrb. 19: 611. 1895.
A low shrub, 0.5-3.5 dm. high, much branched and spreading, the twigs
glabrous, or sparingly pilose, subquadrangular, dark purple. Leaves subchar-
taceous, very small, 1.5 cm. long or less, various in shape, ovate, elliptic, oblong
or linear-lanceolate, the apex and base rounded or acute, the venation reticulated,
the midvein prominent above, the petioles 2.5 mm. long or less.
Rocky hills near Guanica, Porto Rico; collected only by Sintenis, its flowers and
fruit unknown.
24. Eugenia (?) corozalensis Britton, Bull. Torr. Club 51: 11. 1924.
A tree, about 6 m. high, the rather slender subterete glabrous, forking twigs
slightly enlarged below the internodes. Leaves oval-orbicular, chartaceous,
glabrous, sessile. 4-7 cm. long, green on both sides, densely punctate, the apex
rounded, the base cordate, the venation slender, loosely reticulated; flowers and
fruit unknown.
Limestone hill, Corozal, Porto Rico. Endemic.
25. Eugenia (?) xerophytica Britton, Bull. Torr. Club 51: 11. 1924.
A shrub, or a small tree up to about 4 m. high, much branched, the slender
terote twigs and the leaves glabrous. Leaves suborbicular or some of them a
little broader than long, coriaceous, glabrous, shining above, yellow-green and
reticulate-veined on both sides, 1.5-5 cm. long, the apex obtuse, rounded or short-
tipped; the base subcordate or rounded, the stout petioles 2-4 mm. long; flowers
and fruit unknown.
Limestone rocks, El Tuque, near Ponce, Porto Rico:-Muertos. Endemic.
An incomplete specimen of a plant of this family, with slender glabrous
twigs, suborbicular glabrous petioled leaves about 2 cm. broad, and axillary,
slender-peduncled fruits about 8 mm. in diameter, collected at Guanica, Sept. 12,
1913 (Stevens and Hess, 3109) may represent another Eugenia.
Eugenia aromatica Grosourdy, recorded as having the Porto Rico name
PALO DE CLAVO, has not been identified by subsequent botanists.
Eugenia micrantha Vahl is a plant listed by West from St. Croix, without
description, and not otherwise known. (Not E. micrantha DC.)
Eugenia emarginata Vahl was also recorded by West from St. Croix,
without description. (Not E. emarginata DC.)
Eugenia pedunculata Raeusch, of St. Croix, has not been identified by
recent botanists.
MYRTACEAE 41
Eugenia paniculata Bello, described as Porto Rican by Bello and by Stahl,
has not been identified by recent botanists. Urban suggested relationship with
E. Eggersii Kiaersk.
Eugenia lineata DC., a species of Santo Domingo, was recorded by Krebs
as found in St. Thomas, evidently in error.
Eugenia Dombeyana DC., Peruvian, sent by the Bureau of Plant Industry
to the Insular Experiment Station, Rio Piedras, in 1923, had formed a vigorous
plant 6 dm. high in February, 1924; it is a shrub or sinall tree, with oblong leaves
canescent beneath.
9. JAMBOS Adans. Famr. Pl. 2: 564. 1763.
Trees, with coriaceous, pinnately veined, punctate opposite leaves, and
mostly large corymbose or paniculate flowers, terminal, or lateral on the branches.
Calyx obconic or turbinate, 4-8-lobed. Petals as many as the calyx-lobes.
Stamens many, much longer than the petals. Ovary sessile, 2-3-celled; ovules
numerous. Fruit a large berry crowned by the calyx-lobes. Radicle of the
embryo short, much shorter than the cotyledons. [Malabar name.] Fifty
species or more, natives of the Old World tropics, the following typical.
1. Jambos Jarnbos (L.) Millsp. Field Mus. Bot. 2: 80. 1900.
Eugenia Jambos L. Sp. Pl. 470. 1753.
Jambosa vulgaris DC. Prodr. 3: 286. 1828.
A tree, up to about 10 m. high, glabrous throughout. Leaves lanceolate or
oblong-lanceolate, subcoriaceous, 10-20 cm. long, bright green, rather dull,
pinnately and finely reticulate-veined, the apex acuminate, the base narrowed,
the stout petioles 5-9 mm. long; flowers few, large, corymbose, terminal; pedicels
stout, about 1 cm. long; calyx-tube turbinate, about 1 cm. long, the lobes broad,
rounded; petals coarsely punctate, 1-1.5 cm. long; stamens 3-4 cm. long, white;
fruit 2-4 cm. in diameter.
Thickets and woodlands, Porto Rico, abundant, especially along streams; St. Croix;
St. Thomas; St. Jan; Tortola:-widely naturalized in the West Indies and in tropical
continental America. Native of tropical Asia. POMA ROSA. POMME ROSE. ROSE
APPLE.
Jambos malaccensis (L.) DC., MALAY APPLE, Asiatic, occasionally planted
for Its fruit in Porto Rico and the Virgin Islands, is a tall tree, with large obovate
or oblong-obovate, acute or acuminate petioled leaves, the purple flowers in
short lateral racemes, the edible crimson turbinate fruit about 7 cm. long. It was
recorded by Eggers as formerly naturalized in shaded valleys on St. Croix.
Two fine trees about 12 meters high were seen at Happy Hollow, Porto Rico, in
1924. [Eugenia malaccensis L.]
10. ANAMOMIS Griseb. Fl. Br. W. I. 240. 1860.
Evergreen aromatic trees or shrubs, with opposite coriaceous leaves and
axillary peduncled flowers, in cymes or solitary, when in cymes the central
flowers sessile or stalked. Calyx-lobes 4 or 5. Petals 4 or 5. Stamens many,
with filiform filaments and short anthers. Ovary 2-celled or 4-celled, about as
long as the calyx-tube; ovules several in each cavity; style slender or filiform.
Berry oval or subglobose, 1-several-seeded, crowned by the calyx-lobes. Radicle
42 MYRTACEAE
shorter than the cotyledons. [Greek, like Amomis.] About 8 species, natives of
the West Indies and Florida. Type species: Anamomis fragrans (Sw.) Griseb.
1. Anamomis fragrans (Sw.) Griseb. Fl. Br. W. I. 240. 1860.
Myrtus fragrans Sw. Prodr. 79. 1788.
Eugenia punctata Vahl in West, St. Croix 289. 1795.
Eugenia fragrans Willd. Sp. Fl. 2: 964. 1800.
Anamomis punctata Grisob. Fl. Br. W. I. 240. 1860.
Eugenia fragrans fajardensis Krug & Urban, Bot. Jahrb. 19: 665. 1895.
An aromatic shrub or a small tree up to about 10 m. high, the young twigs
pubescent or glabrate, slender. Leaves elliptic to obovate, coriaceous, 2-5 cm.
long, strongly punctate, glabrous, shining, the apex obtuse or acutish, the base
mostly narrowed, the venation delicate, the petioles 4-7 mm. long; peduncles
as long as the leaves or shorter; cymes commonly bifid, the branches 3-flowered;
sepals 4, rarely 5, rounded, about 2 mm. long; petals white, rounded, about 2 mm.
long. [? Myrtus emarginata of Sess6 & Mocino, not of Kunth.]
Coastal thickets, Fajardo, Porto Rico; Mona; Vieques;-Cuba; Hispaniola;-St.
Croix; St. Jan; Tortola:-Jamaica; St. Martin; St. Kitts; Antigua; Guadeloupe. The
Fajardo plant was described from barren specimens.
Anamomis umbellilifera (H.B.K.) Britton, CIRUELAS, occasionally cul-
tivated in Porto Rico for its fruits, is a tree, with elliptic nearly sessile leaves
obtuse at both ends, coriaceous and reticulate-veined, the 5-parted flowers white,
the stamens very numerous, the berries 1-1.5 cm. in diameter. [Myrtus um-
bellilifera H.B.K.; Mllyrcia (?) umbellilifera DC.; Eugenia esculenta Berg; Myr-
cianthes Krugii Kiacrsk.J It is native of Hispaniola.
Pimenta Pimenta (L.) Cockerell, ALLSPICE, PIMENTA, Jamaican, occasion-
ally planted in Porto Rico and the Virgin Islands, is a smooth-barked aromatic
tree, with coriaceous, oblong or elliptic, obtuse leaves 7-17 cm. long, and small,
4-parted, white flowers in axillary peduncled cymes, the berry-like subglobose
fruits about 6 mm. long. [Myrtus Pimenta L.; Pimenta vulgaris Lindl.; Eugenia
Pimenta DC.]
Syzygium jambolanum (Lam.) DC., JAVA PLUM, JAMBOLAN, of south-
western Asia, grown at the Botanical Station, Road Town, Toctola, is a tree 10-
15 m. high, with evergreen oval, closely veined, slender-petioled leaves 7-15 cm.
long, not glandular-punctate, the small white flowers in panicled cymes, the petals
cohering, the edible berries 1-2 cm. long. [Eugenia jambolana Lam.]
Species of the Australasian genus Eucalyptus, AUSTRALIAN GUMS, have been
planted in Porto Rico and the Virgin Islands experimentally for forest and fuel
purposes and as roadside trees, many of them of rapid growth and attaining
great height. They have coriaceous entire loaves and rather large axillary
flowers, the calyx-tube with a lid. Observations and records at the Mayaguez
Agricultural Experiment Station and at the Forest Station at Rio Piedras show
that the following species succeed best in Porto Rico; a number of others have been
grown.
Eucalyptus robusta Smith. Eucalyptus viminalis Labill.
Eucalyptus rostrata Schl. Eucalyptus resinifera Smith.
Eucalyptus citriodora Hook. Eucalyptus paniculata Smith.
Eucalyptus tereticornis Smith.
Myrtus communis L., MYRTLE, SWEET M1YRTLE, European, is a shrub,
occasionally planted for ornament in Porto Rico and the Virgin Islands. It has
oblong to lanceolate, acute aromatic, nearly sessile leaves 6 cm. long or less, the
slender-poduncled flowers solitary in the axils, the fruit a small black berry.
RHIZOPHORACEAE 43
Myrtus salutaria H.B.K., recorded by Krebs as found in St. Thomas prior
to 1851, is presumably an error in determination. Urban suggested that the
record might apply to M. communis, but Krebs has that also in his list.
Couroupita guianensis Aubl., CANNON-BALL TREE, native of Trinidad
and northern South America, planted occasionally in Porto Rico and the Virgin
Islands, belongs to the related Family Lecythidaceae. It is a large tree, 15
m. high or higher, the gray bark slightly fissured, with large alternate oblong
leaves, the showy flowers borne on the trunk, with a turbinate calyx and 6
unequal petals, the stamens in many series. The large globose fruit is woody
and malodorous.
Family 6. RHIZOPHORACEAE Lindl.
MANGROVE FAMILY.
Shrubs or trees, with terete branches and usually glabrous foliage. Leaves
usually opposite, leathery, with stipules. Flowers perfect, solitary in the
axils or in spikes, racemes, cymes or panicles. Calyx with 3 or 4 valvate
sepals. Petals as many as the sepals, 2-cleft or lacerate. Stamens twice or
four times as many as the petals, or rarely of the same number, inserted at
the base of a disk; filaments short or elongated; anthers 2-celled, opening
lengthwise. Ovary inferior, or partly inferior, usually 3-5-celled or rarely
1-celled; styles united; stigmas sometimes lobed. Ovules 2 or rarely 4 or
more in each cavity; pendulous. Fruit leathery, crowned with the calyx,
indehiscent or tardily septicidal. The family consists of about 15 genera,
containing some 50 species, natives of tropical and subtropical regions.
Calyx 4-parted; fruit 1-seeded. 1. Rhizophora.
Calyx campanulate, 4-5-cleft; fruit 3-seeded. 2. Cassipourea.
1. RHIZOPHORA L. Sp. Pl. 443. 1753.
Evergreen trees, with an astringent bark, and stout pithy twigs. Loaves
opposite, entire; stipules elongated, interpetiolar, caducous. Flowers cream-
colored or yellow, 2 or several on forking peduncles. Calyx-tube short, adnate
to the base of the ovary, the 4 lobes leathery. Petals 4, emarginate, leathery.
Stamens 4-12, alternate with the petals; filaments short. Ovary 2-celled, half-
Inferior, produced into a fleshy cone. Stigma 2-lobed. Ovules 2 in each cavity.
Fruit pendulous, 1-celled, leathery. Seed solitary, germinating in the persistent
fruit, the elongating radicle sometimes reaching the ground before the fruit
falls. Endosperm wanting. [Greek, root-bearing.] Three known species, the
following typical, the others natives of the Old World tropics.
1. Rhizophora Mangle L. Sp. P1. 443. 1753.
A shrub or tree, reaching a height of 10 m. or more, forming impenetrable
thickets by the greatly elongating radicles of the embryo, and the numerous
roots. Leaves 5-15 cm. long, leathery, elliptic or elliptic-obovate, obtuse, with
a stout midrib; petioles 0.5-1.5 cm. in length; peduncles 1-4 cm. long, 2-3-flow-
ered; pedicels stout, 5-10 mm. long; bractlets scale-like; calyx-tube fleshy,
turbinate or campanulate, the lobes 3-5 mm. long; sepals lanceolate, about 1
cm. long, involute, keeled within, very firm, recurved at maturity; petals pale
yellow, linear or nearly so, cleft at the tip, involute above the middle, cobwebby
ONAGRACEAE
along the edges; anthers clustered around the style; fruit 2-3 cm. long, curved, the
radicle protruding as a narrowly clavate pendent body.
Coastal swamps, Porto Rico; Vieques; St. Croix; St. Thomas; St. Jan; Tortola;
Anegada:-Florida; Bermuda; West Indies; continental tropical America and tropical
Africa. The hard and strong brown wood. valued for piling posts, and in boat-building,
has a specific gravity of about 1.16; the furrowed gray bark is much used in tanning.
MIANGLE COLORADO. MANGLE SAPATERO. MANGROVE.
2. CASSIPOUREA Aubl. Pl. Guian 1: 528. 1775.
Glabrous trees or shrubs, with opposite petioled leaves, the short interpetiolar
stipules caducous, the small flowers fascicled or solitary in the axils. Calyx cam-
panulate, 4-5-lobed, the lobes valvate. Petals 4 or 5, clawed, lacerate. Disk
cupulate, crenulate. Stamens 10-30; filaments filiform; anthers short. Ovary
3-4-celled; style filiform; stigma slightly 3-4-lobed. Fruit somewhat fleshy,
3-4-seeded. Seeds pendulous, arillate. [Guiana name.] About 8 species, of
tropical America. Type species: Cassipourea guianensis Aubl.
1. Cassipourea alba Griseb. Goett. Abh. 7: 223. 1857.
A shrub, or a tree up to about 10 m. in height, the twigs slender. Leaves
chartaceous, oblong to elliptic, delicately pinnately veined, with the veins anas-
tomosing, 5-10 cm. long, entire, the apex acute ol acuminate, the base narrowed
or obtuse, the petioles 5-10 mm. long; pedicels few or solitary in the axils, about
6 mm. long or less; calyx 4-6 mm. long, mostly 4-lobed; petals white, hairy, about
twice as long as the calyx; stamens 10-16; style strigose; fruit oblong or subglo-
bose, greenish, puberulent, 6-10 mm. long. (Legnotis elliplica of Sprengel, not of
Swartz; Cassipourea elliptica of Bello and of Stahl, not of Poiret.]
Thickets, wooded hills and forests, Porto Rico, at lower and middle elevations In
wet and moist districts:-Guadeloupe to Trinidad. PALO DE GONGOLL. PALO DE TORO.
PALO DE OREJA.
Family 7. ONAGRACEAE Dumort.
EVENING-PRIMROSE FAMILY.
Herbs, or rarely shrubs, with alternate or opposite leaves, no stipules, or
mere glands in their places, and generally perfect flowers. Calyx-tube
adnate to the ovary, the limb 2-6-lobed (usually 4-lobed). Petals 2-9
(usually 4), convolute in the bud, rarely none. Stamens usually as many
or twice as many as the petals. Ovary 1-6-celled (usually 4-celled); styles
united; stigma capitate, discoid or 4-lobed; ovules generally anatropous.
Fruit a capsule or small nut. Endosperm very little or none. Forty genera
and about 350 species of wide geographic distribution, most abundant in
America.
Stamens 4. 1. Isnardia.
Stamens 8-12 in 2 series. 2. Jussiaea.
1. ISNARDIA L. Sp. PI. 120. 1753.
Succulent herbs. Stems creeping or floating; leaves opposite, relatively few,
petioled. Flowers axillary, sessile, not yellow. Calyx-segments 4, shorter than
the tube or slightly longer. Filaments very short. Ovary very short; styles
often almost wanting. Capsule obovoid or turbinate, straight. [In honor of
Antoine Dante Isnard, a French botanist, and a member of the Academy of
ONAGRACEAE 45
Sciences, died 1724.] About 4 species in North America, Mexico and the West
Indies. Type species: Isnardia palustris L.
1. Isnardia palustris L. Sp. Pl. 120. 1753.
Stems branching, 1-5 dm. long; leaves oval, ovate or spatulate, 12-25 mm.
long, narrowed into slender petioles; flowers solitary, about 2 mm. broad; bractlets
at base of the calyx usually none; calyx-lobes triangular, acute, petals small,
reddish, or often wanting; capsule 4-sided, slightly longer than wide, about 3 mm.
high, slightly exceeding the calyx-lobes.
Clearing in wet woods, Sardinera, near Dorado, Porto Rico, 1922:-north temperate
zone, extending south in America to Mexico; Bermuda; Hispaniola. MARSH PURSIANE.
2. JUSSIAEA L. Sp. Pl. 388. 1753.
Perennial herbs, some species woody, with alternate, mostly entire leaves
and solitary axillary flowers, the petals usually yellow. Calyx-tube cylindric or
prismatic, not prolonged beyond the ovary, the limb 4-6-parted, its lobes per-
sistent. Petals 4-6, mostly longer than the calyx-lobes. Stamens 8-12, in 2
series. Ovary 4-6-celled. Capsule narrowly cylindric, prismatic or clavate,
ribbed, the pericarp deteriorating. Seeds numerous and minute. [In honor of
Bernard de Jussieu, 1699-1777, eminent French botanist and physician.] About
50 species, of tropical distribution, mostly American, known as PRIMROSE WILLOW
and YERBA DE CLAVO. Type species: Jussiaea repens L.
Seeds In one row in each cavity of the capsule.
Plant creeping, rooting at the nodes. 1. J. repens.
Plant erect or ascending. 2. J. leptocarpa.
Seeds In several rows in each cavity of the capsule.
Capsule short, obpyramidal or tetragonal.
Capsule tetragonal, linear, sessile or nearly so; plant glabrous,
slender. 3. J. erecta.
Capsule obpyramidal, stalked; plant stout, hirsute. 4. J. peruviana.
Capsule subcylindric, elongated. 5. J. angustifolia.
1. Jussiaea repens L. Sp. PI. 388. 1753.
Jussiaea Swartziana DC. Prodr. 3: 54. 1828.
Glabrous, aquatic or uliginous; stem rooting at the lower nodes, floating or
ascending, little branched or simple, 2-10 dm. long. Leaves petioled, oval to
oblong or spatulate, 2-8 cm. long, the apex obtuse, acutish or rounded, the base
narrowed; peduncles slender, 0.5-3 cm. long; calyx-lobes 5, lanceolate, acute,
shorter than the petals; petals obovate, 6-10 mm. long; capsule subcylindric,
narrowed below, 1.5-3 cm. long, the seeds in one row in each cavity.
In shallow water, along borders of lakes and streams, Porto Rico:-Jamaica; Cuba;
HIlspaniola; continental warm-temperate and tropical America and Old World tropics.
2. Jussiaea leptocarpa Nutt. Gen. 1: 279. 1818.
Jussiaea variabilis Meyer, Fl. Esseq. 174. 1818.
Jussiaea pilosa II.B.K. Nov. Gen. 6: 101. 1823.
Jussiaea affinis DC. Prodr. 3: 53. 1828.
Bushy, erect or ascending, branched, 3-20 din. high. Leaves oblong to
lanceolate or oblong-lanceolate, short-petioled or sessile, 2-10 cm. long, the apex
blunt or acute, the base narrowed; flowers short-peduncled or sessile; calyx-
lobes 4-6, lanceolate, acuminate, about 6 mm. long; petals obovate, little longer
than the calyx-lobes; capsule subcylindric, narrowed below, 2-3 cm. long, the
46 ONAGRACEAE
seeds in one row in each cavity. [? J. pubescens L.; J. Sicartziana of Bello, not
of do Candolle; J. palustris of Stahl, not of Moyor.J
Marshes and ditches, Porto Rico, at lower elevations:-southeastern United States;
Jamaica; Cuba; Hispaniola; Guadeloupe to Trinidad; continental tropical America;
tropical Africa. All Porto Rico specimens seen are glabrous, but many from other
regions are pilose.
3. Jussiaea erecta L. Sp. Pl. 388. 1753.
Jussiaea acuminate Sw. Fl. Ind. Occ. 745. 1800.
Jussiaea Plumeriana Bello, Anal. Soc. Esp. Hist. Nat. 10: 267. 1881.
Glabrous, erect, slender and with slender ascending branches, 5-15 dm.
high. Leaves lanceolate to linear-lanceolate, short-petioled, 2-8 cm. long, the
apex acuminate, the base narrowed; flowers sessile; calyx-lobes 4, lanceolate or
ovato-lanceolate, 2.5-4 mm. long; petals spatulate, about as long as the calyx-
lobes; capsule somewhat angled, splitting, 1.5-2 cm. long; seeds in several rows.
Wet grassy situations at lower elevations, Porto Rico; Vieques; St. Croix (according
to West); St. Thomas (according to Krebs); Tortola:-Florida: Jamaica; Cuba; His-
panlola; Antigua to Trinidad; continental tropical America; tropical Africa. YERBA DE
JICOTEA.
4. Jussiaea peruviana L. Sp. Pl. 388. 1753.
Oenothera hirta L. Syst. ed. 10, 998. 1759.
Jussiaea hirta Vahl, Eclog. 2: 31. 1708.
Hirsute-pubescent, stout, erect, branched, 2.5 m. high or less. Leaves oblong
or oblong-lanceolate, short-petioled, 5-10 cm. long, strongly veined, pubescent
on both sides, the apox acuminate, the base narrowed or cuneate; flowers pedun-
cled, large and showy, the peduncles rather stout, villous, 1-4 cm. long; calyx-
lobes 4, ovate, acuminate, pubescent, 8-12 mm. long; petals obovate, longer than
the calyx-lobes; capsule tetragonal, obpyramidal, pubescent, 1.5-2.5 cm. long;
seeds in several rows in each cavity.
Wet or moist open situations, Porto Rico, at lower and middle elevations:-Florida;
Jamaica; Cuba; Hispaniola; Trinidad; continental tropical America.
5. Jussiaea angustifolia Lam. Encycl. 3: 331. 1789.
? Jussiaea octavalvis Sw. Obs. 142. 1791.
Jussiaea octonervia Lam. Encycl. 3: 332. 1789.
Jussiaea octofila DC. Prodr. 3: 57. 1828.
Jussiaea suffruticosa angustifolia Kuntze, Rev. Gen. Pl. 251. 1891.
Jussiaea suffruticosa Sintenisii Urban, Symb. Ant. 4: 469. 1910.
Jussiaea suffruticosa ligustrifolia Eggors, Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus. 13: 54. 1879.
Erect, 6-10 dm. high, somewhat branched, more or less pubescent, at least
above. Leaves linear to oblong-lanceolate, entire, short-petioled, 2.5-10 cm.
long, acute at the apex, narrowed at the base; peduncles mostly not longer than
the petioles; calyx-lobes 4, rarely 5, lanceolate or ovate-lanceolate, acute or acu-
minate, 6-12 mm. long; petals obovate, bright yellow, mostly 2-3 times as long
as the calyx-lobes; capsule 3-6 cm. long, subcylindric, tapering to the base; seeds
In several rows in each cavity. [J. suffruticosa of do Candolle and subsequent
authors, not of Linnaeus; J. acuminata of Stahl and perhaps of Krebs, not of
Swartz; J. linifolia of Cook and Collins.]
Wet or moist open situations, Porto Rico, at lower and middle elevations; Vieques;
St. Croix; St. Thomas; St. Jan; Tortola:-southeastern United States; West Indies;
continental tropical America and Old World tropics.
Jussiaea dodecandra DC., a species of northern South America, was
recorded by Krebs as found in St. Thomas, presumably in error.
ARALIACEAE 47
Order 25. AMMIALES.
Herbs, shrubs or trees, almost always with petaliferous flowers. Calyx-
segments and petals usually 5. Stamens 4 or 5. Ovary inferior, adnate to
the calyx, compound; ovules 1 in each cavity.
Fruit a berry or drupe. Fam. 1. ARALIACEAE.
Fruit dry when mature, splitting into two meriecarps. Fam. 2. AMMIACEAE.
Family 1. ARALIACEAE Vent.
GINSENG FAMILY.
Herbs, shrubs or trees, with alternate or verticillate (rarely opposite)
leaves, and small flowers in umbels, heads, or panicles. Calyx-tube adnate
to the ovary. Petals usually 5, sometimes cohering together, inserted on
the margin of the calyx. Stamens as many as the petals and alternate with
them (rarely more), inserted on the epigynous disk; anthers introrse. Ovary
inferior, 1-several-celled; styles as many as the cavities of the ovary; ovules
1 in each cavity, pendulous, anatropous. Fruit fleshy. Seeds flattened, or
somewhat 3-angled, the testa thin; endosperm copious, fleshy; embryo small,
near the hilum; cotyledons ovate to oblong. About 52 genera and 450
species, widely distributed, the Porto Rico and Virgin Island species trees.
Leaves simple; styles 5 or 6, connate. 1. Dendropanax.
Leaves digitately compound; styles 2, distinct. 2. Didymopanaz.
1. DENDROPANAX Dcne. & Pl. Rev. Hort. 43: 107. 1854.
Glabrous trees or shrubs, with simple, entire, or in a few species lobed,
mostly pinnately veined leaves, the umbels racemose, panicled, subumbellate or
solitary. Calyx 5-toothed or nearly truncate. Petals 5, valvate. Stamens 5,
the anthers ovate or oblong. Ovary 5-celled; styles connate. Fruit globose or
ovoid, usually 5-grooved, the exocarp fleshy. [Greek, tree-Panax.] About 20
species, natives of warm and tropical regions of America and Asia. Type
species: Aralia arborea L.
Umbels racemose, their peduncles ebracteolate, or 1-2-bracteolate. 1. D. arboreum.
Umbels subumbellate, their pedmncles 3-4-bracteolate at about the
middle. 2. D. laurifolium.
1. Dendropanax arboreum (L.) Dene. & Pl. Rev. Hort. 43: 107. 1854.
Aralia arborea L. Syst. ed. 10, 967. 1759.
Hedera arborea Sw. Fl. Ind. Occ. 518. 1797.
Sciadophyllum Jacquini Grisab. Fl. Br. WV. I. 306. 1860.
Gilibertia arborea E. March.; Durand & Pittier, Bull. Soc. Bot. Belg. 30: 281.
1891.
A tree, 8-20 m. high, or sometimes shrubby, the twigs rather stout. Leaves
ovate to elliptic or some of them obovate, subchartaceous, entire, 8-20 cm. long.
loosely reticulate-veined and green on both sides, the apex acute or acuminate,
the base narrowed, obtuse or rounded, the slender unequal petioles 2-10 cm.
long; inflorescence a raceme of pedunclod umbels often as long as the leaves;
peduncles slender, naked, or with 1 or 2 bractlets, 1-3 cm. long; umbels 20 or
fewer, several-many-flowered, 1.5-2 cm. broad when in flower; calyx about 2 mm.
broad, rather sharply 5-toothed; petals white, about 1.5 mm. long; fruit black,
subglobose, grooved, 6-8 mm. in diameter. [Scidophyllum capitatum of Eggers,
not of Grisebach.]
48 ARALIACEAE
Forests and wooded hills, Porto Rico, mostly at middle and higher elevations in
wet or moist districts; St. Thomas; Tortola:-Jamaica; Cuba; Hispaniola; St. Vincent;
Trinidad; Margarita; continental tropical America. The light yellow wood is hard,
heavy, strong and tough. MURECA. PALO CACHUMBA. VIBONA.
2. Dendropanax laurifolium (E. March.) Dene. & Pl.; R. C. Schneider, Bull.
Torr. Club 36: 644. 1909.
Gilibertia laurifolia E. March.; Urban, Symb. Ant. 1: 203. 1899.
A tree, up to 20 m. in height, with rather stout gray twigs. Leaves obovate
to oblong or elliptic, chartaceous, entire or slightly undulate, 8-22 cm. long,
densely reticulate-elned and green on both sides, the apex short-acuminate, the
base rounded, obtuse or narrowed, the slender unequal petioles 1-12 cm. long;
umbels subumbellate, many-flowered; peduncles 4 cm. long or shorter, with a
whorl of 3 or 4 bractlets at or above the middle; calyx-limb undulate; petals
yellowish or greenish white, about 1.5 mm. long; fruit subglobose or globose-
ovoid, 5-6 mm. in diameter. [Sciadophyllum capitatum of Bello and of Stahl,
not of Grisebach, Oreopanax capitatum of Cook and Collins.]
Forests at middle and higher elevations in wet or moist districts of Porto Rico.
Endemic. The wood is heavy, strong and tough. PALO DE GANGULIN. PALO DE VACA.
2. DIDYMOPANAX Dcne. & Pl. Rev. Hort. 43: 109. 1854.
Trees, with digitately compound petioled leaves, the twigs, under leaf-
surfaces and inflorescence finely stellate-puberulent or tomentulose, the flowers
in panicled umbels. Calyx 5-toothed. Petals 5, valvate. Stamens 5, with
short filaments and ovate anthers. Ovary 2-celled; styles 2, distinct. Fruit
compressed, didymous, the exocarp slightly fleshy. [Greek, didymous-Panax.]
About 20 species, natives of tropical America. Type species: Panax Morototoni
Aubl.
1. Didymopanax Morototoni (Aubl.) Dcne. & Pl. Rev. Hort. IV. 3: 109. 1854.
Panax Morototoni Aubl. Pl. Guian 2: 949. 1775.
Panaz speciosum Willd. Sp. Pl. 4: 1126. 1806.
Didymopanax chrysophyllum Dcne. & Pl. Rev. Hort. IV. 3: 109. 1854.
A tree, up to 25 m. in height, the bark smooth, the pith of branches large, the
straight trunk annulate, branched above. Leaves clustered at the ends of the
branches; petioles stout, terete, 3-6 dm. long; leaflets 7-10, their petioles 3-10
cm. long; blades elliptic, oblong or oblong-obovate, 2-4 dm. long, acuminate,
strongly pinnately few-veined, often subcordate, those of young plants mem-
branous, pubescent, sometimes serrulate, those of mature tree chartaceous,
glabrous above, densely pale-tomentulose beneath, entire or repand; panicles
compound, 2-6 dm. long, tomentulose when young, the umbels very numerous;
pedicels 2-6 mm. long, calyx about 2 mm. long; petals white, about 2 mm. long;
fruit glaucous, 6-7 mm. broad, 4-5 mm. long, about 2 mm. thick.
Mountain forests of Porto Rico; St. Thomas; St. Jan:-Cuba; Hispaniola; Guade-
loupe; Trinidad; northern South America. The hard and heavy nearly white wood is
used in construction; it is fine-grained and brittle. Leaves of juvenile trees have been
referred by Urban to Didymopanax micans (II. & B.) Krug and Urban [Aralia micans H.
& B.], originally from Colombia. LLAGRUME.
Polyscias Guilfoylei (Bull) Bailey, GALLEGO, of the South Sea islands,
planted for its ornamental foliage in Porto Rico and Virgin Island gardens, is a
small tree or shrub up to about 5 m. high, the leaves pinnate, the leaflets various,
ovate in outline, dentate or pinnatifid, often white-margined. [Aralia Guilfoylei
Bull.]
AMMIACEAE 49
Polyscias filicifolia (Moore) Bailey, also of the South Sea islands and
grown for ornament in Porto Rico and the Virgin Islands, has leaves very diverse
on individual plants, some of the leaflets ovate and dentate, others pinnatifld into
linear lobes or segments. [Aralia filicifolia Moore.]
Hedera Helix L., EUROPEAN IVY, European, seen in Mr. Fairchild's garden,
Louisenhbj, St. Thomas, in 1922, is an evergreen vine, climbing on trees or walls
by aerial roots, the dark green, thick leaves variously lobed, the yellow-green
flowers in peduncled umbels.
Family 2. AMMIACEAE Presl.
CARROT FAMILY.
Herbs, with alternate compound or sometimes simple leaves, the petioles
often dilated at the base. Stipules none, or rarely present and minute.
Flowers small, generally in compound or simple umbels, rarely in heads or
capitate clusters, often polygamous. Umbels and umbellets commonly
involucrate or involucellate. Calyx-tube adnate to the ovary, its margin
truncate or 5-toothed, the teeth seldom conspicuous. Petals 5, inserted on
the margin of the calyx, usually with an inflexed tip, often emarginate or
2-lobed, those of the outer flowers sometimes larger than those of the inner.
Stamens 5, inserted on the epigynous disk; filaments filiform; anthers
versatile. Ovary inferior, 2-celled; styles 2, filiform, persistent, often borne
on a conic or depressed stylopodium; ovules 1 in each cavity, pendulous,
anatropous. Fruit dry, composed of 2 carpels (mericarps), which generally
separate from each other at maturity along the plane of their contiguous
faces (the commissure). Fruit either flattened laterally (at right angles to
the commissure), or dorsally (parallel to the commissure), or nearly terete
(not flattened). Carpels after parting from each other supported on the
summit of a slender axis (the carpophore), each with 5 primary ribs in their
pericarps (rarely ribless), and in some genera with 4 additional secondary
ones, the ribs or some of them often winged. Pericarp membranous or
corky-thickened, usually containing oil-tubes between the ribs, or under the
ribs and on the commissural side, sometimes irregularly scattered, sometimes
none. Seeds 1 in each carpel, usually adnate to the pericarp; seed-coat
thin; endosperm cartilaginous; embryo small, placed near the hilum; coty-
ledons ovate, oblong or linear. About 170 genera and 1600 species, of wide
distribution. The mature fruit is necessary for the certain determination of
most of the genera and many of the species.
Leaves simple.
A dichotomously branched herb, with oblanceolate or spatulate-
oblanceolate leaves, serrate with bristle-tipped teeth. 1. Eryngium.
Herbs with creeping stems, rooting at the nodes; leaves ovate to
orbicular, without bristle-tipped teeth; flowers umbellate.
Fruit without secondary ribs or reticulations; leaves 1 at a node. 2. Hydrocotyle.
Fruit with secondary ribs and reticulations; leaves several at
the nodes. 3. Centella.
Leaves compound or dissected.
Umbels sessile along the stem; the umbellets stalked; flowers
white. 4. Cyclospermum.
Umbels distinctly stalked, terminal; flowers yellow. 5. Anethum.
1. ERYNGIUM [Tourn.] L. Sp. Pl. 232. 1753.
Herbs, with spiny-toothed lobed dentate or sometimes dissected, rarely entire,
leaves, and bracted heads or spikes of small white or blue flowers subtended by
bractlets. Calyx-teeth rigid, pungent, or acute. Petals erect. Disk expanded.
50 AMMIACEAE
Fruit scaly or tuberculate, somewhat flattened laterally. Carpels nearly terete,
their ribs obsolete or none, the oil-tubes usually 5. [Greek, a kind of thistle.]
About 150 species, of wide distribution. Type species: Eryngium maritimum L.
1. Eryngium foetidum L. Sp. Pl. 232. 1753.
A diffuse, dichotomously branched, glabrous, ill-smelling herb. Basal leaves
spatulate-oblanceolate or oblong-oblanceolate, 5-18 cm. long, 1.5-5 cm. broad,
sheathing at the base, serrate with bristle-tipped teeth: involucral leaves much
longer than the flower heads, usually deeply spinescent-serrate; flower heads
cylindric-ovoid, 0.5-1.3 cm. long, 4-5 mm. thick, long-peduncled; flowers white.
Waste and cultivated grounds, Porto Rico; St. Thomas (according to Eggers):-
Jamaica; Cuba; Hispaniola; St. Martin to Trinidad; continental tropical America.
CUIANTRO DEL MONTE. FIT-WEED.
2. HYDROCOTYLE [Tourn.] L.. Sp. PI. 234. 1753.
Perennial herbs, prostrate and commonly rooting at the joints, with pal-
mately lobed or veined, often peltate leaves, the bases of the petioles with 2 scale-
like stipules, and small white flowers in umbels opposite the leaves. Bracts of
the involucre few, or none. Calyx-tooth minute. Petals entire. Disk flat.
Fruit laterally compressed, orbicular or broader than high. Carpels with 5
primary ribs, the lateral ones usually curved; no large oil-tubes but an oil-boeariug
layer of tissue beneath the epidermis. [Greek, water-cup.] About 75 species, of
wide distribution. Type species: Hydrocotyle vulgaris L. The plants are known
as YERBA DE CUARTO and MARSH PENNYWORT.
Leaf-blade peltate, glabrous or with scattered hairs on both sides.
Umbel simple (rarely producing a second umbel); fruit notched at
at the base.
Delicate herb with filiform stems; umbel few-flowered, the
pedicels very short; fruit not strongly ribbed. 1. 1. pusilla.
More robust; umbel many-flowered, the pedicels often 1 cm.
or more long; fruit strongly ribbed. 2. H. umbellata.
Umbels proliferous; fruit rounded or truncate at the base. 3. II. verticillata.
Leaf-blades not peltate, villous on both sides; inflorescence spicate. 4. H. hirsuta.
1. Hydrocotyle pusilla A. Rich. Ann. Sci. Phys. 4: 167. 1820.
A rather delicate herb, with slender often filiform stems. Leaf-blades
orbicular, peltate, 0.5-1.6 cm. broad, glabrous or with scattered hairs on both
surfaces, crenate; petioles 1-3 cm. long, slender, often pilose; peduncles filiform,
as long as or shorter than the petioles; umbel few-flowered; fruit sessile or nearly
so, 1 mm. long, 1.2-1.5 mm. broad, notched at the base.
Wet mossy banks at middle and higher elevations, Porto Rico:-Hispanioia: South
America.
2. Hydrocotyle umbellata L. Sp. Pl. 234. 1753.
A glabrous herb. Leaf-blades orbicular, peltate, 1.5-5 cm. long; umbel
simple, rarely producing a second umbel; verticels usually many-flowered;
peduncles often as long as the leaves; fruit about 1.8-2 mm. long, 2-2.7 mm.
broad, notched at the base and apex.
Wet open grounds at lower elevations, Porto Rico:-eastern and southern United
States; Jamaica; Cuba; Hispaniola; Guadeloupe; continental tropical America; tropical
Africa.
AMMIACEAE 51
3. Hydrocotyle verticillata Thunb. Diss. Hydrocot. 5. 1798.
Hydrocotyle interrupta M1uhl. Cat. 10. 1813.
Hydrocotyle verticillata longipedunculata Urban in Mart. Fl. Bras. 111: 268.
1879.
A glabrous herb. Leaf-blades orbicular, peltate, 1-7 cm. broad, crenate or
crenate-lobed, long-petioled; umbels proliferous, 2-5 cm. long; verticels 2-several-
flowered; peduncles as long as the petioles or longer; pedicels usually less than
3 mm. long; fruit about 2 mm. long, 3-4 mm. broad, rounded or truncate at each
end.
Moist soil and river-flats, abundant along the Coamo River:-eastern and southern
United States; Bermuda; Bahamas; Jamaica; Cuba; Hispaniola; Guadeloupe; continental
tropical America; south Africa.
4. Hydrocotyle hirsuta Sw. Prodr. 54. 1788.
Hydrocotyle spicata Lam. Encycl. 3: 153. 1789.
Hydrocotyle hirsuta spicata Urban in Mart. Fl. Bras. 111: 282. 1879.
Hydrocotyle hirsuta leptostachya Urban in 1Mart. Fl. Bras. 11l: 282. 1879.
Stems slender, glabrous or nearly so, 0.5-3 dm. or more long. Petioles
villous, 1-10 cm. long; leaf-blades suborbicular or reniform, 1-3 cm. broad,
crenate, rather deeply cordate, villous on both sides, densely so beneath; spikes
peduncled, interrupted, usually longer than the loaves, the peduncles and rachis
villous; fruits sessile, glabrous, emarginate at base and apex, about 1.5 mm. broad.
Wet or moist banks and rocks, Porto Rico, at lower and middle elevations:- .
Bahamas; Cuba; Hispaniola; Curaqao; Brazil.
3. CENTELLA L. Sp. Pl. ed. 2, 1393. 1763.
Perennial herbs (some African species shrubby), ours with prostrate stems
rooting and sending up tufts of petiolod leaves at the nodes, together with 1-3
long-rayed umbellets of small white flowers, the true umbel sessile. Petiole-
bases sheathing. Bracts of the involucels 2-4, mostly prominent. Calyx-teeth
none. Disk flat, or slightly concave. Styles filiform. Fruit somewhat flattened
laterally, rather prominently ribbed, the ribs mostly anastomosing; oil-tubes
none. [Latin, diminutive of centrum, a prickle.] About 20 species, of wide dis-
tribution, abundant in South Africa. Type species: Centella villosa L.
1. Centella asiatica (L.) Urban in Mart. Fl. Bras. 111: 287. 1879.
Hydrocotyle asiatica L. Sp. Pl. 234. 1753.
Hydrocotyle repanda Pers. Syn. 1: 302. 1805.
Centella repanda Small, Fl. SE. U. S. 859. 1903.
Stem 2-15 cm. or more long. Petioles 0.3-3 dm. long, sometimes pubescent;
blades ovate to orbicular-ovate, rather thick, rounded at the apex, broadly cordate
or nearly truncate at the base, not peltate, 2-7 cm. long, repand-dentate; pedicels
much shorter than the leaves, 1-7 cm. long; umbellets capitate, 2-4-flowered,
subtended by 2 ovate bracts; flowers nearly sessile; fruit 4-5 mm. broad, about
3 mm. high, prominently ribbed and reticulated.
Wet or moist grassy situations, Porto Rico, at lower and middle elevations:-
southeastern United States; Bermuda; Bahamas; Jamaica; Cuba; Hispaniola; Guade-
loupe; Martinique; Trinidad; continental tropical America; Old World tropics and sub-
tropics. YERBA DE CLAVO.
4. CYCLOSPERMUM Lag. Amen. Nat. 12: 101. 1821.
Herbs, with decompound or dissected leaves and compound umbels of small
white flowers mostly opposite the leaves. Involucre and involucels wanting in
AMMIACEAE
the following species. Calyx-teeth very small or obsolete. Petals entire.
Stylopodium depressed. Style short. Fruit ovate or oblong, laterally com-
pressed. Carpels with 5 filiform ribs, the oil-tubes solitary in the intervals, 2 on
the commissural side. [Greek, wheel-seed.] A few tropical or subtropical species,
the following typical.
1. Cyclospermum leptophyllum (Pers.) Sprague, Journ. Bot. 61: 131. 1923.
Pimpinella leptophylla Pers. Syn. 1: 324. 1805.
Sison Ammi Jacq. Hort. Vind. 2: 95. 1773. Not L. 1753.
Apium Ammi Urban in Mart. Fl. Bras. 111: 341. 1879.
Helosciadium Ammi Britton, Fl. Bermuda 279. 1918.
Slender, glabrous, much-branched, 0.7-6 dm. high. Leaves ternately
pinnatisected, the ultimate segments narrow, often incised; umbels 1-4 cm.
broad, opposite the leaves, sessile, the umbellets filiform-stalked; fruit ovate,
glabrous, about 2 mm. long, the ribs equal and prominent.
Roadside ditches, between Guayama and Cayey at about 750 m. elevation:-
southern United States; Bermuda; Bahamas; Jamaica; Cuba; Hispaniola; Guadaloupe;
Martinique; Barbados; Mexico to Paraguay. Introduced as a weed into the Old World
and Australia. MARSH PARSLEY.
5. ANETHUM [Tourn.] L. Sp. Pl. 263. 1753.
Erect, mostly annual, glabrous herbs, with decompound leaves and small
yellow flowers in many-rayed compound umbels. Involucre and involucels
none, or of very few bracts. Calyx teeth obsolete. Petals suborbicular. Sty-
lopodium small, conic. Fruit elliptic or ovate, flat, margined; carpel-ribs slender;
oil-tubes solitary in the intervals. [Greek, like anise.] A few European and
Asiatic species, the following typical.
1. Anethum graveolens L. Sp. Pl. 263. 1753.
Stem terete, simple or branched, slender, 3-9 dm. high. Leaves tripinnately
dissected into nearly filiform segments, the petiole somewhat sheathing; umbel
15 cm. wide or less; involucro and involucels none; rays slender, 3-7 cm. long;
umbellets several-many-flowered; petals bright yellow; fruit ovate-elliptic,
4-5.2 mm. long, distinctly margined.
Occasionally spontaneous after cultivation in Porto Rico; St. Croix; St. Thomas;
Tortola:-widely grown in gardens for flavoring, in temperate and tropical regions.
Native of Europe. HIInojo. DILLWEED.
Apium Petroselinum L., PAnSLEY, European, cultivated in Porto Rico
and the Virgin Islands, is a glabrous, biennial herb, 3-9 dm. high, with bipinnate
leaves, the small segments linear to obovate, the small yellow flowers in compound
umbels, the small ovate glabrous fruit prominently ribbed, with solitary oil-
tubes in the intervals. [Petroselinum sativum Hoffm.; Wydleria portoricensis DC.]
Arracacia xanthorrhiza Bancroft, Apio, ARRACACHA, South American,
grown in Porto Rico at middle elevations, is a tall herb with large often bipinnate
leaves, the segments coarsely toothed; the tuberous roots used for food. [A.
esculenta DC.]
Foeniculum Foeniculum (L.) Karsten, FENNEL, European, formerly
grown as a drug in the Virgin Islands, is perennial, 6-12 dm. high, glabrous, the
decompound leaves dissected into filiform segments; the yellow flowers are in
AMMIACEAE 53
compound umbels without an involucre or involucols; the fruit is linear, nearly
terete, ribbed, about 6 mm. long, with solitary oil-tubes between the ribs.
[Anethum Foeniculum L.; Foeniculum vulgare Gaertn.1
Celeri graveolens (L.) Britton, CELERY, European, is occasionally grown as
a vegetable in Porto Rico and the Virgin Islands and persistent for a time after
cultivation but not naturalized. It has thick-stalked pinnate leaves with 3 or 5
thin, ovate, toothed or incised segments; its small flowers are white, in compound
umbels; the oval fruit is scarcely 1 mm. long. [Apium graveolens L.; Peucedanum
graveolens Benth.]
Coriandrum sativum L., CULANTRO, CORIANDER, native of the Mediter-
ranean region, grown for flavoring in Porto Rico gardens, is an herb 2-6 din. tall,
the lower cauline and basal leaves with coarsely toothed incised or lobed segments,
the upper leaves with narrowly linear segments, the rather large white flowers
in compound umbels; the fruit is globose or ovoid-globose, 3-4 mm. in diameter.
Daucus Carota L., CARROT, European, occasionally grown for food in the
Virgin Islands and in Porto Rico, is biennial, forming the first season a deep conic
root and a tuft of decompound leaves with toothed or incised segments, sub-
sequently sending up a stem 5-8 dm. high, bearing a few similar leaves and a
compound umbel of white flowers; the fruit is about 6 mm. long, bearing barbed
prickles in rows.
Cerefolium Cerefolium (L.) Britton, CARDEN CHERVIL, European, some-
times grown in Virgin Island gardens, is an annual herb, 4-6 dm. high, with ter-
nately decompound leaves and compound umbels of small white flowers, the
linear, glabrous and ribless fruit is about 6 mm. long. [Anthriscus Cerefolium
IHoffm.]
Pimpinella Anisum L., ANISE, was recorded by Eggers as cultivated on
St. Croix, but it does not appear to have become established.
Series 2. GAMOPETALAE.
Petals partly or wholly united, rarely separate or wanting.
The coherence of the petals is sometimes slight or they are quite
separate, as in some Asclepiadaceae, Oleaceae and Cucurbitaceae.
From this condition the coherence varies through all stages to the
tubular or funnelform corallas of some Convolvulaceae, Capri-
foliaceae and Carduaceae.
1 OVARY SUPERIOR.
Stamens free from the corolla or adnate merely to its base. Order 1. EniCAtES.
Stamens borne on the corolla, as many as its lobes and op-
posite them, or twice as many, or more.
Herbs, shrubs or trees; ovary 1-celled. Order 2. PRIIULALES.
Shrubs or trees; ovary several-celled. Order 3. EBENALES.
Stamens borne on the corolla, as many as its lobes or fewer,
and alternate with them (in Forestiera of the Oleaceae
there is no corolla).
Corolla not scarious, nerved.
Ovaries 2, distinct (except in some Loganiaceae, and
in Gentianaceae in which the ovary is compound
with 2 cavities or rarely more, or with 1 cavity and
2 placentae); flowers regular; stamens mostly ad-
nate to only the lower part of the corolla; leaves
mostly opposite. Order. 4 GENTIANAIES.
Ovary 1 (compound in Boraginaceae and Lamiaceae,
mostly deeply 4-lobed around the style); flowers
54 ERICACEAE
regular or Irregular; stamens mostly adnate to the
middle of the corolla-tube or beyond; leaves oppo-
site or alternate. Order 5. POLEMONTALES.
Corolla scarious, nerveless. Order 6. PLANTAGINALES.
2. OVARY INFERIOR.
Anthers distinct. Order 7. RUBIALES.
Anthers united (except in Ambrosiaceae). Order 8. CAMPAN-ULALES.
Order 1. ERICALES.
Undershrubs, shrubs, trees, or herbs. Leaves alternate, opposite or
whorled. Flowers perfect, regular or nearly so, complete or rarely incom-
plete. Sepals distinct or partly united. Petals distinct or united. Stamens
as many or twice as many as the petals or corolla-lobes. Ovary of several
united carpels.
Ovary superior; fruit capsular. Fam. 1. ERICACEAE.
Ovary inferior; fruit a berry. Fam. 2. VACCINACEAE.
Family 1. ERICACEAE DC.
HEATH FAMILY.
Perennial herbs, shrubs, or trees, with simple estipulate leaves. Flowers
perfect. Calyx of 4-7 nearly distinct or partly united sepals. Corolla of
4-7 distinct or partly united petals. Filaments free from the corolla, or
adnate only to its base. Ovary superior, 2-7-carpellary; ovules usually
numerous, anatropous. Fruit a capsule. Seeds numerous or rarely few.
About 60 genera and 1100 species, of wide geographic distribution.
1. XOLISMA Raf. Am. Mo. Mag. 4: 193. 1819.
[LYONIA Nutt. Gen. 1: 266. 1818. Not Ell. 1817.1
Shrubs, or small trees, with terete twigs, alternate short-petioled leaves,
and small, mostly white flowers in clusters. Calyx 4-8-lobed. Corolla globose,
or urceolate, pubescent, 4-8-toothed, the teeth recurved. Stamens 8-16, in-
cluded; filaments flat, incurved, pubescent; anthers attached to the filaments near
their bases, truncate, the sacs opening by terminal pores. Disk 8-10-lobed.
Ovary 4-8-celled; style columnar; stigma truncate; ovules numerous, pendulous.
Capsule 4-8-valved, its apex intruded. Seeds elongated, the testa membranous,
loose, reticulated. [Name unexplained.] About 27 species, natives of eastern
North America, the West Indies and Mexico.
Leaves green above, glaucous beneath. 1. X. rubiginosa.
Leaves green on both sides. 2. X. Stahlii.
1. Xolisma rubiginosa (Pers.) Small, N. A. Fl. 29: 68. 1914.
Andromeda rubiginosa Pers. Syn. 1: 481. 1805.
Lyonia rubiginosa G. Don, Gen. Syst. 3: 841. 1834.
A much-branched shrub, with puberulent twigs. Leaves elliptic to oval,
or obovate, 2.5-5 cm. long, 1.3-2.5 cm. broad, obtuse or rounded at the apex,
often acute at the base, lustrous and reticulate above, dull, glaucous and not
reticulate beneath, undulate or obscurely crenulate, short-petioled; inflorescence
few-flowered; pedicels short; calyx about 4 mm. wide, the lobes 5-7, suborbicular
or somewhat orbicular-reniform; corolla 6-7 mm. long, the lobes acute, much
VACCINIACEAE
shorter than the tube; capsule ovoid, 5 mm. long. [Lyonia jamaicensis of Eggers,
not of D. Don; Andromeda fasciculata of Krebs.]
Bolongo, St. Thomas. Endemic.
2. Xolisma Stahlii (Urban) Small, N. A. Fl. 29: 71. 1914.
Lyonia Stahlii Urban, Symb. Ant. 5: 453. 1908.
A shrub with scurfy twigs. Leaves ovate to elliptic or obovate, 3-6 cm.
long, 1.5-1.7 cm. broad, obtuse or rounded at the apex, acute at the base, bright-
green, crenulate, obscurely reticulate-veined and somewhat lustrous above, dull
beneath, short-petioled; inflorescence raceme-like, few-flowered; pedicels 5-11
mm. long; calyx about 3.8 mm. wide, the lobes 5, deltoid or ovate-deltoid; corolla
about 5 mm. long, the lobes much shorter than the tube; capsule ovoid, 5-6 mm.
long.
On Monte fHelechal, near Bayamon, Porto Rico, at 500 m. elevation, collected only
by Stahl. Endemic.
Family 2. VACCINIACEAE Lindl.
HUCKLEBERRY FAMILY.
Shrubs, or small trees, with alternate leaves, and perfect regular flowers,
the pedicels commonly bracted. Calyx-tube adnate to the ovary, the limb
4-5-lobed or 4-5-cleft. Corolla 4-5-lobed, or rarely divided into separate
petals, deciduous. Stamens twice as many as the corolla-lobes, epigynous,
or inserted at the base of the corolla; filaments mostly short; anthers dorsally
attached, 2-celled, the connective entire or 2-awned. Ovary inferior, 2-10.
celled, crowned by the epigynous disk; style filiform; ovules anatropous.
Fruit a fleshy berry in our genera, globose; cells 1-several-seeded. Seeds
compressed; tests bony; endosperm fleshy; embryo central; radicle near the
hilum. About 20 genera and 300 species, of wide distribution.
Tubular part of the anther about as long as the lower part; flowers
racemose corymbose or fascicled. 1. Thibaudia.
Tubular part of the anther much longer than the lower part; flowers
fascicled or solitary. 2. Ceratostema.
1. THIBAUDIA Pavon; H.B.K. Nov. Gen. 3: 268. 1819.
Shrubs or woody vines, with broad entire short-petioled leaves, and large
flowers in terminal or axillary racemes or corymbs. Calyx urceolate or subcam-
panulate, terete, its short limb 5-toothed or 5-lobed. Corolla tubular, terete,
with 5 short lobes. Stamens 10, all about equally long; filaments short; anthers
linear, elongated, the tubular part about as long as the lower part. Ovary 5-
celled; style filiform; stigma capitellate. Fruit a many-seeded berry. [Named
for Thibaud de Chauvalon, a French botanist.] About 20 species, natives of
tropical America, most abundant in the Andes. Type species: Thibaudia flori-
bunda H.B.K.
1. Thibaudia Krugii Urban & Hoerold; Urban, Symb. Ant. 5: 454. 1908.
A glabrous woody vine, 3-4 m. long, or shrub-like. Leaves ovate, coriaceous,
5-11 cm. long, 7-nerved, strongly reticulate-veined beneath, the apex short-
acuminate, the base rounded or obtuse, the stout petioles 4-7 mm. long; in-
florescence axillary or subterminal, corymbose, several-many-flowered; pedicels
MIYRSINACEAE
rather stout, about 10 mm. long; bracts very small, caducous; calyx-limb short,
5-toothed; berry 5-6 mm. In diameter.
Forests and summits of the eastern mountains of Porto Rico. Endemic. The
corolla of this species is unknown.
2. CERATOSTEMA Juss.; Gmelin, Syst. 2: 676. 1791.
Shrubs or vines with coriaceous, entire or obscurely denticulate leaves, and
largo axillary fascicled or solitary flowers. Calyx 5-toothed. Corolla tubular,
with 5 short lobes. Stamens 10; filaments short; anthers linear, elongated, the
tubular part much longer than the lower part. Ovary 5-celled; style filiform;
stigma capitellate. Fruit a many-seeded berry. [Greek, horned stamens.]
About 25 species oftropical America, most abundant In the Andes. Typespecies:
Ceratostema peruvia sum Gmelin.
1. Ceratostema portoricensis (Urban) Hoerold, Bot. Jahrb. 42: 276. 1909.
Thibaudia portoricensis Urban, Symb. Ant. 1: 376. 1899.
A shrub, or a woody vine up to about 4 m. long, the twigs slender, short-
ploso. Leaves suborbicular or ovate-orbicular, 8-20 mm. long, pale beneath,
entire, rigid, brittle, the apex rounded, obtuse or acute, the base rounded, the
midvein impressed above, prominent beneath, the lateral venation obsolete, the
petioles 1-3 mm. long; flowers solitary in the axils on a peduncle 12 mm. long or
shorter; calyx about 5 mm. long, narrowly campanulate, Its limb with 5 broad
teeth; corolla urceolate-cylindric, light rose-colored, about 16 mm. long, with
5 broad teeth; stamens nearly as long as the corolla, the tubular portion of the
anther 2-3 times as long as the lower part; style white.
On the summits of the eastern mountains of Porto Rico. Endemic.
Order 2. PRIMULALES.
Herbs, shrubs or trees. Corolla usually present, gamopetalous. Calyx
mostly free from the ovary. Stamens borne on the corolla, as many as its
lobes, or twice as many, or more.
Style 1; shrubs and trees; fruit drupaceous or baccate.
Staminodes none; fruit 1-seeded. Fam. 1. MIYRSINACEAE.
Corolla bearing staminodes at the sinuses; fruit
several-many-seeded. Fam. 2. THEOPHRASTACEAE.
Styles 5; herbs; fruit an achene or utricle. Fam. 3. PLUMBAGINACEAE.
Family 1. MYRSINACEAE Lindl.
MYRSINE FAMILY.
Trees or shrubs, usually glabrous, the leaves mostly alternate, punctate
or lineolate, estipulate, the small regular flowers variously clustered. Calyx
inferior, persistent, 4-6-parted. Corolla mostly rotate or salverform, rarely
tubular or of separate petals. Stamens as many as the corolla-segments and
opposite them; filaments usually short, distinct or sometimes united; anthers
longitudinally dehiscent; staminodes none. Ovary superior, 1-celled; style
short or long; stigma various; ovules few, usually immersed in the central
placenta. Fruit small, baccate, 1-seeded, sometimes nearly dry. Seed
subglobose, the testa thin, the endosperm fleshy or horny. About 20 genera
and over 450 species, mostly tropical in distribution.
MYRSINACEAE 57
1. Flowers paniculate or racemose.
Ovules several or many; corolla contorted; style elongated. 1. Icacorea.
Ovules few; style short or none or rarely elongated.
Style elongated; corolla-lobes valvate. 2. Parathesis.
Style short or wanting.
Anthers dorsifixed.
Flowers dioecious; filaments slender; corolla-lobes
imbricated. 3. Petesioides.
Flowers perfect; filaments short; anthers long; corolla-
lobes contorted. 4. Stylogyne.
Anthers basifixed; filaments very short. 5. Grammadenia.
2. Flowers in small lateral fascicles, subumbellate. 6. Rapanea.
1. ICACOREA Aubl. P1. Guian. 2: Suppl. 1. 1775.
Shrubs or trees, with alternate, mostly entire leaves and perfect or polygamo-
dioecious white or pink flowers in cymes or panicles. Calyx campanulate, 4-5.
parted. Corolla nearly rotate, usually 5-parted, the segments spreading or re-
flexed, contorted. Stamens usually 5; filaments short or slender, borne at the
top of the short corolla-tube; anthers acute or acuminate. Ovary globose; stigma
discoid or truncate; ovules several. Berry little fleshy. [Guiana name.] Over
200 species, of tropical and subtropical regions, the Porto Rico ones called MAME-
YUELO. Type species: Icacorea guianensis Aubl.
Leaves up to 22 cm. long, strongly reticulate-veined: sepals ciliate. 1. I. glauciflora.
Leaves 5-11 cm. long, delicately veined; sepals scarcely ciliate. 2. 1. guadalupensis.
Species incompletely known. 3. I. (?) luquillensis.
1. Icacorea glauciflora (Urban) Britton.
Ardisia glauciflora Urban, Symb. Ant. 1: 382. 1899.
A tree, 4-8 m. high, the stout twigs tomentulose. Leaves elliptic to oblong-
obovate, thick-coriaceous, 10-22 cm. long, glabrous, prominently reticulate-
veined above, the apex obtuse, the base obtuse or narrowed, the stout petioles
1 cm. long or less; panicles terminal, densely many-flowered, tomentulose, shorter
than the leaves; pedicels stout, 8-14 mm. long; sepals ovate, rounded, ciliate;
corolla deeply 5-lobed, glaucescent, glabrous, about 12 mm. broad; young fruit
subglobose; style slender.
Forests of the higher Porto Rico mountains. Endemic. The nearly white, hard
and heavy wood is prized for furniture. A small tree of the forest on Mt. Alegrillo, with
narrowly obovate leaves, may represent another species.
2. Icacorea guadalupensis (Duch.) Britton; P. Wilson, Bull. N. Y. Bet.
Gard. 8: 401. 1917.
? Ardisia obovata Hamilt. Prodr. 26. 1825.
Ardisia coriacea A. DC. Prodr. 8: 122. 1844. Not Sw. 1788.
Ardisia guadalupensis Duch.; Griseb. Goett. Abh. 7: 237. 1857.
A glabrous shrub 1-3 m. high, or a tree up to 15 m. high, the stout twigs
light gray. Leaves elliptic to elliptic-obovate, coriaceous, 10-15 cm. long, obtuse
or acutish at the apex, narrowed or cuneate at the base, paler green beneath than
above, delicately veined, the stout petioles 7-12 mm. long; panicles terminal,
densely many-flowered, 10-15 cm. long; pedicels 2-4 mm. long, rather stout;
calyx about 2 mm. long, its 5 segments oblong, obtuse, punctate; corolla white,
rotate, its 5 segments ovate or ovate-elliptic, obtuse, symmetrical, more or less
punctate or lineolate; fruit subglobose or depressed-globose, black when mature,
6-8 mm. in diameter, tipped by the short style.
Woodlands, forests, thickets and river banks, Porto Rico, at lower and middle
elevations; doubtfully recorded from the summit of Monte Yunque; Vieques; St. Croix;
St. Thomas; St. Jan; Tortola; Virgin Gorda:-Bahamas; Saba to St. Lucia. Its wood is
light reddish brown, hard and heavy. BADULA.
58 MYRSINACEAE
3. Icacorea (?) luquillensis Britton, sp. nov.
A shrub, about 2.5 m. high, glabrous or very nearly so throughout, the twigs
rather stout. Leaves obovate, coriaceous, entire, rather obscurely reticulate-
veined with the midvein prominent on both sides, 5-9 cm. long, the apex rounded,
the base narrowed, the petioles 6-12 mm. long; panicle many-flowered, somewhat
shorter than the leaves; fruiting pedicels 4-7 mm. long; sepals ovate, rounded,
ciliolate, 1.5 mm. long; fruit globose, about 4 mm. in diameter; style somewhat
shorter than the fruit; corolla unknown.
Forest, Catalina-Yunque Trail, Sierra de Luquillo at 1000 m. altitude (Britton and
Bruner 7624, Feb. 23-26, 1923).
Ardisia maculata of Bello, not of Poitier, has not been identified by sub-
sequent botanists; no description of it was published.
2. PARATHESIS [A. DC.] Hook. f. in Benth. & Hook. Gen. PIl. 2: 645.
1876.
Trees or shrubs, with puberulent or tomentulose twigs and small perfect,
5-parted flowers in terminal or axillary panicles. Calyx very small, the sepals
connate at the base. Corolla rotate, pubescent, its lobes valvate. Stamens
borne at the throat of the corolla; filaments filiform; anthers sagittate-lanceolate,
dorsifixed. Ovary globose; ovules few; style filiform; stigma very small. Fruit
1-seeded, globose. [Greek, referring to the valvate corolla-lobes.] A few species,
natives of western tropical continental America and the West Indies, the following
typical.
I. Parathesis serrulata (Sw.) Mez in Urban, Symb. Ant. 2: 403. 1901.
Ardisia serrulata Sw. Prodr. 48. 1788.
Ardisia crenulata Vent. Choix des Plantes 5. 1803.
A shrub, 2-3 m. high, rarely a small troo, the young twigs and inflorescence
densely lepidote-tomentulose. Leaves oblong or oblong-oblanceolate, mem-
branous, cronulate or entire, 7-16 cm. long, tomentulose, the base cuneate, the
petioles 1-3 cm. long; panicles terminal, many-flowered; pedicels 1-4 mm. long;
flowers pink, 6-8 mm. broad; corolla deeply cleft, tomentulose; filaments glabrous;
style pilose above; fruit black, fleshy, subglobose, t--8 mm. in diameter.
Wooded hills and forests, Porto Rico, in wet or moist districts, mostly at middle or
higher elevations:-Hispaniola; _Mexico to Venezuela. RASCA-GARGANTA. SECA-GAR-
GANTA.
3. PETESIOIDES Jacq. Sel. Am. 17. 1763.
Glabrous trees or shrubs, with entire or sometimes serrate leaves, and
small dioecious 4- or 5-parted flowers in terminal or axillary racemes or panicles.
Sepals distinct, or partly connate in the pistillate flowers. Corolla of the sta-
minate flower tubular, its lobes mostly short, imbricated; corolla of the pistillate
flowers tubular or short, irregularly cleft. Stamens of the staminate flowers with
slender filaments, the anthers dorsally attached, recurved; pistillate flowers with
reduced staminodia. Ovary subglobose; style short or slender; ovules few; fruit
globose or subglobose, 1-seeded. [Greek, resembling Petesia.] About 20 species,
of the West Indies. Type species: Petesioides laurifolium Jacq.
Leaves serrate; inflorescence erect. 1. P. yunquense.
Leaves entire or indistinctly crenulate near the apex; Inflorescence
pendulous. 2. P. pendulum.
MYRSINACEAE
1. Petesioides yunquense (Urban) Britton.
Ardisia yunquensis Urban, Symb. Ant. 1: 383. 1899.
Wallenia yunquensis Mez in Urban, Symb. Ant. 2: 413. 1901.
A shrub, about 3 m. high. Leaves clustered at the ends of twigs or some of
them scattered, subcoriaceous, oblong to oblong-obovate, reticulate-veined, 7-15
cm. long, serrate above the middle, the apex acute, the base narrowed, the
petioles 5-8 mm. long; racemes appearing terminal, erect, few-several-flowered,
7 cm. long or less; pedicels filiform, 5-9 mm. long; sepals about 2 mm. long;
corolla pale violet, cylindric, 5-7 mm. long; filaments very short.
Summit of Monte Yunque. Endemic.
2. Petesioides pendulum (Urban) Britton.
Ardisia pendula Urban, Symb. Ant. 1: 383. 1899.
Ardisia purpurascens Urban, Symb. Ant. 1: 384. 1899.
Ardisia purpurascens corymbifera Urban, Symb. Ant. 1: 384. 1899.
Wallenia pendula Afez In Urban, Symb. Ant. 2: 413. 1901.
Wallenia purpurascens Mez in Urban, Symb. Ant. 2: 412. 1901.
Wallenia purpurascenr corymbifera Mez in Urban, Symb. Ant. 2: 413. 1901.
A shrub, 2-3 m. high, or sometimes forming a tree up to 10 m. high, the
leaves mostly clustered at the ends of the stout twigs. Leaves obovate to oblong-
obovate, subcoriaceous, reticulate-veined, 7-25 cm. long, entire, or obscurely
crenulate toward the acute or obtuse apex, the base narrowed or subcuneate, the
petioles 1-2.5 cm. long; racemes pendulous, slender, many-flowered, 2 dm. long
or less; pedicels 1-2.5 mm. long; sepals obtuse or acutish, about 2 mm. long;
corolla greenish-white, 3-4 mm. long; fruit globose or depressed-globose, about
5 mm. in diameter.
Forests and wooded bills in wet or moist districts of Porto Rico. Endemic. .IACA-
NILLO.
4. STYLOGYNE A. DO. Ann. Sci. Nat. II. 16: 91. 1841.
Trees or shrubs, mostly glabrous, with broad alternate petioled leaves and
small, 5-parted, perfect or rarely dioecious flowers in lateral, axillary or terminal
panicles or compound corymbs. Sepals distinct, or nearly so. Corolla deeply
parted, its lobes dextrorsely contorted. Filaments short; anthers elongated,
dorsally inserted. Ovary globose or ovoid; style short or slender; ovules few.
Fruit subglobose, 1-seeded, crustaceous. [Greek, referring to the style.] A few
species, natives of tropical America. Type species: Stylogyne Maertiana A. DC.
1. Stylogyne lateriflora (Sw.) Mez in Urban, Symb. Ant. 2: 418. 1901.
Ardisia laleriflora Sw. Prodr. 48. 1788.
Ardisia caribaea Miquel, in Mart. Fl. Bras. 10: 289. 1856.
A shrub, 1-2 m. high, glabrous throughout. Leaves elliptic or elliptic-
obovate, subcoriaceous, 7-15 cm. long, entire, pinnately veined, the apex obtuse
or acute, the base obtuse or narrowed, the petioles 4-9 mm. long; panicles axillary
or lateral, many-flowered, shorter than the leaves; pedicels slender, 4-8 mm.
long; flowers white, about 8 mm. broad; sepals about 2 mm. long; anthers nearly
as long as the petals; style slender; fruit globose, 4-5 mm. In diameter.
Sierra de Luquillc, in forest near Banadero, at 600 m. altitude, collected only by
Eggers (according to Mez); St. Thomas (according to Eggers) :-Guadeloupe to Trinidad.
Not seen by us from within the limits of this flora; perhaps erroneously recorded.
60 MYRSINACEAE
5. GRAMMADENIA Benth. Pl. Hartw. 218. 1839.
Glabrous shrubs or small trees, with small entire, sometimes glandular-Ulneate
leaves, the perfect or rarely dioecious, small 5-parted flowers subumbellate, corym-
bose or racemose. Sepals connate at the base. Corolla-lobes imbricated, spread-
ing, the stamens borne at their bases. Filaments very short or none; anthers
short, rounded or emarginate. Ovary globose; style short; stigma truncate;
ovules 2-4. Fruit globose or ellipsoid, crustaceous, 1-seeded. [Greek, linear
glands.] About 10 species, natives of West Indian and South American mountain
regions. Type species. Grammadenia marginata Benth.
1. Grammadenia Sintenisii (Urban) Mez in Urban, Symb. Ant. 2: 425. 1901.
Ardisia Sintenisii Urban, Symb. Ant. 1: 381. 1899.
A shrub, or a small tree 4-5 m. high, with slender but rather stiff branches.
Leaves oblong-obovate to oblanceolate, rather thin, 4-8 cm. long, faintly pin-
nately veined, the apex bluntly short-acuminate or obtuse, the base subcunoate,
the petioles 4-6 mm. long; inflorescence terminal, slender-peduncled, subumbel-
late, few-flowered, shorter than the leaves; pedicels filiform, 5-15 mm. long;
flowers greenish-white, 5-7 mm. broad; sepals narrowly elliptic, obtuse; corolla-
lobes rounded; fruit ellipsoid, apiculate, about 8 mm. long.
Forests and summits of the eastern mountains of Porto Rico. Endemic.
6. RAPANEAAubl. Pl. Guian. 1: 121. 1775.
Shrubs or small trees, with alternate coriaceous or subcoriaceous leaves, and
small bracted polygamo-dioecious flowers, in lateral or axillary fascicles. Calyx
mostly 4-5-cleft, persistent. Corolla 4-5-parted, or rarely of 4 or 5 petals, the
segments spreading or recurved. Stamens borne on the bases of the corolla-
segments; filaments short; anthers obtuse. Ovary globose or ovoid; style short
or slender; stigma various; ovules few or many. Fruit a globose, nearly dry
small 1-seeded berry. [Guiana name.] Over 80 species, mostly of tropical-
regions. Type species: Rapanea guianensis Aubl.
Twigs glabrous; leaves elliptic to obovate, the apex rounded. 1. R. guianensis.
Twigs tomentulose; leaves lanceolate or oblong-lanceolate, acute or
acuminate. 2. R.ferruginea.
1. Rapanea guianensis Aubl. Pl. Guian. 1: 121. 1775.
Myrsine floribunda R. Br. Prodr. 533., 1810.
Myrsine baccata A. DC. Ann. Sci. Nat. II. 16: 86. 1841.
Myrsine guianensis Kuntze, Rev. Gen. Pl. 402. 1891.
A shrub, or small tree up to 6 m. high, the trunk sometimes 1.5 dm. in di-
ameter, the foliage glabrous, the bark smooth and gray. Leaves mostly clustered
near the ends of the rather slender twigs, short-petioled, obovate or oblong, 4-10
cm. long, obtuse at the apex, narrowed at the base, bright green and somewhat
shining above, dull green beneath, the midvein prominent, the lateral veins faint;
flowers green, about 4 mm. broad, nearly sessile on the twigs below the leaves;
sepals ovate, about 1.5 mm. long; corolla-lobes oblong, glandular-ciliate, 2-3
times as long as the sepals, somewhat unequal; fruit globose, black when mature,
about 5 mm. in diameter. [Myrsine coriacea of Bello, not of R. Brown.]
Thickets and woodlands at lower elevations, northern and western districts of
Porto Rico; Tortola:-Florida; Bahamas; Jamaica; Cuba; Bispaniola; Martinique; St.
Vincent; Grenada; Trinidad; continental tropical America. BADULA.
THEOPHRASTACEAE 61
2. Rapanea ferruginea (R. & P.) Mez in Urban, Symb. Ant. 2: 429. 1901.
Caballeria ferruginea R. & P. Syst. 250. 1788.
Myrsinefloribunda R. Br. Prodr. 533. 1810.
Myrsine ferruginea Spreng. Syst. 1: 664. 1825.
Myrsine Berterii A. DC. Trans. Linn. Soc. 17: 109. 1834.
A tree, 5-10 m. high, the twigs rather densely tomentulose. Leaves alter-
nate, lanceolate or oblong-lanceolate, 5-8 cm. long, the apex acute or acuminate,
the base narrowed, the upper surface bright green, nearly or quite glabrous and
minutely tuberculate, the under side tomentulose, at least on the prominent
midrib, the lateral venation obsolete; petioles slender, tomentulose, 8-15 mm.
long; flowers green, nearly sessile, 2-3 mm. broad, in small axillary or lateral
clusters; sepals ovate, united to about the middle; corolla-lobes acutish; fruit
globose, black or bluish, about 4 mm. in diameter. [Myrsine laeta of Grisebach,
not of A. de Candolle; Myrsine coriacea of Stahl, not of R. Brown.]
Wooded hills, thickets, forests and forest borders, Porto Rico, In wet or moist
districts, ascending to the higher elevations:-Jamaica; Cuba; Hispaniola; Saba to Gre-
nada; continental tropical America. ARRAYAN.
Family 2. THEOPHRASTACEAE D. Don.
THEOPHRASTA FAMILY.
Trees or shrubs, with evergreen coriaceous estipulate leaves, and regular,
perfect or polygamo-dioecious flowers in axillary or terminal clusters, or
solitary. Calyx inferior, mostly 5-parted, the segments obtuse, imbricated.
Corolla gamopetalous, rotate-campanulate or cylindric-campanulate, mostly
5-lobed, the lobes imbricated. Stamens 5, rarely 4, borne near the base of
the corolla-tube; filaments subulate or flattened; anthers mostly extrorse.
Staminodia 5. Ovary superior, 1-celled; style short or slender; stigma capi-
tate or discoid; ovules numerous. Fruit coriaceous or fleshy, indehiscent,
few-several-seeded. Five genera and about 50 species, of tropical distri-
bution.
1. JACQUINIA L.; Jacq. Enum. 2, 15. 1760.
Evergreen shrubs or small trees, with opposite or verticillate coriaceous
leaves, and small perfect white or yellow, racemed, corymbed or panicled flowers.
Sepals 5, imbricated. Corolla salverform or short-campanulate, 5-lobed, the
lobes imbricated in the bud, spreading at anthesis. Staminodia 5, borne on the
corolla-tube. Stamens 5, borne on the base of the corolla-tube. Ovary 5-
carpellary; style short; ovules usually many. Fruit ovoid or globose, coriaceous.
Seeds compressed, with cartilaginous endosperm. [Commemorates Nicholas
Joseph von Jacquin, 1727-1817, distinguished Austrian botanist.] About 25
species, of tropical America. Type species: Jacquinia ruscifolia Jacq.
Leaves splnulose-tipped. 1. J. umbellata.
Leaves not spinulose-tipped.
Sepals ciliolate. 2. J. revolula.
Sepals eciliate.
Inflorescence few-flowered; pedicels reflexed: leaves 2-4 cm. long. 3. J. Bertferii.
Inflorescence racemose, several-many-flowered; pedicels not
reflexed; leaves 4-10 cm. long. 4. J. Barbasco.
1. Jacquinia umbellata DC. Prodr. 8: 150. 1844.
A shrub, 3 m. high or less, the numerous, slender but stiff twigs puberulent.
Leaves rigid, glabrous, elliptic to oblong, 2-4 cm. long, faintly 3-nerved and
pinnately veined, the apex acute and spinulose-tipped, the base narrowed or
THEOPHRASTACEAE
cuneate, the petioles 1-3 mm. long; inflorescence terminal, subumbellate, 2-5-
flowered; pedicels 3-8 mm. long; sepals nearly orbicular, entire, about 2.5 mm.
long; corolla orange or orange-purple, about 5 mm. long, its lobes rounded; fruit
ellipsoid or obovoid, 8-12 mm. long, orange. [J. macrocarpa of Sprengel, not of
Cavanilles; J. aristata of Grisebach, not of Jacquin; J. aurantiana of Bertero, not
of Aiton.]
Hillsides and thickets, southern and western districts of Porto Rico at lower and
middle elevations. Races differ in the size and width of leaves. Endemic. CHIRRIADOR.
2. Jacquinia revoluta Jacq. Fragm. 64. 1809.
A small tree, about 7 m. high or less, or shrubby, the slender twigs finely
lepidote. Leaves obovate, coriaceous, faintly veined, punctate-lepidote, 3-6 cm.
long, the apex rounded, emarginate or mucronulate, the base narrowed, the
petioles 1-2 mm. long; inflorescence terminal, racemose, few-several-flowered;
pedicels 8-10mm. long; flowers fragrant; sepals ciliolate or nearly naked, rounded,
about 2 mm. long; corolla white, about 6 mm. long; fruit orange, globose, about
6 mm. in diameter.
Upper slopes of Sage Mountain, Tortola (Fishlock 75):-St. Martin; Antigua; Guade-
loupe; Martinique; Trinidad; Venezuela. A barren specimen, collected at Guayanilla,
Porto Rico (Slevens 9072), may be referable to this species.
3. Jacquinia Berterii Sprong. Syst. 1: 668. 1825.
Jacquinia Berterii portoricensis Urban, Symb. Ant. 1: 377. 1899.
Jacquinia Berterii retusa Urban, Symb. Ant. 1: 378. 1899.
A much-branched shrub, 1-3 m. high, or tree up to about 7 m. high, the bark
whitish, the young twigs scurfy-lepidote. Leaves various in form, oblong to
obovate or oblong-lanceolate, coriaceous, 2-4 cm. long, rounded, retuse or acute
at the apex, cuneate at the base, usually inconspicuously veined, the petioles 1-2
mm. long; inflorescence terminal or in the uppermost axils, 1-6-flowered, much
shorter than the leaves; pedicels 5-8 mm. long, thickened upwardly, reflexed;
sepals nearly orbicular, 1.5-2 mm. long, glabrous; corolla about 3 mm. long, its
lobes reflexed; fruit ovoid to subglobose, orange or yellow, 6-8 mm. in diameter.
Rocky hillsides and thickets, Porto Rico, In the dry southwestern districts near the
coast; Vicques; St. Croix; St. Thomas; St. Jan; Anegada:-Bahamas; Cuba; IIispaniola;
Anguilla; St. Martin; Guadeloupe.
4. Jacquinia Barbasco (Loefi.) Mez, Pflanzr. 15: 32. 1903.
Chrysophyllum Barbasco Loefl. Iter. 204, 277. 1758.
Jacquinia armillaris Jacq. Enum. 15. 1760.
Jacquinia arborea Vahl, Eclog. 1: 26. 1796.
Jacquinia armillaris arborea Griseb. Fl. Br. W. I. 397. 1861.
A shrub 1-3 m. high, or a small tree up to about 5 m. high, the rather stout
twigs finely lepidoto. Leaves obovate or oblong-obovate, coriaceous and some-
what fleshy, light green, mostly clustered, 4-10 cm. long, the midvein rather
prominent beneath, the lateral venation obscure, both surfaces lepidote-puncti-
culate, the apex rounded or emarginate, the base narrowed or subcuneate, the
petioles 3-6 mm. long; racemes terminal, several-many-flowered, 4-12 cm. long;
flowers fragrant; pedicels 8-18 mm. long, ascending, rather stout; sepals nearly
orbicular, glabrous, 2-3 mm. long; corolla white, about 6 mm. long, its lobes
rounded; fruit globose, 8-12 mm. in diameter.
Coastal woodlands and thickets, Porto Rico; Mona; Icacos; Vieques; Culebra; St.
Croix; St. Thomas; St. Jan; Tortola; Virgin Gorda; Anegada;-Jamaica; Cuba; His-
paniola; St. Martin to Tobago; Curacao; Bonaire. AZUCARES. BARBASCO.
PLUMBAGINACEAE 63
Family 3. PLUMBAGINACEAE Lindl.
PLUMBAGO FAMILY.
Perennial herbs or shrubs, with basal or alternate leaves, and perfect
and regular clustered flowers. Calyx inferior, 4-5-toothed, sometimes plait-
ed at the sinuses, the tube 5-15-ribbed. Corolla of 4 or 5 hypogynous
clawed segments connate at the base, or united into a tube. Stamens 4 or 5,
opposite the corolla-segments, hypogynous; anthers 2-celled, attached by
their backs to the filaments, the sacs longitudinally dehiscent. Disk none.
Ovary superior, 1-celled; ovule solitary, anatropous, pendulous; styles 5.
Fruit a utricle or achene, enclosed by the calyx, rarely a dehiscent capsule.
Seed solitary; testa membranous; endosperm mealy, or none; embryo
straight; cotyledons entire. About 10 genera and 350 species, of wide dis-
tribution, many in saline situations.
1. PLUMBAGO L. Sp. P1. 151. 1753.
Perennial herbs, shrubs or vines, with alternate, often clasping leaves, the
purple blue red or white flowers in bracted spikes. Calyx tubular, 5-ribbed,
glandular, with 4 or 5 erect lobes. Petals 4 or 5, their claws united into a tube,
their blades entire, spreading, the corolla thin, salverform. Stamens 5, distinct,
the filaments dilated at the base, the anthers linear. Styles filiform, stigmatic
on the inner side, partly united. Fruit capsular. [Latin, leadwort.] About a
dozen species, natives of southern Europe and west central Asia and tropical
America. Type species: Plumbago europaea L.
1. Plumbago scandens L. Sp. Pl. ed. 2, 215. 1762.
A perennial woody herb, the branches often elongated and vine-like, glabrous,
sometimes 1 m. long. Leaves ovate to oblong-lanceolate, membranous, glabrous,
3-10 cm. long, acute or acuminate at the apex, narrowed at the base, the petioles
1 cm. long or less; spikes slender, pedunclod, several-many-flowered, 5-12 cm.
long; bracts lanceolate, acuminate, persistent, about 5 mm. long; calyx about 1
cm. long, beset with long-stalked glands; corolla white, its filiform tube about
2 cm. long, its obovate mucronate spreading lobes 5-7 mm. long.
Banks. woods, thickets and waste grounds, Porto Rico; Vieques; St. Croix; St.
Thomas; St. Jan: Tortola:-Florida; West Indies; continental tropical America. HI-
GUILLO. MELADILLO. WHITE PLUMBAGO.
Plumbago capensis Thunb., ISABEL SEGUNDA, BLISTER-LEAF, BLUE
PLUMBAGO, South African, grown for ornament in Porto Rico and Virgin Island
gardens, is a slender leafy half-climbing shrub 1-2 m. long, with oblong to spatu-
late leaves 2.5-7.5 cm. long, and large blue flowers in terminal puberulent spikes,
the narrowly cylindric, glandular calyx-tube is about 12 mm. long, the slender
glabrous corolla-tube about 4 cm. long; the corolla limb about 2.5 cm. broad.
Plumbago rosea L., RED PLUMBAGO, Asiatic, grown for ornament in Porto
Rico and Virgin Island gardens, resembles P. capensis, but is glabrous, its
leaves ovate-lanceolate or elliptic, the scarlet flowers in elongated spikes, the
corolla-tube about 2 cm. long.
Plumbago zeylanica L. was formerly grown on St. Croix, according to
West.
64 SAPOTACEAE
Dodecatheon Meadia L., SHOOTING STAR, North American, of the Family
Primulaceae, listed by Krebs as found in St. Thomas, may have been grown
there from seed.
Order 3. EBENALES.
Shrubs or trees, with alternate simple leaves, the flowers mostly regular.
Calyx free from the ovary (inferior) or more or less adnate to it. Corolla
gamopetalous or sometimes polypetalous. Stamens borne on the tube or
base of the corolla, as many as its lobes, and opposite them, or more nu-
merous.
Stamens as many as the corolla-lobes. Fam. 1. SAPOTACEAE.
Stamens twice as many as the corolla-lobes, or more.
Styles 2-8, flowers mostly monoecious or dioccious. Fam. 2. EBENACEAE.
Style 1, simple or lobed; flowers mostly perfect.
Stamens in several series. Fam. 3. SYMPLOCACEAE.
Stamens in but 1 series. Fam. 4. STYRACACEAE.
Family 1. SAPOTACEAE Reichenb.
SAPODILLA FAMILY.
Shrubs or trees, the sap often milky, the leaves mostly alternate, entire,
estipulate, often finely veined, the perfect or rarely polygamous flowers
clustered. Sepals 4-12, imbricated. Corolla lobed, often appendaged
between the lobes. Stamens as many as the corolla-lobes, often alternating
with staminodia; filaments distinct. Ovary sessile, 4-12-celled; styles
united; ovules solitary in each cavity, anatropous. Fruit a berry, often
large. Seeds shining, smooth; embryo straight. About 35 genera, com-
prising over 400 species, mostly of tropical distribution.
A. Corolla-lobes unappendaged.
a. Flowers with both fertile stamens and staminodia.
Staminodia petal-like, broad.
Sepals 6; hilum shorter than the seed.
Sepals 5; hilum as long as the seed.
Staminodia filament-like or scale-like.
Staminodia scale-like.
Staminodia filament-like.
Sepals 4 or 5 in 1 series or 2.
Sepals about 10, imbricated in several series.
b. Stamens all fertile; staminodia none.
B. Corolla-lobes with an appendage on both sides at base.
Sepals 5.
Seeds with copious endosperm.
Seeds without endosperm.
Sepals 6 or S.
1. Sapota.
2. Micropholis.
3. Sideroxylon.
4. Lucuma.
5. Achras.
6. Chrysophyllum.
7. Dipholis.
S. Bumelia.
9. Alanilkara.
1. SAPOTA [Plum.] Mill. Gard. Dict. ed. 7. 1759.
A spreading evergreen tree, with alternate coriaceous, oblong to elliptic
leaves, and rather large, peduncled, mostly 6-parted, whitish flowers solitary in
the axils, the sap milky. Sepals in 2 series. Corolla nearly urceolate, scarcely
longer than the calyx; anthers sagittate; staminodia little shorter than the
corolla-lobes. Ovary 10-12-colled; ovules ascending; style slender, exserted;
stigma small. Fruit a largo, rough-skinned berry. Seeds black, shining, the
endosperm fleshy. [Aboriginal West Indian name.] A monotypic genus.
SAPOTACEAE 65
1. Sapota Achras Mill. Gard. Diet. od. 8, no. 1. 1768.
Achras Zapota L. Syst. ed. 10, 988. 1759. Not A. Zapota L. Sp. P1. 1190.
1753
A tree, up to about 15 m. high, the bark dark brown, the twigs rather stout,
the petioles, peduncles and calyx brownish pubescent. Leaves mainly clustered
at the ends of the twigs, 5-12 cm. long, the lateral veins nearly transverse,
delicate, close together, the apex obtuse, the base mostly narrowed, the slender
petioles 5-20 mm. long; peduncles about as long as the petioles; sepals 8-10 mm.
long; corolla-lobes about half as long as the tube; staminodia longer than the
stamens; fruit globose or ovoid, 3-8 cm. in diameter, rough, brown, the flesh
sweet, brownish, milky; seeds usually several, flattened, about 2 cm. long, with
a white scar on the inner edge.
Hillsides and woodlands at lower elevations, Porto Rico, perhaps not Indigenous,
much planted for its fruit and for shade; St. Croix; St. Thomas; St. Jan:-West Indies;
continental tropical America. The very heavy light red wood is hard and durable, used
for furniture and In cabinet work. The fruit Is one of the most important of tropical
regions. NISPERO. SAPODILLA. AIESPLE. NASEBERRY.
2. MICROPHOLIS [Griseb.] Pierre, Sapot. 37. 1891.
Evergreen trees, with hard and heavy wood, coriaceous leaves and small
axillaryor lateral flowers. Sepals usually 5, imbricated. Corolla mostly 5-lobed.
Staminodia mostly small, broad, rarely narrow. Stamens borne on the throat
of the corolla. Disk hispid or villous. Ovary mostly 5-celled; style short;
ovules anatropous. Fruit a 1-seeded berry. Seed oblong, narrowed at both
ends, shining, the hilum long, the cotyledons striate, the endosperm thick.
[Greek, referring to the small staminodia.] About 40 species, natives of tropical
America, those of Porto Rico known as CAIMITILLO. Type species: Chryso-
phyllum rugosum Griseb.
Leaves glabrous and shining on both sides, at least when old. 1. .1. garcinifolia.
Leaves tomentulose beneath, glabrous above.
Fruit about 2 cm. long; seed curved. 2. M, curvata.
Fruit 3-5 cm. long; seed straight. 3. 51. chrysophylloides.
1. Micropholis garcinifolia Pierre, Sapot. 38. 1S91.
Micropholis Urbani Pierre, Sapot. 38. 1891.
A tree, up to about 20 m. in height, the twigs glabrous, striate. Leaves
elliptic or oblong-elliptic, 4-8 cm. long, or those of shoots larger, glabrous when
mature, silky beneath when young, the apex obtuse, emarginate or acute, the
base obtuse or narrowed, the stout petioles 3-8 mm. long, the numerous nearly
straight veins rather prominent on both sides; flowers 1-3 in the axils; pedicels
2-8 mm. long; sepals 3-4.5 mm. long, tomentose; corolla about 3 mm. long;
fruit 2.5-4 cm. long, seed about 1.6 cm. long.
Forests at high elevations in the eastern mountains of Porto Rico. Endemic.
2. Micropholis curvata (Pierre) Urban, Symb. Ant. 5: 124. 1904.
Micropholis curvala Pierre, Sapot. 39. 1891.
A tree, 10-20 m. high, the young twigs puberulont. Loaves elliptic to
elliptic-obovate, 2-7 cm. long, the apex rounded, acute or short-acuminate, the
base narrowed or obtuse, glabrous and shining above, densely puberulent
beneath, the lateral venation not prominent, the petioles 7 mm. long or less;
pedicels 1-5, about as long as the petioles; sepals about 3 mm. long; fruit ellip-
soid, tomentulose, 2-3 cm. long; seed curved.
Forests of the western mountains of Porto Rico. Endemic.
66 SAPOTACEAE
3. Micropholis chrysophylloides Pierre, Sapot. 38. 1891.
Micropholis portoricensis Pierre, Sapot. 38. 1891.
Micropholis Balata Pierre in Urban, Symb. Ant. 5: 120. 1904.
Micropholis portoricensis mesuifolia Pierre; Urban, Symb. Ant. 5: 124.
1904.
A tree, recorded as attaining a maximum height of about 25 m., the twigs
golden-tomentose. Leaves elliptic to obovato, 4-8 cm. long, glabrous above,
tomontulose beneath, the apex obtuse, acute, short-acuminate or sometimes
emarginate, the base narrowed or cuneate, the petioles 5-9 mm. long; pedicels
3-8, about as long as the petioles or shorter; sopals about 3 mm. long; corolla
about as long as the sepals, its lobes shorter than the tube; fruit oblong, 3-5 cm.
long; seed straight.
Forests of the central and western mountains of Porto Rico:-Montserrat; Guade-
loupe; Antigua: Dominica; St. Lucia; St. Vincent.
3. SIDEROXYLON L. Sp. P1. 192. 1753.
Unarmed, hard-wooded, evergreen trees or shrubs, with alternate coria-
ceous, slender-petioled leaves, and small, 5-parted, greenish-yellow or white
flowers in dense axillary or lateral fascicles. Sepals mostly obtuse, Imbricated.
Corolla nearly rotate, its lobes obtuse, not appendaged. Stamens borne near
the middle or top of the corolla-tube, included, opposite the lobes; filaments
slender; anthers extrorse; staminodia entire or toothed, alternating with the
filaments. Ovary 5-celled or sometimes 2-3-celled; ovules ascending; style short
or slender. Berry ovoid or subglobose, usually 1-seeded. Seed with a crusta-
ceous testa and cartilaginous endosperm. [Greek, referring to the hard wood.]
About 75 species, natives of warm and tropical regions. Type species: Sidero-
xylon inerme L.
Leaves mostly obtuse or rounded; fruit yellow. 1. S. foetidissimum.
Leaves acute or acuminate; fruit red or brown. 2. S. portoricense.
1. Sideroxylon foetidissimum Jacq. Enum. 15. 1760.
Sideroxylon mastichodendron Jacq. Coll. 2: 253. 1788.
Sideroxylon pellidum Spreng. Syst. 1: 666. 1825.
A tree, attaining a maximum height of about 25 m., with a trunk up to
1.5 m. in diameter, the bark splitting into scalo-like plates, the twigs rather
slender, glabrous. Leaves oblong to oblong-ovate or oval, 5-15 cm. long, spar-
ingly pubescent when young, becoming glabrous, mostly rounded at the apex,
or those of shoots acute or acuminate, rounded or narrowed at the base, lustrous,
the slender petioles 2-7 cm. long; fascicles several-many-flowered, shorter than
the petioles; pedicels 4-10 mm. long; sepals nearly orbicular, obtuse, glabrous,
about 2 mm. long; corolla greenish-yellow, about 7 mm. broad, its lobes oblong;
obtuse; staminodia lanceolate, acuminate, 1 mm. long; berry drupe-like, yellow,
oval, 2-2.5 cm. long, glabrous, acid.
Woodlands, hillsides and river-valleys, Porto Rico, at lower elevations in dry and
moist districts; St. Croix; St. Thomas; St. Jan:-Florida; Bahamas; Jamaica; Cuba;
Hispaniola; Saba to Barbados; recorded from Bonaire. Its reddish or yellowish wood
is hard, very strong and durable, with a specific gravity a little over 1.00. TORTUGO
AMARILLO. AMASTIC-BULLY. Erroneously called Ausubo.
2. Sideroxylon portoricense Urban, Symb. Ant. 5: 134. 1904.
A large tree, sometimes 30 m. high, the young twigs brown-pilose, soon
glabrous. Leaves oblong-elliptic, 7-20 cm. long, narrowed at both ends, finely
reticulate-veined, the base subcuueate, the petioles 2-3 cm. long; fruiting pedicels
SAPOTACEAE
7-8 mm. long; sepals suborbicular, about 2.5 mm. broad; berry ovoid, about 2
cm. long, narrowed and truncate above, brown or red; seeds ovate, brown.
Mountain forests, western and central districts of Porto Rico; Hispaniola. TAB-
LONCILLO.
4. LUCUMA Molina, Sagg. Chile 186. 1782.
Trees, or some species shrubs, the leaves mostly coriaceous, the small flowers
in axillary or lateral glomerules, or solitary. Calyx-segments or sepals usually
4 or 5, strongly imbricated. Corolla urn-shaped, the tube short, the 4, 5 or 6
lobes imbricated. Stamens 4, 5 or 6, borne on the corolla-tube opposite its lobes,
the filaments short or slender. Staminodia linear or filamentous, borne at the
sinuses of the corolla. Ovary 2-6-celled, mostly villous; style subulate or conic.
Fruit a berry, the pericarp fleshy or thin. Seeds 1-5. [Peruvian name.] Fifty
species or more, mostly of tropical America, a few Australasian. Type species:
Lucuma bifera Molina.
1. Lucuma multiflora A. DC. Prodr. 8: 168. 1844.
Vitellaria multiflora Radlk. Sitz. Acad. Muench. 12: 326. 1882.
Achras Acana Sesse & Mog. Fl. Mex. ed. 2, 84. 1894.
Lucuma Urbani Pierre in Urban, Symb. Ant. 5: 103. 1904.
Lucuma Stahliana Pierre in Urban, Symb. Ant. 5: 104. 1904.
A tree, becoming very tall, up to 30 m. high, the young twigs pubescent.
Leaves oblong to elliptic-obovate, chartaceous or subcoriaceous, 8-30 cm. long,
pinnately veined, glabrous when mature, the apex obtuse, acute or acuminate,
the base narrowed or cuneate, the petioles 1-4 cm. long; pedicels 2-8 together in
the axils, or sometimes solitary, 10-20 mm. long; outer sepals about 6 mm. long,
rounded, puberulent; corolla 7-10 mm. long, white, its rounded lobes papillose;
fruit ovoid or obovoid, 3.5-5 cm. long, 1-seeded, rarely 2-seeded.
Forests and woodlands, Porto Rico, in moist or wet districts, at lower and middle
elevations; St. Croix; St. Thomas:-Saba to Trinidad. The hard, strong and durable
wood is valued for furniture and used in construction. JACANA.
Lucuma macrocarpa Hubcr, Brazilian, was experimentally grown at the
St. Croix Agricultural Experiment Station in 1923.
5. ACHRAS L. Sp. Pl. 1190. 1753.
A tree, with broad chartaccous leaves clustered near the ends of the twigs,
and small white flowers in sessile lateral clusters below the leaves. Sepals about
10, densely imbricated in 3 or 4 series. Corolla 5-cleft, the silky lobes somewhat
longer than the tube. Staminodia 5, often antheriferous. Stamens 5, opposite
the corolla-lobes, the filaments subulate, the anthers cordate. Ovary 5-celled;
disc villous; style conic. Fruit an oblong largo 1-seeded berry. [Greek, name
of a wild pear-tree.] A monotypic genus.
1. Achras Zapota L. Sp. Pl. 1190. 1753.
Sideroxylon sapota Jacq. Enum. 15. 1760.
Achras mammosa L. Sp. Pl. ed. 2, 469. 1762.
Lvcuma mammosa A. DC. Prodr. 8: 169. 1844. Not Gaertn. f.
Calocarpum mammosum Pierre in Urban, Symb. Ant. 5: 98. 1904.
Calocarpum mammosum ovoideum Pierre, loc. cit. 99. 1904.
A tree, 10-15 m. high, the twigs stout, pubescent or villous. Leaves obovato
or obovate-elliptic, strongly pinnately veined, 1.5-2.5 dm. long, glabrous, or
SAPOTACEAE
puberulent beneath, the apex acute, abruptly acuminate, obtuse or rounded, the
base cuneate, the rather stout petioles 2-4 cm. long, often pubescent; flowers
usually densely clustered on the twigs, nearly sessile; sepals rounded, silky, about
3 mm. long; corolla about 10 mm. long; fruit rugose, about 15 cm. long.
Woodlands and hillsides at lower elevations, Porto Rico, planted for Its fruit and for
shade, perhaps not indigenous:-Jamaica; Cuba; Hispaniola; Guadeloupe to Trinidad;
continental tropical America. 1,IAMEY SAPOTE.
6. CHRYSOPHYLLUM L. Sp. Pl. 192. 1753.
Unarmed evergreen trees, with alternate coriaceous leaves, and small, mostly
5-parted flowers, in axillary or lateral fascicles, the sap milky. Sepals nearly
alike. Corolla-lobes unappendaged. Stamens included; staminodia none.
Ovary pubescent; style short. Fruit a large or small, drupo-like berry. Seeds
with a hard, often shining testa and fleshy endosperm. [Greek, referring to the
lustrous pubescence on the under side of the leaves of some species.] Sixty
species or more, mostly of tropical America. Type species: Chrysophyllum
Cainito L.
Fruit 5-8 cm. in diameter, several-seeded; leaves golden-silky beneath. 1. C. Cainito.
Fruit 2 cm. in diameter or less, 1-seeded, rarely 2-seeded.
Leaves permanently golden-silky or brownish-silky beneath.
Leaves acute or short-acuminate.
Ovary 7-9-celled; fruit 2-3 cm. long. 2. C. bicolor.
Ovary 5-celled; fruit 1-2 cm. long. 3. C. oliviforme.
Leaves bluntly long-acuminate. 4. C. Eggcrsii.
Leaves finely pubescent or glabrate beneath.
Ovary 5-ceUed; fruit pointed, leaves very nearly glabrous. 5. C. pauciflorum.
Ovary 7-8-celled; fruit rounded; leaves silvery-silky beneath
or glabrate. 6. C. argenteum.
1. Chrysophyllum Cainito L. Sp. Pl. 192. 1753.
Chrysophyllum portoricense A. DC. Prodr. 8: 157. 1844.
A tree, 10-20 m. high, the trunk up to 6 din. in diameter, the twigs golden-
silky. Leaves elliptic to oblong-elliptic, chartaceous, 5-15 cm. long, golden-
silky beneath, the apex abruptly acute or obtuse, the base obtuse or narrowed,
the venation widely spreading, the petioles 1.5-3 cm. long; flowers purplish-white,
usually numerous in the fascicles; pedicels about 10 mm. long; sepals about 1.5
mm. long; corolla 3.5-5.5 mm. long, 5-7-lobed, the lobes about as long as the
tube; ovary tomentose, 6-11-colled; stamens shorter than the corolla-lobes;
fruit globose to ellipsoid, 5-8 cm. in diameter, greenish or purple, several-seeded.
Forests and hillsides, Porto Rico, planted for shade and for its fruit, and spontaneous
after planting; St. Croix; St. Thomas:-Jamaica; Cuba; Hispaniola; St. Kitts to Trinidad:
continental tropical America. The red-brown wood is hard, heavy, strong, tough and
durable, used in construction. Its edible fruit is highly esteemed. CAIMITO. STAR-
APPLE. CAINIT.
2. Chrysophyllum bicolor Poir. in Lam. Encycl. Suppl. 2: 15. 1811.
A tree, up to about 15 m. in height, the twigs golden-silky. Leaves elliptic,
chartaceous, 5-7 cm. long, or those of young trees larger, rather dark green above,
golden-silky or becoming silvery beneath, the apex bluntly short-acuminate, the
base obtuse or rounded, the petioles 7-12 mm. long; fascicles few-several-flowered;
pedicels 7-12 mm. long; sepals about 1.5 mm. long; corolla 4.5 mm. long, its
lobes shorter than the tube; ovary 7-9-celled; fruit oblong or subglobose, 2-3 cm.
long, 1-seeded, rarely 2-seeded. [C. oliviforme of Stahl, not of Linnaeus.]
Woodlands, northern districts of Porto Rico and near Hato Grande; St. Thomas:-
HIispaniola. CAIMITILLO. LECI1ESILLO.
SAPOTACEAE 69
3. Chrysophyllum oliviforme L. Syst. ed. 10, 937. 1759.
Chrysophyllum microphyllum Jacq. Sel. Amer. Pict. 30. 1780.
Chrysophyllum monopyrenum Sw. Prodr. 49. 1788.
A tree, reaching a maximum height of about 10 m., with a trunk up to 3 dm.
in diameter, the bark fissured, the young twigs brownish-pubescent. Loaves
oblong to ovate, 3-10 cm. long, acutish or short-acuminato at the apex, rounded
or narrowed at the base, green, glabrous and shining above, densely reddish or
brownish-pubescent beneath, the petioles 8-12 mm. long; fascicles few-flowered;
pedicels 5-10 mm. long; sepals silky, about 1.5 mm. long; corolla white, 4-6 mm.
wide; filaments very short; ovary 5-celled; berry oval, 1-2 cm. long, purple,
usually 1-seeded.
Plains and hillsides, northern and western districts of Porto Rico:-Florida: Bahamas:
Jamaica: Cuba; Hispaniola. The light brown wood is hard and strong, its specific
gravity about 0.94. TETA DE BURRA. SATIN-LEAF.
4. Chrysophyllum Eggersii Pierre in Urban, Symb. Ant. 5: 155. 1904.
A tree, 8 m. high or higher, the slender young twigs brown-silky. Leaves
elliptic to oblong-lanceolate, chartaceous, 6-12 cm. long, finely brown-silky or
becoming glabrate, the apex bluntly acuminate, the base rounded or narrowed,
the petioles 7-10 mm. long; fascicles few-soveral-flowered; pedicels about as
long as the petioles or shorter; calyx about 1.5 mm. long; corolla about 5 mm. long,
the lobes about as long as the tube or shorter; ovary 5-8-celled; fruit unknown.
[C. microphyllum of Eggers, not of Jacquin; (?) C. oliviforme monopyrenum of
Eggors.]
Woods and hillsides, St. Thomas; St. Jan; St. Croix. Endemic. WILD CAINIT.
5. Chrysophyllum pauciflorum Lam. Tabl. Encycl. 2: 44. 1793.
Chrysophyllum pauciflorum Krugii Piorre in Urban, Symb. Ant. 5: 159. 1901.
A tree, up to about 8 m. high, the gray bark rough, splitting into oblong,
scales, the slender, nearly glabrous, branches drooping. Leaves oblong-lanceo-
late to ovato-elliptic, chartaceous, 4-10 cm. long, nearly glabrous, the apex acute
or short-acuminato, the base obtuse or rounded, the petioles 3-8 mm. long;
flowers in axillary fascicles of 2-6, or solitary; pedicels 3-12 mm. long; calyx 1.5-2
mm. long; corolla about 4 mm. long, its lobes shorter than the tube; fruit oblong,
1-2 cm. long, sharply pointed. [Chrysophyllum Krugii of Cook and Collins.]
Hillsides at lower elevations in the dry southern districts of Porto Rico; Vieques;
St. Croix; St. Thomas: St. Jan. Endemic. CAIMITO DE PERRO.
6. Chrysophyllum argenteum Jacq. Enum. 15. 1700.
Chrysophyllum glabrum Jacq. Enum. 15. 1760.
A tree, sometimes 20 m. high, usually lower, the twigs, petioles and under
leaf-surfaces appressed silvery-pubescent or glabrate. Loaves elliptic to oblong,
subchartaceous, 5-10cm. long, the apex acute or short-acuminate, the base obtuse,
narrowed or rounded, the petioles 8-12 mm. long; fascicles few-several-flowered,
or some flowers solitary; pedicels shorter than the petioles; calyx about 2 mm.
long; corolla 3-4 mm. long, its short lobes rounded; fruit ellipsoid or subglobose,
8-14 mm. long, rounded.
Woodlands, forests and hillsides, Porto Rico, at lower and middle elevations in wet or
moist districts: St. Thomas; Tortola:-Cuba; Hispaniola; Saba to Trinidad. Its wood is
similar to that of the Star-apple. CAIMITO VERDE.
7. DIPHOLIS A. DC. Prodr. 8: 188. 1844.
Evergreen, unarmed shrubs or trees, with alternate leaves, and small,
mostly 5-parted, greenish, often fragrant flowers in axillary or lateral fascicles.
70 SAPOTACEAE
Sepals ovate to nearly orbicular, imbricated. Corolla rotate or funnelform, Its
lobes with 2 appendages at each sinus. Stamens borne on the corolla-tube,
opposite the lobes, exserted, the filaments filiform, the anthers extrorse; stami-
nodia 5, often petaloid, alternating with the stamens. Ovary glabrous, 5-celled;
ovules ascending; style slender. Fruit an ovoid, subgloboso or oblong berry,
usually 1-seeded. Seed with a coriaceous testa, and fleshy endosperm. [Greek,
referring to the appendages of the corolla.] About 10 species, natives of the
West Indian region. Type species: Achras salicifolia L.
Fruit about 2 cm. long. 1. D. Bellonis.
Fruit 6-10 mm. long.
Leaves oblong to oblanceolate, acute or acuminate. 2. D. salicifolia.
Leaves obovate, rounded or obtuse. 3. D. Sintenisiana.
1. Dipholis Bellonis Urban, Symb. Ant. 5: 137. 1904.
Leaves ovate-oblong, 8-12 cm. long, 2.5-4 cm. wide, the apex acuminate,
the base acute, the petioles 1-2 cm. long; fruiting pedicels 10-15 mm. long; fruit
obovoid, about 2 cm. long, 1 cm. in diameter, violet-black. [Dipholis montana of
Bello, not of Grisebach.]
Near Furnias, Porto Rico, according to Bello. VARITAL; TABLONCILLO. Known
to us only from description by Urban.
2. Dipholis salicifolia (L.) A. DC. Prodr. 8: 188. 1844.
Achras salicifolia L. Sp. Pl. ed. 2: 470. 1762.
Bumelia salicifolia Sw. Prodr. 50. 1788.
A slender tree, reaching a maximum height of about 16 m., with a trunk up
to 5 dm. in diameter, the bark scaly, the slender young twigs appressed-pubescent.
Leaves subcoriaceous, oblong to elliptic-oblanceolate, slender-petioled, 6-12 cm.
long, acute or acuminate at the apex, narrowed at the base, somewhat silky-
pubescent when young, soon glabrous, dark green and shining above, dull green
beneath; flower-clusters mostly shorter than the petioles; pedicels 2-3 mm. long;
sepals silky-pubescent, 1.5 mm. long, ovate or oblong, obtuse; corolla about 4 mm.
broad, its lobes oval, obtuse, about as long as the tube, the appendages about
one-half as long; staminodia ovate, irregularly toothed; berry ovoid or subglobose,
black, 6-8 mm. in diameter.
Woodlands, hillsides and arroyos, Porto Rico, at lower elevations in dry and moist
districts; Vieques; St. Croix; St. Thomas; St. Jan; Tortola:-Florida; West Indies south
to Barbados: Yucatan. The red-brown wood is hard and strong, with a specific gravity
of 0.93. ALMENDRON. BUSTIC.
3. Dipholis Sintenisiana Pierre in Urban, Symb. Ant. 5: 139. 1904.
A tree, recorded as reaching a maximum height of about 20 m., usually
smaller, the bark smooth, the foliage dense, the slender twigs glabrous, or, when
young, puberulent. Loaves obovate, or oblong-obovate, 2-6 cm. long, or those
of shoots larger, subcoriaceous, faintly veined, the apex rounded, the base nar-
rowed or cuneate, the petioles 2-4 mm. long; flowers 2-6 together in the axils on
podicels 3-5 mm. long; sepals rounded, about 2.5 mm. long; corolla about 4 mm.
long; fruit oblong, green, about 10 mm. long.
Mountain forests, western and central districts of Porto Rico. Endemic. ESPF*
JUELO.
SAPOTACEAE
A tree, found on Mona Island, in foliage only, is, perhaps, of this genus
(Britton, Cowell and Hess 1699).
8. BUMELIA Sw. Prodi. 49. 1788.
Shrubs or trees, the branches often spinescent, the wood very hard. Leaves
sometimes clustered at the nodes. Flowers small, pedicelled, green or white,
fascicled in the axils. Calyx deeply 5-parted, the sepals unequal. Corolla 5-
lobed, with a pair of lobe-like appendages at each sinus, its tube short. Stamens
5, inserted near the base of the corolla-tube; anthers sagittate. Staminodia 5,
petaloid. Ovary 5-celled; style filiform. Berry small, the pericarp fleshy,
enclosing a single erect seed. Seed shining, the hilum at the base. [Greek, ox
(large) ash.] About 35 species, natives of America. Type species: Bumelia
retusa Sw.
Usually unarmed; pedicels 3-6 mm. long, glabrous. 1. B. obooata.
Twigs armed with spines; pedicels about 1 mm. long. 2. B. Krugii.
1. Bumelia obovata (Lam.) A. DC. Prodr. 8: 191. 1844.
Sideroxylon obovalum Lam. Tabl. Encycl. 2: 42. 1793.
Bumelia cuneata Sw. Fl. Ind. Occ. 496. 1797.
Bumelia obovata portoricensis Pierre & Urban; Urban, Symb. Ant. 5: 142.
1904.
A tree, 5-20 m. high, or shrubby, usually unarmed, the twigs slender, the
foliage dense. Leaves obovate, oblanceolate or suborbicular, coriaceous, gla-
brous, 2-4 cm. long, the apex rounded, obtuse or emarginate, the base cuneate
or sometimes obtuse, the venation delicate, inconspicuous, the petioles 2-5 mm.
long; flowers few in the fascicles or solitary; pedicels about as long as the petioles
or a little longer; calyx 1-1.5 mm. long: corolla about 3 mm. long, white; fruit
subglobose or oval, green, about 6 mm. long. [? B. retusa of Krebs.]
Woodlands, thickets and hillsides at lower elevations near the southern coast of
Porto Rico, and recorded from near Adjuntas; Nlona; St. Croix; St. Thomas: St. Jan;
Tortola; Virgin Gorda; Anegada:-Jamaica; Hispaniola: St. Martin to St. Lucia;
Curacao. The tree of Anegada has narrowly obovate or oblanceolate leaves. BREAK
BILL.
2. Bumelia Krugii Pierre in Urban, Symb. Ant. 5: 146. 1904.
A much-branched shrub or a small tree 5-6 m. high, the twigs puberulent,
armed with slender spines as long as the leaves or shorter. Leaves obovate to
oblong, or suborbicular, coriaceous, 5-25 mm. long, puberulent or glabrate, the
apex rounded, the base cuneate or obtuse, the petioles very short; fascicles few-
flowered; pedicels pubescent, about 1 mm. long; sepals 1.5-2 mm. long; corolla
about-3 mm. long; fruit unknown.
Coastal thickets and hillsides near the coast, southwestern dry districts of Porto
Rico; Vieques. Endemic.
Bumelia nigra Stahl, Estud. 6: 56. 1888. Not Sw. 1788.
This is described as a tree with leaves silky-pubescent beneath and a globose
or ovoid fruit about 3 cm. in diameter, containing 5 seeds or fewer. It has not
been identified by recent botanists.
Bumelia crenulata Spreng., erroneously described as from Porto Rico, is
Ilex decidua Walt. of the southeastern United States.
/ 4
72 SAPOTACEAE
Bumelia reclinata Vent., of the southeastern United States, was listed by
Krebs from St. Thomas, evidently in error.
9. MANILKARA [Rheede] Dubard, Ann. Mus. Col. Marseille III, 3: 6. 1915.
Evergreen milky trees, with coriaceous leaves, and lateral, axillary or ter-
minal flowers. Sepals 6-12, in 2 series. Corolla 18-24-lobed, its tube short.
Stamens borne on the corolla-tube, the filaments short, the anthers lanceolate;
staminodia petal-like, toothed or lacerate. Ovary hirsute, 6-12-celled. Epicarp
of the berry usually crustaceous. Seeds 1 to 8, oblique, compressed. About 40
species, mostly tropical in distribution. Type species: Mimusops Kauki L.
Fruit 2-3 cm. long, 1-seeded; corolla 5-6 mm. long. 1. 5M. nitida.
Fruit 4-1 cm. long, 3-8-seeded; corolla 12-11 mm. long. 2. M. duplicate.
1. Manilkara nitida (Sess6 & Aloc.) Dubard, Ann. Mus. Col. Marseille III. 3:
18. 1915.
Achras nitida Sess6 & Mog. Fl. MIox. ed. 2, 85. 1894.
Mimusops nitida Urban, Symb. Ant. 5: 167. 1904.
A tree, up to 15 m. high or higher, the twigs rather stout, pubescent or
puberulent when young. Leaves elliptic to obovate, 8-20 cm. long, glabrous
or very nearly so when mature, the apex obtuse, rounded, emarginate or abruptly
short-acuminate, the base narrowed, cuneate, or obtuse, the midvein prominent
beneath, the lateral veins numerous and slender, the stout petioles 1-4 cm.
long; flowers in axillary fascicles; pedicels 1.5-2.5 cm. long; sepals about 6 mm.
long; corolla about 6 mm. long, white, deeply about 18-lobed; staminodes den-
ticulate; berry 2-3 cm. long, smooth, 1-seeded. [Sapota Sideroxylon of Bello,
not of Grisobach; Mimusops Riedleana of Cook and Collins.]
Wooded hills and forests, Porto Rico, at lower and middle elevations in wet or moist
districts; St. Jan; Tortola. Endemic. The dark brown wood is hard, strong and durable
with specific gravity of about 0.93. ACANA. BULLET-WOOD.
2. Manilkara duplicate (Sesse & Moc.) Dubard, Ann. AMus. Col. Marseillo
III. 3: 14. 1915.
Achras duplicate Sess6 & Mov. Fl. AMex. ed. 2, 85. 1894.
Mimusops duplicate Urban, Symb. Ant. 5: 169. 1904.
A tree, up to about 20 m. in height, the young twigs pubescent. Leaves
oblong to obovate, clustered near the ends of the twigs, 7-14 cm. long, silvery-
puberulent beneath, shining above, the apex obtuse, acute or emarginate, the
base narrowed, cuneate or rounded, the petioles 1-2 cm. long, the midvoin
prominent beneath, the lateral veins numerous and slender; flowers few in the
fascicles or solitary; pedicels 2-3.5 cm. long; sepals 10-11 mm. long; corolla white,
12-14 mm. long, its tube about 4 mm. long; staminodes about G mm. long; berry
4-7 cm. long, depressed-globose, rugulose, 3-8-sooded. [Mimusops globosa of
Grisebach, in part, not of Gaertner: Sapota Sideroxylon of Bello, in part, not of
Grisobach; Mimusops Pleeana of Cook and Collins.]
Coastal thickets and river-banks in moist or wet districts, Porto Rico; Vieques.
Endemic. The wood resembles that of the preceding species. SAPOTA DE COSTA.
MIAMEYUELO.
Mimusops Elengi L., SPANISH CHERRY, East Indian, planted on St.
Thomas, is a tree 10 m. high or higher, with elliptic acuminate leaves, 7-9 cm.
long, axillary white flowers, the corolla many-lobod, the yellow ovoid fruit about
2 cm. long, 1-seeded.
EBENACEAE 73
Family 2. EBENACEAE Vent.
EBONY FAMILY.
Trees or shrubs with very hard wood, entire estipulate leaves, and
dioecious polygamous, or rarely perfect, regular flowers, solitary or cymose
in the axils. Calyx inferior, 3-7-lobed, commonly accrescent and persistent.
Corolla gamopetalous, deciduous, 3-7-lobed, the lobes usually convolute
in the bud. Stamens 2-3 times as many as the lobes of the corolla in the
sterile flowers, and inserted on its tube, usually some imperfect ones in the
pistillate flowers; anthers introrse, erect. Disk none. Ovary superior,
several-celled; in the staminate flowers rudimentary or none; ovules 1-3 in
each cavity, suspended; styles 2-8, distinct, or united below; stigmas ter-
minal, sometimes 2-parted. Fruit a berry. Seeds oblong, the testa bony;
endosperm copious, cartilaginous; embryo small, cotyledons large, foliaceous.
About 6 genera and 275 species, mostly tropical.
Flowers 3-parted. 1. Afaba,
Flowers 4-6-parted. 2. Diospyros.
1. MABA Forst. Char. Gen. Pl. 121. 1776.
Trees or shrubs, with alternate petiolod loaves, and dioecious (rarely mo-
noecious) axillary, solitary flowers or the staminate ones in small clusters. Calyx
campanulate or tubular-campanulate, accrescent and persistent in fruit. Corolla
campanulate or tubular. Staminate flowers with few or several stamens, the
filaments separate or connate, the anthers oblong, or linear, the ovary rudi-
mentary. Pistillate flowers with a usually 3-celled or 6-celled ovary, and 3 styles
or a 3-cleft style, sometimes with staminodia. Fruit baccate, somewhat fleshy,
or dry. Seeds 1-6, the endosperm commonly ruminated. [Tonga Islands name.]
Sixty species or more, natives of tropical regions. Type species: Maba elliptica
Forst.
1. Maba Sintenisii Krug & Urban, Bot. Jahrb. 15: 327. 1892.
A tree about 10 m. high, the twigs and leaves glabrous. Leaves oblong or
narrowly elliptic, coriaceous, 9-16 cm. long, pinnately and finely reticulate-
veined, the apex obtuse, the base narrowed, the petioles 5-7 mm. long; fruiting
calyx triangular, spreading, its lobes triangular, acute, about 15 mm. wide;
fruit globose, brown, about 3 cm. in diameter, 4-6-celled. The flowers of this
tree are unknown.
Mountain forests, vicinity of Lares, Porto Rico. Endemic. GUAYABOTA-NISPERO.
TABEIBA. The wood is dark brown, hard, heavy and strong.
Maba caribaea (A. DC.) Hieron., of Cuba and IIispaniola, with obovate
rounded or emarginate leaves, was recorded by Eggers from Vioques, but we have
been unable to verify this record.
2. DIOSPYROS L. Sp. Pl. 1057. 1753.
Trees with alternate petioled loaves, the dioecious flowers lateral, cymoso,
racemose or solitary, the pistillate commonly solitary, the staminate usually
clustered. Calyx 4-6-cleft. Corolla 4-6-lobed. Stamens 8-20 in the sterile
flowers. Styles 2-6 in the pistillate flowers; ovary globose or ovoid, its cavities
twice as many as the styles. Berry large, pulpy, containing 4-12 flat hard seeds.
74 SYMPLOCACEAE
[Greek, Zeus' wheat.] About 160 species, widely distributed in temperate and
tropical regions. Type species: Diospyros Lotus L.
1.1 Diospyros ebenaster Retz. Obs. 5: 31. 1789.
Diospyros revoluta Poir. in Lam. Encycl. 5: 435. 1804.
A tree, 10 m. high or higher, the bark nearly black, the young twigs puberu-
lent. Leaves elliptic to elliptic-obovate, subcoriaceous, 6-15 cm. long, glabrous,
shining, pinnately veined, the apex rounded or obtuse, the base narrowed, the
rather stout petioles 5-12 mm. long; poduncles 1-2.5 cm. long; flowers white,
fragrant; fruiting calyx 4-lobed, about 3 cm. broad; fruit globose, smooth, about
3 cm. in diameter.
Mountains near Toa-alta, Porto Rico, collected only by Stahl:-Montserrat;
Guadeloupe; Dominica; Mexico; Brazil; Malaya. The heart wood is nearly black.
GUAYABOTA.
Diospyros discolor Willd., MABOLO, native of the Philippine Islands,
planted in Porto Rico and recorded as formerly spontaneous at Algarroba near
Mayaguez, is a narrow tree up to 20 m. in height with leathery oblong, sharply
acute leaves 2-3 din. long, shining above, the small flowers clustered, the velvety
globose fruit about 8 cm. in diameter.
Family 3. SYMPLOCACEAE Miners.
SWEET-LEAF FAMILY.
Trees or shrubs, with entire or dentate leaves, and regular white or yellow
perfect flowers in lateral or axillary clusters. Calyx-tube completely or
partly adnate to the ovary, its limb 5-lobed. Corolla 5-parted, sometimes
nearly to the base, the segments imbricated. Disk none. Stamens numer-
ous in several series; filaments usually slightly united in clusters at the base
of each corolla-segment; anthers innate, laterally dehiscent. Ovary 2-5-
celled; ovules commonly 2 in each cavity, pendulous; style and stigma one.
Fruit a small mostly nearly dry drupe, usually with 1 oblong seed; embryo
straight; endosperm fleshy. Only the following genus, comprising about 200
species, most abundant in South America.
1. SYMPLOCOS Jacq. Enum. 5, 24. 1760.
Characters of the family. [Greek, connected, referring to the stamens.]
Type species: Symplocos martinicensis Jacq.
The wood of the Porto Rico species is described as nearly white, hard, mod-
erately heavy, and strong.
Twigs and petioles hirsute; filaments united at base.
Twigs and petioles densely hirsute; corolla about 4 mm. long. 1. S. lanata.
Twigs and petioles sparingly hirsute; corolla about 3 mm. long. 2. S. micrantha.
Twigs and petioles glabrous or puberulent; filaments connate.
Inflorescence much longer than the petioles, paniculate, many-
flowered. 3. S. polyantha.
Inflorescence little longer than the petioles, compact, few-several
flowered. 4. S. marlinicensis.
1. Symplocos lanata Krug & Urban, Bot. Jahrb. 15: 335. 1892.
A tree about 10 m. high, the young shoots and petioles densely hirsute with
reddish hairs. Loaves elliptic to ovate-elliptic, 4-7 cm. long, hirsute beneath,
glabrous and indistinctly reticulate-veined above, the apex obtuse or short-
acuminate, the base obtuse, the petioles 2-5 mm. long; inflorescence glomerate,
STYRACACEAE
sessile, few-flowerod or flowers solitary; calyx tomentose, its lobes ovate-lanceolate,
about 3 mm. long; corolla white, about 4 mm. long, its 5 or 6 lobes suborbicular;
filaments united at the base, shorter than the corolla; ovary 2-celled.
Mountain forests near Adjuntas and Pefluelas, Porto Ricc. Endemic. NISPERO
CniARRON.
2. Symplocos micrantha Krug & Urban, Bot. Jahrb. 15: 336. 1892.
A tree, 7-10 m. high or higher, the young shoots and petioles more or less
pilose or hirsute. Leaves elliptic to oval, 4-9 cm. long, short-hirsute beneath,
glabrous above, the apex mostly short-acuminate, the base obtuse or rounded,
the petioles &-10 mm. long; inflorescence sessile, glomerate; calyx tomentose,
its ovate lobes about 2 mm. long; corolla white, nearly 3 mm. long, its lobes
orbicular; filaments united below; ovary 2-celled; fruit oblong, 8-10 mm. long.
Mountain forests, Sierra de Luquillo and near Aibonito, Porto Rico. Endemic.
Closely related to the preceding species.
3. Symplocos polyantha Krug & Urban, Bot. Jahrb. 15: 333. 1892.
A tree or shrub with short-pubescent young twigs. Loaxes elliptic, oval or
oval-obovate, subchartaceous, glabrous, 6-12 cm. long, the apex bluntly short-
acuminate, the base subcuneate, the petioles 5-10 mm. long; inflorescence pan-
iculate, short-pilose, many-flowered, 4-6 cm. long; flowers fragrant; pedicels
very short; calyx glabrous, its suborbicular lobes 1.5-2 mm. broad; corolla about
12 mm. long, its lobes oblong-obovate; filaments connate; ovary 3-5-celled.
Whods, El Solerante, Sierra de Luquillo, at 600 m. altitude, collected only by Eggers.
Endemic. PALO DE CABRA.
4. Symplocos martinicensis Jacq. Enum. 24. 1760.
Symplocos latifolia Krug & Urban, Bot. Jahrb. 15: 334. 1892.
A tree, 5-15 m. high, the young twigs puberulent or glabrous. Leaves oval
to obovate, 6-12 cm. long, chartaceous, glabrous, the apex rather bluntly short-
acuminate, subcuneate, at the base, the petioles 7-15 mm. long; inflorescence
compact, few-several-flowered, little longer than the petioles; calyx-lobes semi-
orbicular, about 2 mm. broad; corolla white, 9-15 mm. long, its lobes oblong or
obovate-oblong; filaments connate; ovary 3-5-celled; fruit oblong, 9-13 mm.
long, bluish black. [? Hopea tinctoria of Sess6 and Moqino, not of Linnaeus.J]
Thickets and wooded hills, northern districts of Porto Rico; St. Thomas; Tortola:-
Saba to Trinidad. ACEITUNA BLANCA.
Family 4. STYRACACEAE A. DC.
STORAX FAMILY.
Trees or shrubs, the flowers regular, perfect, or polygamo-dioecious; pu-
bescence mostly stellate or lepidote. Calyx more or less adnate to the ovary.
Corolla gamopetalous or polypetalous, the lobes or petals 4-S. Stamens
twice as many as the lobes of the corolla or petals, or more, inserted on its
tube or base, arranged in 1 series, the filaments monadelphous or 4-5-
adelphous. Disk none. Ovary partly superior, 2-5-celled; ovules ana-
tropous; style slender; stigma simple or 2-5-lobed. Fruit a berry or drupe,
or often nearly dry, winged in some genera, 1-seeded, or 2-5-celled with a
seed in each cavity. Endosperm copious, fleshy; embryo usually straight;
cotyledons flat. About 7 genera and 75 species, mostly tropical.
76 OLEACEAE
1. STYRAX [Tourn.] L. Sp. Pl. 444. 1753.
Shrubs or small trees, with rather large, mostly white, drooping flowers, in
fascicles or racemes. Calyx persistent, nearly inferior, its tube campanulate,
adnate to the lower part of the ovary, its limb minutely 5-toothed. Corolla 5-
parted or 5-divided. Stamens twice as many as the corolla-lobes or petals (rarely
fewer); filaments flat, monadelphous below or rarely separate. Ovary nearly
superior, mostly 3-colled at the base; ovules several in each cavity, ascending;
stigma 3-toothed, 3-lobed or capitate. Fruit nearly dry, coriaceous or crusta-
ceous, commonly only 1-seeded, 3-valved at the summit. [Greek name of Storax.]
About 70 species, natives of America, Asia and southern Europe. Type species:
Styrax officinalis L.
I. Styrax portoricensis Krug & Urban, Bot. Jahrb. 15: 337. 1892.
A tree, up to about 20 m. high, the twigs slender, densely lepidote. Leaves
oval to elliptic-obovate, chartaceous, 7-12 cm. long, pinnately veined and
reticulate, glabrous on both sides, or sparingly lepidote on the veins beneath, the
apex acute or acuminate, the base narrowed, the lepidote petioles 6-10 mm.
long; inflorescence axillary or lateral, lepidote, peduncled, few-flowered; flowering
pedicels short; bractlets small, deciduous; calyx lepidote, about 4 mm. long;
corolla-segments silvery within; fruit ellipsoid, coriaceous, pointed, 2-3 cm. long,
lepidote, borne on a recurved pedicel 1-1.5 cm. long, the persistent cup-shaped
calyx about 5 mm. long.
Forests of the eastern mountains of Porto Rico. Endemic.
Order 4. GENTIANALES.
Herbs, shrubs, vines or trees. Leaves opposite, or rarely alternate.
Flowers regular. Corolla gamopetalous, rarely polypetalous, nerved,
[wanting in Forestiera of the Oleaceae.] Stamens mostly borne on the lower
part of the corolla when this is present, as many as its lobes or fewer and
alternate with them. Ovaries 2, distinct, or 1 with 2 cavities (rarely more),
or 2 placentae.
a. Stamens (usually 2) fewer than the corolla-lobes, or
corolla none. Fam. 1. OIEACEAE.
b. Stamens as many as the corolla-lobes.
Stigmas distinct; juice not milky; ovary 1, compound.
Ovary 2-celled; leaves stipulate, or their bases
connected by a, stipular line. Fam. 2. LOGANIACEAE.
Ovary 1-celled; leaves not stipulate.
Leaves opposite, rarely verticillate; corolla-
lobes convolute or imbricated in the bud. Fain. 3. GENTIANACEAE.
Leaves tufted or alternate; corolla-lobes in-
duplicate-valvate in the bud; our species
aquatic. Famr. 4. TIENYANTHACEAE.
Stigmas united; juice milky; ovaries usually 2.
Styles united; stamens distinct; pollen of simple
grains. Fam. 5. APOCYNACEAE.
Styles distinct; stamens mostly monadelphous;
pollen-grains united into waxy masses. Fam. 6. ASCLEPIADACEAE.
Family 1. OLEACEAE Lindl.
OLIVE FAMILY.
Trees or shrubs (a few genera almost herbaceous) with opposite or rarely
alternate, simple or pinnate, estipulate leaves and regular 2-4-parted flowers
in panicles, cynics or fascicles. Calyx inferior, usually small, sometimes
OLEACEAE 77
none. Corolla various, or none. Stamens 2-1; filaments separate; anthers
ovate, oblong or linear, 2-celled, the sacs longitudinally dehiscent. Ovary
superior, 2-celled; ovules few in each cavity, anatropous or amphitropous;
style usually short or none. Fruit a capsule, samara, berry or drupe. En-
dosperm fleshy, horny or wanting; embryo straight, rather large; radicle
usually short. About 21 genera and 525 species, of wide distribution in
temperate and tropical regions.
Corolla none; fruit a drupe. 1. Forestiera.
Corolla present.
Corolla deeply cleft, or petals distinct; fruit a drupe.
Corolla deeply cleft. 2. Henianthus.
Petals distinct. 3. Mayepea.
Corolla tubular with a spreading limb; fruit didymous. 4. Jasminum.
1. FORESTIERA Poir. in Lam. Encycl. Suppl. 2: 664. 1812.
Shrubs or trees, with opposite deciduous simple leaves, and very small,
clustered, bracted, incomplete and commonly imperfect flowers axillary or on
twigs of the previous season. Calyx-tube short, the limb deeply 4-6-lobed.
Corolla none (rarely of 1 or 2 small petals). Stamens 2 or 4. Ovary 2-celled;
stigmas thick, sometimes 2-lobed; ovules 2 in each cavity, pendulous. Drupe
commonly 1-seeded. Endosperm fleshy. [Commemorates Charles Le Forestier,
a French physician.] About 10 American species. Type species: Forestiera
acuminate (Michx.) Poir. *
Leaves obtuse or acutish, entire. 1. F. segregate.
Leaves acute or acuminate.
Leaves 2-5 cm. long, crenulate; twigs puberulent. 2. F. Eggersiana.
Leaves 6-8 cm. long; twigs glabrous. 3. F. rhamnifolia.
1. Forestiera segregata (Jacq.) Krug & Urban, Bot. Jahrb. 15: 339. 1893.
Myrica segregata Jacq. Coll. 2: 273. 1788.
Adelia porulosa Alichx. Fl. Bor. Am. 2: 224. 1803.
Forestiera cassinoides Poir. in Lam. Encycl. Suppl. 2: 665. 1812.
Forestiera porulosa Jacquini Eggers, Bull. U. S. Nat. 1Mus. 13: 68. 1879.
Adelia segregata Kuntze, Rev. Gen. P1. 410. 1891.
A shrub, or a small tree up to 7 m. high and a trunk diameter of 1.5 dm., the
branches slender, glabrous. Leaves rather firm in texture, oblong to lanceolate
or obovate, 1.5-6 cm. long, obtuse or acutish at the apex, narrowed at the base,
entire, shining above, pale and reticulate-veined beneath, punctate when dry,
short-petioled; flowers yellowish green; drupes oblong to oval, 6-10 mm. long,
short-pedicellod, purplish, the stone longitudinally ribbed.
Hillsides and cliffs in the dry southern and southwestern districts of Porto Rico;
Vieques; St. Croix; Tortola:-Florida; Bermuda; Jamaica; Cuba; Hispaniola. INK-BUSH.
2. Forestiera Eggersiana Krug & Urban, Bot. Jahrb. 15: 339. 1893.
A shrub 3 m. high or less, or a tree 5 m. high, the slender young twigs pubern-
lent. Leaves ovate to oblong-lanceolate, glabrous, chartaceous, 2-5 cm. long,
crenulate or nearly entire, bright green above, pale beneath, punctate when dry,
the apex bluntly acute or acuminate, the base narrowed, the petioles 2-3 mm.
long; drupe narrowly oblong, 8-12 mm. long.
Thickets, Culebra; Viecues; St. Thomas; St. Jan; Virgin Gorda. Endemic.
3. Forestiera rhamnifolia Griseb. Cat. Pl. Cub. 169. 1866.
A tree, 5-10 m. high or shrubby, the twigs glabrous. Leaves oval or elliptic,
chartaceous or submembranous, 6-8 cm. long, glabrous, serrulate above or entire,
78 OLEACEAE
the apex acute or acuminate, the base narrowed, the under side pale green,
punctate when dry, the upper bright green, the petioles 4-8 mm. long; drupe
ellipsoid, pointed at both ends, 8-10 mm. long. [Drypetes laevigata of Millspaugh.]
Bluffs of Salt River, St. Croix:-Jamaica; Cuba; Guadeloupe; Martinique; Grenada.
2. HAENIANTHUS Griseb. Fl. Br. W. I. 405. 1861.
Shrubs or trees, with opposite entire coriaceous or chartaceous leaves, the
flowers in panicles. Calyx 4-toothed. Corolla deeply 4-cleft, the tube short,
the segments linear, fleshy, cylindric, or laterally flattened. Stamens 2. Ovary
2-celled; style short; stigma slightly emarginate; ovules 2 in each cavity, ana-
tropous. Fruit an ovoid or subglobose drupe, 1-seeded. Seed with a thin
testa, cartilaginous endosperm and flat cotyledons. [Greek, taken from Chio-
nanthus.] Three known West Indian species. Type species: Chionanthus
incrassatus Sw.
1. Haenianthus obovatus.Krug & Urban, Bot. Jahrb. 15: 342. 1892.
A branching shrub, 3-5 m. high, or a small tree about 6 m. high, the twigs
and leaves glabrous. Leaves obovate, chartaceous or subcoriaceous, 4-7 cm.
long, the apex obtuse, the base, cuneate, the slender petioles 1-2 cm. long;
panicles terminal, several-many-flowered; pedicels 3-6 mm. long; calyx about I
mm. long; corolla-segments white, 5-6 mm. long; drupe about 2 cm. long.
Endemic on the summits of the eastern mountains of Porto Rico.
3. MAYEPEA Aubl. Pl. Guian. 1: 81. 1775.
Trees or shrubs, with opposite entire leaves, the rather large, mostly white,
bracteolate flowers usually panicled. Calyx small, 4-cleft or 4-toothed. Petals
4, distinct or very nearly so, narrow. Stamens 2, rarely 4, borne at the bases of
the petals; filaments short; anthers ovate to linear. Ovary 2-celled; ovules 2 in
each cavity; style short; stigma oblong to globose. Fruit a small oblong drupe,
with thin flesh and hard endocarp. [Guiana name.] About 50 species, natives
of tropical regions. Type species: Mayepea guianensis Aubl.
Calyx glabrous or the margin ciliate; panicles terminal or also axil-
lary. 1. 11f. domingensis.
Calyx pilose or tomentulose; panicles axillary.
Leaves chartaceous, 8-15 cm. long; panicles large, much longer
than the petioles. 2. AM. caribaea.
Leaves coriaceous, 7 cm. long or less; panicles short, dense, about
twice as long as the petioles. 3. M. axillifora.
1. Mayepea domingensis (Lam.) Krug & Urban, Bot. Jahrb. 15: 344. 1892.
Chionanthus domingensis Lam. Tabl. Encycl. 1: 30. 1791.
Linociera latifolia Vahl, Enum. 1: 46. 1804.
Linociera domingensis Knobl. Bot. Centr. 61: 87. 1895.
A tree, 10-18 m. high, the trunk up to about 7 dm. in diameter, the bark
smooth and gray, the slender twigs glabrous or nearly so. Leaves oval or elliptic-
lanceolate, chartaceous, glabrous, slender-petioled, 15 cm. long or less, the apex
acuminate, the base narrowed, the petioles 2-3 cm. long; panicles stalked, ter-
minal or also axillary, glabrous or sparingly pubescent, as long as the leaves or
shorter, many-flowered; pedicels 2 mm. long or less: calyx glabrous or nearly
so; petals flat, 15-22 mm. long; drupe oval, 15-20 mm. long. [Linociera comn-
OLEACEAE
pact of Bello and of Stahl, not of R. Brown; Drypetes glauca of Bello, not of
Vahl.]
Wooded hills and forests, Porto Rico, in wet or moist districts:-Jamalca; Cuba;
Hispaniola. The wood is light in color and hard. HUEso BLANCO. HUESILLO.
2. Mayepea caribaea (Jacq.) Kuntze, Rev. Gen. P1. 411. 1891.
Chionanthus caribaea Jacq. Coll. 2: 110. 1788.
Chionanthus compact Sn. Prodr. 13. 1788.
Linociera caribaea Knobl. Bot. Centr. 61: 84. 1895.
A tree, 5-12 m. high, or shrubby, the young twigs anll inflorescence short-
pilose. Leaves oblong to elliptic-lanceolate, chartaceous, glabrous, 8-15 cm.
long, the apex acuminate, the base narrowed, the petioles 15 mm. long or less;
panicles axillary, pedunclod, as long as the leaves or shorter, several-flowered,
the flowers sessile or nearly so; calyx densely pilose; petals flat, white, 8-24 mm.
long; drupe oval, 15-25 mm. long.
Hillsides, eastern districts of Porto Rico: Culebra; Vieques; St. Croix; St. Thomas:-
Hispaniola; St. Martin to Trinidad; Margarita; Venezuela. AVISPILLO.
3. Mayepea axilliflora (Griseb.) Krug & Urban, Bot. Jahrb. 15: 345. 1892.
Linociera axilliflora Griseb. Mem. Am. Acad. II. 8: 519. 1862.
A shrub or small tree, the twigs and inflorescence tomentulose or glabrate.
Leaves oblong to elliptic, coriaceous, glabrous, 4-7 cm. long, the apex acute or
obtuse, the base narrowed, the petioles only about 6 mm. long; panicles axillary,
few-several-flowered, compact, about twice as long as the petioles; calyx to-
mentulose; petals flat, about 7 mm. long; fruit unknown.
Woodlands, Monte Mariel near Guanica:-Cuba, The generic position of this
plant is not certainly determined.
4. JASMINUM L. Sp. Pl. 7. 1753.
Shrubs or woody vines, with mostly opposite, simple or compound leaves, and
large, clustered or solitary flowers. Calyx lobed or parted. Corolla salverform,
its tube cylindric, its limb lobed or parted, the lobes imbricated. Stamens 2,
included; filaments short; anthers laterally dehiscent. Ovary 2-celled; style very
slender; stigma capitate or 2-lobed; ovules mostly 2 in each cavity. Fruit
didymous, fleshy. Seeds without endosperm. [Ancient name, of Arabic origin.]
About 100 species, natives of the Old World. Type species: Jasminum officinale
L.
Leaves simple; shrubs.
Calyx-lobes glabrate; corolla-lobes obtuse. 1. J. Sambac.
Calyx-lobes densely pilose; corolla-lobes acute. 2. J. pubescens.
Leaves compound.
Leaves 3-foliolate; vine. 3. J. azoricum.
Leaves pinnate; vine-like shrub. 4. J. grandiflorum.
1. Jasminum Sambac (L.) Soland.; Ait. Hort. Kew 1: S. 1789.
Nyctanthes Sambac L. Sp. PI. 6. 1753.
A shrub, 1-2 m. high, the young shoots sparingly pubescent. Leaves
simple, ovate to elliptic, membranous, deciduous, 3-7 cm. long, acute, obtuse, or
short-acuminate at the apex, rounded or obtuse at the base, glabrous and finely
reticulate-veined on both sides, the pubescent petioles 3-6 mm. long; cymes
peduncled, terminal, few-several-flowered, pubescent; pedicels 6-12 mm. long;
calyx-segments numerous, linear, glabrous or sparingly pubescent, about 1 cm.
80 OLEACEAE
long; corolla white, fragrant, its tube somewhat longer than the calyx, Its limb
about 2 cm. wide, the lobes obtuse. [Jasminum quinqueflorum Heyne.]
Spontaneous after planting in Porto Rico: St. Croix:-widely planted for ornament
in the West Indies, the flowers often double. Native of the East Indies. JASMIN
OLOROSO. DIA MELA. ARABIAN JASMINE.
2. Jasminum pubescens (Retz.) Willd. Sp. Pl. 1: 37. 1798.
Nyctanthes pubescens Retz. Obs. 5: 9. 1789.
A shrub 1-2 m. high, with elongated densely tomentose branches. Leaves
simple, rather thin, ovate, 3-7 cm. long, glabrate above, pubescent beneath, the
apex acute, the base cordate or subtruncate, the densely pubescent petioles 4-6
mm. long; cymes sessile or nearly so, dense, few-several-flowered; flowers white,
nearly sessile; calyx-segments numerous, linear, densely pilose, about 1 cm. long;
corolla-tube about twice as long as the calyx, the limb 2-2.5 mm. wide, its lobes
acute. [? Jasminum hirsutum of Krebs.]
Spontaneous after planting; locally naturalized along roads and in fields, Porto Rico;
Vieques; St. Croix; St. Thomas:-widely planted for ornament in the West Indies.
Native of southeastern Asia. JASMIN DE PAPEL. HAIRY JASMINE.
3. Jasminum azoricum L. Sp. Pl. 7. 1753.
A slender vine, up to 4 m. long or longer, the slender terete twigs, the petioles
and inflorescence-branches tomentose, the branches glabrous. Leaves 3-foliolato;
leaflets ovate, glabrate, broad, 3-6 cm. long, the apex acute or obtuse, the base
subtruncate or narrowed, the terminal one long-stalked, the lateral ones short-
stalked, the petioles 1-2 cm. long; cymes loosely several-flowered; flowers short-
pedicelled; calyx only about 3 mm. long, its teeth very short; corolla white, its
slender tube about 2 cm. long, its oblong acute lobes about 1 cm. long.
River-thickets, vicinity of Coamo Springs; escaped from cultivation'-widely dis-
tributed through cultivation in the West Indies; planted for ornament in Porto Rico and
the Virgin Islands. Native of the Azores and Canary Islands.
4. Jasminum grandiflorum L. Sp. Pl. ed. 2, 9. 1762.
A nearly glabrous vine-like shrub, the slender weak branches 3-4 m. long.
Leaves pinnate, short-petioled, 6-15 cm. long; leaflets 5 or 7, elliptic or ovate,
1-2.5 cm. long, short-stalked, the lateral ones mostly obtuse and mucronate, the
terminal one acute or acuminate; cymes peduncled, corymb-like, several-flowered;
pedicels very slender, 1-2.5 cm. long; calyx-tube short, the 4 or 5 filiform lobes
about 1 cm. long or less; corolla-tube about 2.5 cm. long, the limb about 2 cm.
broad, the oblong lobes obtuse. [Jasminum officinale of Stahl and of Mills-
paugh, not of Linnaeus.]
Occasionally spontaneous after planting in Porto Rico; St. Croix; St. Thomas:-
widely planted for ornament in the West Indies. Native of southern Asia. JASMIN.
ROYAL JASMIN'E.
Jasminum officinale L., POET'S JASMINE, Asiatic, cultivated for ornament
on St. Thomas, is vine-like, the pinnate leaves with acute leaflets, the white flowers
in loose cymes, the corolla-lobes acute.
Jasminum humile L., ITALIAN YELLOW or NEPAUL JASMINE, Asiatic,
planted for ornament in the Virgin Islands, is vine-like, glabrous, the pinnate
leaves with usually 5 ovate or lanceolate acute leaflets, the bright yellow slender-
podicolled flowers in terminal cymes, the corolla about 2.5 cm. long, its lobes ob-
tuse. [Jasminum revolutum Sims.]
Jasminum arborescens Roxb., East Indian, was included in the list of
plants of St. Thomas by Krobs; it may have been planted there.
LOGANIACEAE
Olea europaea L., OLIVE, European, planted on St. Thomas, is an evergreen
tree, becoming 20 m. high or higher, with oblong-lanceolate leathery leaves 3-8
cm. long, dark green above, silvery lopidote beneath; the small white flowers are
in axillary panicles shorter than the leaves; the well-known fruit is an oblong or
subglobose drupe.
Family 2. LOGANIACEAE Dumort.
LOGANIA FAMILY.
Herbs, shrubs, vines or some tropical genera trees, with opposite or
verticillate simple stipulate leaves, or the leaf-bases connected by a stipular
line or membrane, and regular perfect 4-5-parted flowers. Calyx inferior,
the tube campanulate, sometimes short or none, the segments imbricated,
at least in the bud. Corolla gamopetalous, funnelform, campanulate
or rarely rotate. Stamens inserted on the tube or throat of the corolla;
anthers 2-celled, the sacs longitudinally dehiscent; pollen-grains simple.
Disk usually none. Ovary superior, 2-celled (rarely 3-5-celled); ovules
anatropous or amphitropous. Fruit a capsule in our species. Embryo
small, usually straight; endosperm copious; radicle terete or conic. About 30
genera and 400 species, widely distributed in warm and tropical regions.
Corolla fumnelform or salverform; styles united. 1. S pigelia.
Corolla urn-shaped; styles soon distinct. 2. Yynoctonum.
1. SPIGELIA L. Sp. Pl. 149. 1753.
Herbs, with opposite membranous entire, pinnately veined leaves, small
stipules, or the leaf-bases connected by a stipular line, and red yellow, nearly
white or purple flowers, in scorpioid cymes or unilateral spikes, or terminal and
in the forks of the branches. Calyx deeply 5-parted. Corolla 5-lobed, the tube
finely 15-nerved. Stamens 5, inserted on the corolla-tube; anthers 2-lobed at
the base. Ovules numerous, on peltate placentae; style filiform, jointed near
the middle; stigma obtuse. Capsule didymous, 2-celled, somewhat flattened
contrary to the dissepiment, circumscissile, the 2 carpels becoming 2-valved.
Seeds peltate, not winged. [Named for Adrian von der Spigol, 155S-1625,
physician.] About 35 species, all American. Type species: Spigelia Anthelmia L.
1. Spigelia Anthelmia L. Sp. Pl. 149. 1753.
Annual, simple or branched, 5 dm. high or less. Leaves lanceolate, 3-10 cm.
long, acute or acuminate, pale beneath, finely ciliolate; inflorescence subtended
by a whorl or pair of lanceolate or ovate bracts larger than the leaves; flowers
small, in slender unilateral spikes 5-12 cm. long; calyx-lobes narrowly lanceolate,
about 2 mm. long; corolla purplish white, 5-9 mm. long; capsules 5-6 mm. broad,
tubercled.
Fields, waste and cultivated grounds, Porto Rico, at lower elevations in moist
districts; St. Croix; St. Thomas:-Florida; West Indies; continental tropical America.
LOIBRICERA. SPIGELIA. WATERWEED. WORM-GRASS.
2. CYNOCTONUM J. F. Gmel. Syst. 443. 1791.
Herbs, our species annual, with opposite entire leaves, and minute stipules,
or the leaf-bases connected by a stipular line. Flowers small, whitish, in one-
sided spikes forming cymes. Calyx 5-parted. Corolla urn-shaped, 5-lobed.
Stamens 5, included; filaments short; anthers cordate. Ovules numerous, on
82 GENTIANACEAE
peltate placentae; style short, 2-divided below, united above by the common
stigma, the divisions becoming separate. Capsule 2-lobed at the summit; carpels
divaricate, dehiscent along the inner side. Seeds numerous, small, tuberculate.
[Greek, dog-killing.] About 5 species, of warm and tropical regions. Type
species: Cynoctonum sessilifolium Gmel.
1. Cynoctonum Mitreola (L.) Britton, Mem. Torr. Club 5: 258. 1894.
Ophiorrhiza Mitreola L. Sp. Pl. 150. 1753.
Mitreola petiolata T. & G. Fl. N. A. 2: 45. 1841.
Stem glabrous, erect, torete, 3-6 din. high. Leaves lanceolate to ovate,
petioled, 2.5-8 cm. long, 6-25 mm. wide, acute at both ends, glabrous; cymes
terminal and often also in the upper axils, slender-peduncled: flowers about 2
mm. broad, numerous, sessile or nearly so; capsule deeply 2-lobed, compressed,
the lobes at length widely diverging, acute. [Lisianthus chelonioides of Bello,
not of Linnaeus.]
Wet open grounds, Porto Rico, at lower elevations:-southeastern United States;
West Indies; Mexico. MITREWORT.
Buddleia Davidi Franchet, Chinese, grown in Porto Rico mountain
gardens under the name HELIOTROPO, is a shrub about 1 m. high, with opposite
thin, short-petioled, oblong-lanceolate leaves about 7 cm. long, the lilac flowers
in terminal narrow panicles.
Strychnos spinosa Lam., Madagascan, received by the Forest Station at
Rio Piedras from the Bureau of Plant Industry as seedlings In December, 1921,
had attained a height of nearly two meters by April, 1923.
Family 3. GENTIANACEAE Dumort.
GENTIAN FAMILY.
Bitter mostly glabrous herbs, with opposite (rarely verticillate) stipulate
entire leaves, reduced to scales in Leiphaimos, and regular perfect flowers in
clusters, or solitary at the ends of the stem or branches. Calyx inferior,
persistent, 4-12-lobed, -toothed, or -divided (of 2 sepals in Obolaria), the
lobes imbricated or not meeting in the bud. Corolla gamopetalous, often
marcescent, 4-12-lobed or -parted. Stamens as many as the lobes of the
corolla, alternate with them, inserted on the tube or throat; anthers 2-celled,
longitudinally dehiscent. Disk none, or inconspicuous. Ovary superior in
our genera, 1-celled or partly 2-celled; ovules numerous, anatropous or am-
phitropous; stigma entire, or 2-lobed or 2-cleft. Capsule mostly dehiscent
by 2 valves. Endosperm fleshy, copious; embryo small, terete or conic.
About 70 genera and 700 species, widely distributed.
Herbs or shrubs with chlorophyll, the leaves normal.
Flowers glomerate in the axils of the leaves; anthers horned. 1. Enicostema.
Flowers not glomerate in the axils; anthers without horns.
Calyx-tube as long as the lobes or longer, conspicuously ribbed
or winged. 2. Schultesia.
Calyx-tube much shorter than the lobes, scarcely winged.
Corolla-tube as long as the calyx or shorter. 3. Centauriun.
Corolla-tube much longer than the calyx. 4. Lisianthus.
Low herbs without chlorophyll; leaves reduced to scales. 5. Leiphaimos.
1. ENICOSTEMA Blume, Bijdr. 848. 1826.
A perennial herb, with opposite sessile lanceolate to linear-lanceolate leaves,
and small flowers glomerate in the axils. Calyx narrowly campanulate, deeply
GENTIANACEAE 83
5-cleft. Corolla nearly funnelform, the cylindric tube somewhat enlarged above
the middle, the 5 lobes contorted, spreading. Stamens 5, borne on the corolla-
tube, included, the filaments filiform; anthers oblong, erect, the connective
apiculate. Ovary 1-celled; style short; stigma globose. Capsule oblong, 2-
valved. Seeds many, globose. [Greek, included stamens.] A monotypic
genus. Type species: Enicostema littorale Blume.
1. Enicostema verticillatum (L.) Gilg. in E. & P. Nat. Pfl. 42: 67. 1895.
Gentiana verticillata L. Syst. ed. 10, 952. 1759.
Enicostema littorale Blume, Bijdr. 848. 1826.
Slevogtia occidentalis Griseb. in DC. Prodr. 9: 65. 1845.
Branched, often from the base, leafy, glabrous, 3-10 dm. high. Leaves
acuminate at the apex, narrowed at the base, 3-nerved. 4-10 cm. long; glomerules
several-flowered; calyx-segments linear-lanceolate, about 5 mm. long; corolla
white, about 6 mm. long; capsule about as long as the calyx.
Recorded in 1845 by Grisebach from Porto Rico, otherwise known to us only from
Antigua to Trinidad and from the Old World tropics, although recorded also from Cuba
and Hispaniola.
2. SCHULTESIA Mart. Nov. Gen. 2: 103. 1826.
Annual erect herbs, with opposite sessile leaves and rather large flowers at
the ends of the branches. Calyx tubular, 4-ribbed or 4-winged, 4-cleft, the tube
as long as the lobes or longer. Corolla funnelform, the tube narrowed above, the
limb 4-lobed, the lobes contorted. Stamens 4, borne on the corolla-tube; anthers
oblong. Ovary 1-celled; style filiform; stigma 2-lamellate. Capsule 2-valved.
Seeds small, foveolate. [Commemorates J. A. Schultes, 1773-1831, Austrian-
botanist.] About 17 species in tropical America, 1 in tropical Africa. Type
species: Schultesia crenuliflora Mart.
1. Schultesia heterophylla Miquel, Linnaea 19: 137. 1847.
Erect, glabrous, simple or few-branched above, 2-4 dm. high. Leaves
lanceolate or linear-lanceolate, 1-5 cm. long, acute or obtuse; flowers solitary
or 2 or 3 at the ends of the stem and branches; calyx 2-3 cm. long, narrowly 4-
winged, the linear-subulate lobes about one-half as long as the tube; corolla pink
or purple, 3-4 cm. long, its lobes shorter than the tube. [S. stenophylla of Stahl,
not of Martius.]
Wet sand near Bayamon, collected only by Stahl:-Cuba, Hispaniola; continental
tropical America; recorded by Grisebach from Jamaica.
3. CENTAURIUM Hill, Brit. Herbal 62. 1756.
Herbs, mostly annual or biennial, with sessile or amplexicaul leaves, and
pink white or yellow flowers in cymes or spikes. Calyx tubular, 5-4-lobed or
-divided, the lobes or segments narrow, keeled. Corolla salverform, 5-4-lobed,
the lobes spreading, contorted, convolute in the bud. Stamens 5 or 4, inserted
on the corolla-tube; filaments short-filiform; anthers becoming spirally twisted.
Ovary 1-celled, the placentae sometimes intruded; style filiform; stigma 2-lobed.
Capsule 2-valved. Seed-coat reticulated. [Latin, 100 gold pieces, referring to
supposed medicinal value.] About 25 species, both in the Old World and the
New. Type species: Gentiana Centaurium L.
GENTIANACEAE
1. Centaurium Brittonii Mlillsp. & Greenm. Field Mus. Bot. 2: 308. 1909.
Annual, glabrous, much-branched, 5-18 cm. high, the branches very slender,
quadrangular. Basal and lower leaves obtuse or oblong-spatulate; upper leaves
sessile, oblong-lancoolate to linear, acute, 1.8 cm. long or less; peduncles nearly
filiform, much longer than the upper leaves; flowers white with a yellowish eye,
3-5-parted (mostly 4-parted); calyx 5-6 mm. long, its segments narrowly linear,
acute; corolla 6-10 mm. long, its lobes about ono-half as long as the tube; capsule
linear-elliptic, 6-8 mm. long.
Shaded saline soil, West End, Anegada:-Bahamas; Cuba; Venezuela.
4. LISIANTHUS L. Mlant. 1: 6, 43. 1767.
Glabrous herbs or shrubs with opposite leaves, and large, mostly yellow,
corymbose flowers. Calyx-tube much shorter than the 5-lobes. Corolla nearly
salverform, or funnelform, with 5 spreading lobes. Stamens 5, borne on the
lower part of the corolla-tube; filaments filiform; anther oblong. Ovary 1-celled;
style filiform; stigma subcapitate; capsule enclosed by the withering corolla,
2-valved. Seeds mostly tubercled or muricate. [Greek, glossy flower.] About
15 species, of tropical America. Type species: Lisianthus longifolius L.
1. Lisianthus laxiflorus Urban, Symb. Ant. 3: 332. 1902.
Lisianthus gracilis Perkins, Bot. Jahrb. 31: 492. 1902. Not OGriseb. 1861.
Shrubby, branched, 1 m. high or less, the branches slender, terete. Leaves
lanceolate to elliptic-lanceolate, membranous, 4-12 cm. long, the apex acuminate,
the base narrowed, the petioles 1.5-6 mm. long; corymbs loosely few-flowered;
their branches very slender; pedicels about 3 cm. long or shorter, nearly filiform;
calyx about 12 mm. long; its tube about 2 mm. long, its linear-lanceolate lobes
erect; corolla yellow, 3-4 cm. long, funnelform, its tube about 2 cm. long, its
oblong-lanceolate lobes acuminate; capsule narrowly oblong, 10-15 mm. long;
pointed; seeds tuberculate, brown. [Leianthus longifolius gracilis of Bello, not
of Grisebach.]
Woods and forests at lower and middle altitudes in moist districts of Porto Rico.
Endemic. CAMPANILLA.
5. LEIPHAIMOS Schl. & Chain. Linnaea 6: 387. 1831.
Small glabrous saprophytic pale simple-stemmed herbs, without chlorophyll,
the stems white or yellowish, bearing opposite sessile scales or the lower scales
alternate,. the flowers terminal, cymose or solitary. Calyx bracteolate at the
base, 4-5-toothed or -cleft. Corolla salverform or funnelform, 4-5-lobed, mostly
small. Stamens 4 or 5, included; filaments mostly short; anthers introrse.
Ovary 1-celled, with 2 parietal placentae; style one; stigma capitate or dilated.
Capsule oblong or linear, septicidally dehiscent at the middle. [Greek, pallid.]
About 20 species, mostly of tropical America. Type species: Leiphaimos para-
sitica Schl. & Cham.
Corolla yellow; stems yellow. 1. L. aphylla.
Corolla blue; stems white. 2. L. portoricensis.
1. Leiphaimos aphylla (Jacq.) Gilg. in E. & P. Nat. Pfl. 42: 104. 1895.
Gentiana aphylla Jacq. Enum. 17. 1760.
Voyria uniflora Lam. Tabl. Encycl. 1: 491. 1791.
Stem simple, erect, yellow, with one terminal flower, and bearing several
distant sessile scales about 2 mm. long. Calyx 5-cleft, much shorter than the
MENYANTHACEAE 85
corolla, its lanceolate lobes acuminate; corolla yellow, its slender tube 2-3 cm.
long, its 5 oblong-lanceolate lobes about 6 mm. long, spreading; capsule narrowly
oblong, 1-1.5 cm. long.
In the leaf-mould of mountain forests, Porto Rico:-Jamaica (?); Cuba; Saba to
Trinidad; continental tropical America.
2. Leiphaimos portoricensis Britton, sp. nov.
Stems weak, simple, 1.5 dm. long or shorter, white, with one terminal flower
and a few distant sessile translucent scales. Calyx 5-cleft, about 3 mm. long,
its linear-lanceolate segments acute; corolla blue, 6-S mm. long, its lobes short;
capsule oblong, about 1 cm. long.
Mountain forest, Indiera Fria, near Maricao, Porto Rico (Britton, Cowell and Brown
4473).
Family 4. MENYANTHACEAE G. Don.
BUCKBEAN FAMILY.
Perennial aquatic or marsh herbs, with basal or alternate leaves, and
clustered regular perfect flowers. Calyx inferior, deeply 5-parted, persistent.
Corolla 5-lobed or 5-cleft, the lobes induplicate-valvate, at least in the bud.
Stamens 5, borne on the corolla, and alternate with its lobes; anther-sacs
longitudinally dehiscent; pollen-grains 3-angled. Ovary 1-celled, the 2
placentae sometimes intruded. Fruit a capsule, or indehiscent. Five
genera and about 35 species, widely distributed.
1. NYMPHOIDES Hill, Brit. Herbal 77. 1756.
[LIMNANTHEMUM S. G. Gmel. Nov. Act. Acad. Petrop. 14: 527. 1769.]
Aquatic herbs, with rootstocks. Leaves petioled, ovate or orbicular, entire
or repand, or the primary ones different; flowers yellow, or white, umbellate at
the summit of stems at the bases of the petioles, or axillary. Calyx 5-parted.
Corolla nearly rotate, deeply 5-cleft, the lobes induplicate-valvate in the bud,
sometimes fimbriate on the margins. Stamens 5, inserted on the base of the
corolla; anthers sagittate, versatile. Ovary 1-celled; style short or none; stigma
2-lamellate. Capsule indehiscent or irregularly bursting [Greek, resembling
Nymphaea.] About 20 species, widely distributed. Type species: Nymphoides
flava Hill.
1. Nymphoides Humboldtianum (H.B.K.) Kuntze, Rev. Gen. Pl. 429. 1891.
Villarsia IIumboldtiana H.B.K. Nov. Gen. 3: 187. 1818.
Limnanthemum Humboldtianum Griseb. Gen. & Sp. Gent. 347 1839.
Glabrous; roots elongated, numerous. Stems stout, about 4 din. long or
less; leaves solitary, orbicular or reniform-orbicular, rather fleshy, deeply cordate,
3-12 cm. broad; short-petioled; flowers in a sessile umbel at the base cf the petiole;
pedicels few or many, slender, 3-10 cm. long, deflexed in fruit; calyx-segments
linear-lanceolate, about 8 mm. long; corolla bright white, its segments fimbriate,
about twice as long as the calyx, recurved; capsule somewhat shorter than the
calyx; seeds numerous, smooth, globose. [Menyanthes indica of Sess6 and Mogino,
not of Linnaeus.1
Wet sandy soil and in lagoons, northern coastal plain and near Humacao, Porto
Rico:-Jamaica; Cuba; Hispaniola; Guadeloupe; continental tropical America. WATER
SNOWFLAKE.
86 APOCYNACEAE
Family 5. APOCYNACEAE Lindl.
DOGBANE FAMILY.
Perennial herbs, shrubs, vines, or some tropical genera trees, mostly with
an acrid milky juice, with simple estipulate leaves, and perfect regular 5-
parted flowers. Calyx inferior, persistent, the lobes imbricated in the bud.
Corolla gamopetalous, its lobes convolute in the bud and often twisted.
Stamens as many as the lobes of the corolla, alternate with them, inserted on
the tube or throat; anthers 2-celled; pollen-grains simple. Ovary superior,
or its base adherent to the calyx, of 2 distinct carpels, or 1-celled with 2
parietal placentae, or 2-celled; ovules anatropous or amphitropous; style
simple, or 2-divided; stigma simple. Fruit usually of 2 follicles or drupes,
sometimes of a simple drupe or capsule.* Seeds often appendaged; endo-
sperm fleshy; embryo straight; radicle terete, usually shorter than the
cotyledons. About 130 genera and 1100 species, very widely distributed,
mostly in tropical regions.
A. Anthers free from the stigma, their sacs without basal ap-
pendages.
1. Carpels united; fruit 1-celled, capsular, echinate. 1. Allamanda.
2. Carpels distinct (partly united In some species of Rauwol-
fia).
a. Seeds many in each carpel.
Fruit dry, follicular, elongated.
Seeds in many rows; trees. 2. Plumiera.
Seeds in only 2 rows; herbs. 3. Catharanthi
Fruit fleshy or coriaceous, short. 4. Tabernaemn
b. Seeds only 2 or 4 in each carpel.
Fruit follicular or drupaceous; leaves opposite or ver-
ticillate.
Fruit follicular, armed with hooked bristles; vine. 5. Anechites.
Frait short, smooth, drupaceous; shrubs or trees. 6. Rauwolfia.
Fruit a compressed drupe, wider than long; tree with
linear alternate leaves. 7. Cerbera.
B. Anthers attached to the stigma, their sacs with basal pro-
longations; vines; fruit follicular.
1. Anthers included; flowers large.
Corolla-tube subcylindric. 8. Echites.
Corolla-tube funnelform.
Calyx glandless. 9. Rhabdadeni
Calyx many-glandular. 10. Urechites.
2. Anthers exserted; flowers small. 11. Forsteronia
Us.
ontana.
a.
t.
1. ALLAMANDA L. Mlant. 2: 214. 1771.
Shrubs, trees or woody vines, with opposite or verticillato loaves and large
flowers in terminal clusters. Calyx 5-parted, the segments lanceolate. Corolla
funnelform, the tube cylindric, the throat campanulato, bearing ciliate scales
within, the 5 bioad lobes sinistrorse. Stamens borne on the throat of the
corolla; filaments short; anthers lanceolate, free from the stigma, their sacs not
appendaged. Ovary 1-celled; style filiform; stigma with a basal reflexed annular
membrane. Capsule compressed, ovate, echinate. Seeds compressed, margined
or winged. [In honor of F. Allamand, professor in Leyden.] About 12 species,
the following typical.
1. Allamanda cathartica L. Mant. 2: 214. 1771.
Echites verticillata Sess6 & Mog. Fl. Mex. ed. 2, 39. 1894.
A shrub, 1-2.5 m. high, the twigs more or less pilose. Leaves verticillate
In 3's or 4's or the upper opposite, oblong or oblanceolate, subchartaccous, short-
petioled, 5-12 cm. long, glabrous above, pilose on the stronger veins beneath,
the apex acuminate, the base narrowed; racemes irregularly several-flowered;
APOCYNACEAE
calyx-segments oblong-lanceolate, 10-16 mm. long; corolla yellow, 7-9 cm. long,
the cylindric part of the tube 2-3 cm. long, the limb 6-8 cm. broad, the lobes
broad and rounded; capsule suborbicular, densely prickly, 4-6 cm. broad, the
prickles 7-15 mrm. long.
Banks, hillsides and along roads, Porto Rico, Vieques and St. Thomas, mostly
spontaneous after cultivation; doubtfully native:-widely distributed in the West Indies
(except Bahamas) and in continental tropical America, and much planted for ornament;
introduced into the Old World tropics. CANARIO. CANTIVA. ALLAMANDA.
Allamanda Hendersoni Bull., a woody vine, planted for ornament in
Porto Rico and the Virgin Islands, has foliage similar to that of A. cathartica but
much larger flowers.
2. PLUMIERA L. Sp. PI. 209. 1753.
Trees or shrubs, with very stout branches, copious milky sap, alternate
petioled feather-veined leaves, and large bracted flowers in terminal peduncled
cymes. Calyx small, fleshy, 5-cleft, eglandular. Corolla salverform, the tube
subcylindric, the 5 lobes sinistrorse. Stamens borne near the base of the corolla-
tube, included; anthers obtuse, their sacs unappendaged. Carpels 2, distinct;
ovules many in each carpel; style very short; stigma oblong, not annulate, obtusely
2-lobed at the apex. Follicles 2, coriaceous, usually linear and divaricate, many-
seeded. Seeds flat, winged, the endosperm fleshy. [Commemorates Charles
Plumier, a distinguished French botanist, born 1646.] About 45 species, of
tropical America. Type species: Plumiera rubra L. The plants are known as
ALELI, TABEIBA and FRANGIPANNI.
Leaves acute or acuminate.
Leaves elongated-lanceolate, usually tomentulose beneath. 1. P. alba.
Leaves elliptic, glabrous. 2. P. rubra.
Leaves rounded, obtuse or emarginate.
Leaves oblong to oblong-obovate. 3. P. obtusa.
Leaves obovate or cuneate-obovate.
Leaves cuneate-obovate, long-petioled, green on both sides. 4. P. Krugii.
Leaves obovate, short-petioled, whitish beneath. 5. P. portoricensis.
1. Plumiera alba L. Sp. Pl. 210. 1753.
A tree, with maximum height of about 10 m. Leaves ,elongated-lanceolate
or linear-lanceolato, subcoriaceous, 1-2.5 dm. long, 1-3 cm. wide, glabrous above,
densely whitish-tomentulose or glabrous and reticulate-veined beneath, the
secondary veins nearly horizontal, acuminate or obtuse at the apex, narrowed at
the base, the petioles 1-3 cm. long; peduncles stout, glabrous, as long as the leaves
or shorter; inflorescence compact, several-many-flowered; pedicels short; calyx
2-3 mm. long, its lobes rounded; corolla white with a yellow eye, its tube about
2 cm. long, its obovate rounded lobes about 3 cm. long; follicles 10-12 cm. long,
about 1.5 cm. thick.
Coastal thickets and hillsides, Porto Rico, at lower elevations in moist and dry
districts; Muertos; Icacos; Culebra; Vieques; St. Croix; St. Thomas; St. Jan; Tortola;
Virgin Gorda; Anegada:-Anguilla to Grenada; Cayman Islands. The yellowish wood,
used in carpentry, is hard, tough, heavy and strong. ALELI CIMARRON. WHITE PAUCI-
PAN. NOSEGAY TREE.
2. Plumiera rubra L. Sp. Pl. 209. 1753.
A tree, 5-8 m. high, the young twigs, peduncles and pedicels pubescent.
Leaves elliptic-oblong to elliptic-obovate, 1.5-4 dm. long, acute or short-acu-
minate at the apex, narrowed at the base, glabrous on both sides, the lateral
veins rather distant and widely spreading, the petioles 3-6 cm. long; panicles
several-many-flowered, mostly shorter than the leaves; pedicels stout, thickened
88 APOCYNACEAE
above, 1.5-3 cm. long; calyx about 3 mm. long; corolla purple or red, 5-7 cm.
broad, the tube rather shorter than the limb, the lobes broadly elliptic, obtuse;
follicles 1.5-2.5 cm. long, about 2.5 cm. in diameter.
Commonly planted for ornament in Porto Rico and the Virgin Islands, locally spon-
taneous after cultivation:-widely planted in the West Indies; native of continental
tropical America. RED PAUCIPAN.
3. Plumiera obtusa I.. Sp. Pl. 210. 1753.
A tree, 4-6 m. high, often flowering when not more than 1.5 m. high, the
stout twigs, the leaves and the inflorescence glabrous. Leaves oblong to oblong-
oblanceolate or oblong-obovate, 7-20 cm. long, rounded or emarginate at the
apex, mostly narrowed or somewhat cuneate at the base, the lateral veins nearly
straight and rather widely spreading, the slender petioles 2-6 cm. long; panicles
few-several-flowered; peduncle as long as the leaves or shorter; pedicels short;
calyx about 3 mm. long; corolla white with a yellow eye, the lobes obovate or
oblong-obovate, rounded at the apex, 1.5-2 cm. long, about as long as the tube;
follicles 7-12 cm. long, about 1 cm. in diameter.
Rocky soil, Mona; St. Croix (according to West);-Bahamas; Cuba; Hispaniola.
4. Plumiera Krugii Urban, Symb. Ant. 1: 387. 1899.
A glabrous small tree, 4-6 m. high. Leaves obovate, 6-15 cm. long, sub-
coriaceous, the lateral veins ascending, the apex rounded, subtruncate or emar-
ginate, rarely apiculate, the base cuneate, the slender petioles about 5.5 cm.
long or shorter, both surfaces green; peduncles rather stout, 6-12 cm. long;
inflorescence dense, several-many-flowerod; pedicels short; calyx-teeth short and
broad; follicles 10-15 cm. long, 1-1.5 cm. thick; seeds 3-3.5 cm. long, the thin
wing about as long as the body.
Mountain slopes, especially on serpentine, western districts of Porto Rico. Endemic.
5. Plumiera portoricensis Urban, Symb. Ant. 1: 387. 1899.
Leaves obovate, about 7 cm. long and 3 cm. wide, whitish green beneath,
the lateral veins nearly horizontal, the apex rounded, the base narrowed, the
petioles only about 5 mm. long; peduncle 10-12 cm. long; corolla-tube dark
violet, the lobes 3-3.5 cm. long, 6-7 mm. wide, white with a yellow base. [P.
obtuse of Bello, not qf Linnaeus.]
Described by Urban from a painting by Krug of a plant from western Porto Rico;
known to us only from the description.
Plumiera Tenorii Gasp., recorded by Stahl as formerly in a garden at
Mayaguez, Porto Rico, resembles P. rubra, but the corolla is white, with a
yellow tube and throat.
3. CATHARANTHUS G. Don, Gen. Syst. 4: 95. 1838.
Herbs or low shrubs, with opposite leaves, and large axillary flowers, solitary
or 2 together. Calyx eglandular, 5-cloft, the lobes narrow. Corolla salverform,
its cylindric tube slightly enlarged above, its 5 broad lobes sinistrorse. Stamens
Included; anthers not appendaged. Disk of 2 large glands. Carpels 2, distinct;
style very slender; stigma thick, pilose; ovules many in each carpel. Follicles
narrowly cylindric, many-seeded. Seeds small, unappendaged. [Greek, pure
flower.] Three known species, the following typical one native of tropical
America, widely distributed through cultivation, one East Indian, the other of
Madagascar.
APOCYNACEAE 89
1. Catharanthus roseus (L.) Don, Gen. Syst. 4: 95. 1838.
Vinca rose L. Syst. ed. 10, 944. 1759.
Lochnera rosca Rchb. Consp. 134. 1828.
Ammocallis rosea Small, Fl. SE. U. S. 936. 1903.
Somewhat woody, usually branched, pubescent, 8 dm. high or less. Leaves
oblong to oblong-oblanceolate, 3-8 cm. long, obtuse or refuse at the apex, mucro-
nulate, narrowed at the base into short petioles; peduncles very short, pubescent;
calyx-lobes linear-subulate, 3-4 mm. long, pubescent; corolla white or pink, the
finely pubescent tube 2.5-3 cm. long, the oblique lobes somewhat shorter than
the tube; follicles cylindric, pubescent, 2-3 cm. long.
Coastal sands, waste grounds and roadsides, Porto Rico, escaped from cultivation
and locally naturalized; Vieques; St. Croix; St. Thomas; St. Jan; Tortola; Virgin Gorda:-
Florida; West Indies; continental tropical America and Old World tropics. Widely
planted for ornament. FLOOR DE TODO EL AIO. PERIWINKLE. CHURCH-FLOVER.
4. TABERNAEMONTANA L. Sp. Pl. 210. 1753.
Mostly glabrous trees or shrubs, with opposite pinnately veined leaves and
rather largo cymose flowers. Calyx short, 5-lobed, glanduliferous at the base
within, the lobes obtuse, imbricated. Corolla salverform, the tube nearly cylin-
dric, the 5 lobes sinistrorsely contorted. Stamens borne on the corolla-tube;
anthers sagittate, their sacs unappendaged. Carpels 2; ovules numerous; style
short or slender; stigma with an annular membrane at the base. Fruiting
carpels short, coriaceous or fleshy, indehiscent. [Commemorates J. T. Tabernae-
montanus, German botanist, died 1590.] Perhaps 150 species, of tropical dis-
tribution. Type species: Tabernaemontana citrifolia L.
1. Tabernaemontana oppositifolia (Spreng.) Urban, Symb. Ant. 4: 493
1910.
Rauwolfia oppositifolia Sprong. Neue Entd. 3: 33. 1822.
Anabata odorata Spreng. Syst. 1: 582. 1825.
Tabernaemontana Berterii DO. Prodr. 8: 367. 1844.
A tree up to 12 m. high, or shrubby, glabrous throughout. Leaves elliptic
or oblong to obovate-elliptic, chartaceous, shining, 6-18 cm. long, acute or
abruptly acuminate at the apex, narrowed or cuneate at the base, the unequal
petioles about 2 cm. long or shorter; cymes few-several-flowered, loose; pedicels
slender, 5-20 mm. long; calyx about 5 mm. long, its lobes ovate; corolla white,
its tube 10-13 mm. long, its oblong-obovate lobes about as long. [T. citrifolia
of Bello and of Stahl, not of Jacquin.]
Woods and forests in wet or moist districts, Porto Rico. Endemic. PALO DE
LECHOSO. PEGOGE.
Tabernaemontana coronaria (Jacq.) Willd., CRAPE JASMINE, of unknown
origin, planted for ornament in Porto Rico and the Virgin Islands, is a glabrous
shrub, with bright green, opposite, elliptic to oblong-lanceolate, acuminate leaves
7-15 cm. long, and cymoso, white, usually double flowers about 3 cm. broad.
[Nerium coronarium Jacq.; (?) Tabernaemontana macrophylla of Krebs.]
Tabernaemontana nereifolia Vahl, recorded by Vahl as found in Porto
Rico by von Rohr, and otherwise unknown (Vahl, Eclog. 2: 21. 1798), is a
lost species, no known specimen being extant. From the description it would
appear that the plant may not be of this genus.
APOCYNACEAE
A species of Tabernaemontana was found in thickets at Frenchman's Bay,
St. Thomas, prior to 1876, according to Eggers, who doubtfully recorded it as
T. citrifolia L.; search for it there in 1913 was fruitless.
5. ANECHITES Griseb. Fl. Br. W. I. 410. 1861.
A slender scabrous twining vine, with opposite petioled leaves, the rather
small white flowers in loose long-peduncled racemiform clusters opposite the
leaves. Calyx small, 5-cleft, glanduliferous at the base within. Corolla salver-
form, the tube subcylindric, contracted at the throat, the 5 lobes sinistrorse.
Stamens borne at about the middle of the corolla-tube; anthers oblong, their
sacs unappendaged. Carpels 2, distinct. Style filiform; stigma annulate at base;
ovules few or several. Follicles linear, stipitate, torete, densely pubescent with
stiff partly reflexed hairs above. [Greek, not Echites.] A monotypic genus.
1. Anechites Nerium (Aubl.) Urban, Repert. 16: 150. 1919.
Apocynum Nerium Aubl. Pl. Guian. 1: 277; 2: Table des Noms 3. 1775.
Echites lappulacea Lam. Encycl. 2: 341. 1786.
Echites asperuginis Sw. Prodr. 52. 1788.
Anechites asperuginis Griseb. Fl. Br. W. I. 410. 1861.
Anechites lappulacea Iioers. Apoc. S. A. 237. 1878.
Stem up to 10 m. long, sparingly pubescent with short stiff hairs. Leaves
oblong-ovate, 5-10 cm. long, membranous, pinnately veined, scabrous, with
scattered short, thick-based hairs above, sparingly pubescent on the midvein
beneath, the apex acute or acuminate, the base rounded or cordate, the slender
petioles 1-2 cm. long; peduncles slender, elongated, 1-1.5 dm. long; flowers few
or several; pedicels nearly filiform, 8-15 mm. long, calyx 2-3 mm. long; corolla-
tube about 6 mm. long, the limb 12-15 mm. broad; follicles 6-8 cm. long, spar-
ingly pubescent below, hispid above.
Collected by Stahl near Vega Baja, Porto Rico:-Jamaica; Cuba; Hispaniola;
Colombia; Ecuador.
6. RAUWOLFIA L. Sp. Pl. 208. 1753.
Shiubs or trees with whorled or opposite leaves and small flowers in peduncled
cymes. Calyx eglandular, 5-cleft or 5-parted. Corolla salverform, the tube
subcylindric, the 5 lobes sinistrorse. Stamens included; anthers obtuse, their
sacs not appendaged. Disc annular or cup-shaped. Carpels 2, distinct or con-
nate; style filiform; stigma thick, annular or with a reflexed membrane at the
base; ovules 2 in each carpel. Fruit of 2 drupes, usually connate, the fruit thus
usually emarginate and 2-grooved. Seeds ovoid with fleshy endosperm. [Com-
memorates Leonh. Rauwolf, a German botanist.] Forty species or more, natives
of tropical regions and of South America. Type species: Rauwolfia tetraphylla L.
Fruit 8-12 mm, broad; leaves shining. 1. R. tetraphylla.
Fruit 5-7 mm. broad; leaves dull. 2. R. Lamarckii.
1. Rauwolfia tetraphylla L. Sp. Pl. 208. 1753.
Rauwolfia nitida Jacq. Enum. 14. 1760.
Rauwolfia lanceolata A. DC. Prodr. 8: 337. 1844.
A glabrous tree, up to 20 m. high, or shrubby, the twigs slender. Leaves
oblong-lancoolate or elliptic-lanceolate, subcoriaceous, verticillate in 4's or some
of them opposite, acuminate or acute at the apex, tapering at the base, shining
above, rather dull beneath, the lateral veins numerous, widely spreading, the
APOCYNACEAE
petioles 6-12 mm. long; poduncles shorter than the leaves; cymes many-flowered;
pedicels very short; calyx 2 mm. long, its lobes ovate; corolla white, its tube 2-3
times as long as the calyx, its lobes about one-half as long as the tube; fruit 1-1.5
cm. broad, 8-12 mm. high, red, its lobes ovoid, rounded.
Thickets, hillsides and woodlands at lower and middle elevations, Porto Rico; Mona;
Vieques; St. Croix; St. Thomas; St. Jan; Tortola:-Bahamas; Jamaica; Cuba; Hispaniola;
recorded from St. Barts. CACHINIO. PALO AMARGO. MILK BUSH.
2. Rauwolfia Lamarckii A. DC. Prodr. 8: 337. 1844.
A branching shrub, 1-3 m. high, the twigs and leaves glabrous, the infloros-
cence glabrous or sparingly pubescent. Leaves oblong to elliptic, 4-10 cm. long,
pinnately veined, verticillate in 3's or 4's, membranous, dull, the apex acute or
acuminate, the base narrowed, the petioles 4-7 mm. long; peduncles shorter than
the leaves; cymos sevoral-many-flowered; pedicels short; calyx about 1.5 mm.
long, its lobes ovate to lanceolate, acute; corolla white, its tube about 2 mm. long,
its lobes nearly as long; fruit 5-7 mm. broad, nearly black.
Coastal thickets, eastern districts of Porto Rico; Tcacos; Culebra; Vieques: St. Croix;
St. Thomas; St. Jan; Virgin Gorda:-Cuba (?); IHispaniola; St. Martin to Tobago;
Margarita; Venezuela. BITTER BUSH.
A specimen of Rauwolfia canescens L., preserved in the Torrey Herbarium, is an-
notated as collected in St. Thomas by Perrin, without date, but doubtless many years
ago; as the species Is not otherwise known from Porto Rico or the Virgin Islands, the
record is believed to be erroneous. It differs from R. Lamarckii by densely tomentulose
leaves and obtuse calyx-lobes.
7. CERBERA L. Sp. Pl. 208. 1753.
Glabrous trees or shrubs, with alternate, 1-nerved and pinnately veined
leaves, and large yellow flowers in terminal peduncled cymes. Calyx 5-parted,
many-glandular within at the base. Corolla funnelform, the tube cylindric
below, bearing pilose scales at the top within, abruptly expanded into a campanu-
late throat, the 5 broad rounded lobes sinistrorse. Stamens borne with the
scales at the top of the tube; anther-sacs unappendaged. Disk wanting. Ovary
2-lobed, 2-celled; style filiform; stigma discoid, its small tip 2-lobed; ovules 2 in
each cavity of the ovary. Fruit a compressed drupe, broader than high. the
flesh thin, the bony endocarp 2-celled. Seeds with a thick testa and no endo-
sperm. [Named for Cerberus, the three-headed dog of mythology.] About 7
species, natives of tropical America. Type species: Cerbera Ahouai L.
1. Cerbera Thevetia L. Sp. Pl. 209. 1753.
Thevetia nereifolia Juss.; Steud. Nom. ed. 2, 2: 680. 1841.
Thevetia Thevetia Millsp. Field. Mus. Bot. 2: 83. 1900.
A shrub, or small tree up to about 10 m. high, glabrous throughout, the twigs
rather stout, densely leafy. Leaves linear, 7-15 cm. long, 5-10 mm. wide, nar-
rowed at both ends, very nearly sessile, bright green and shining above, rather
dull beneath, the midvein prominent, the lateral venation obscure; calyx-segments
about 7 mm. long, ovate-lanceolate, acuminate; corolla yellow, about 7 cm. long,
funnelform with the tube shorter than the limb; drupe triangular-compressed,
3-4 cm. broad, about 2 cm. high, and 1-1.5 cm. thick, nearly truncate, the flesh
thin.
Coastal thickets, Porto Rico, and commonly planted for ornament and interest;
St. Croix; St. Thomas; St. Jan:-Florida; West Indies; continental tropical America.
MILK TREE. CABALONGA. LUCKY-NUJT.
APOCYNACEAE
8. ECHITES Jacq. Enum. 2, 13. 1760.
Twining, somewhat woody vines, with opposite petioled leaves, and rather
large flowers in cymes. Calyx 5-lobed, glandular. Corolla salverform, the
cylindric tube somewhat swollen, the lobes spreading. Stamens included, the
anthers appendaged at the base. Fruit of 2 follicles, many-seeded. [Greek, an
adder, referring to the twining stem.] About 40 species, of tropical and sub-
tropical America. Type species: Tabernaemrnontana Echites L.
1. Echites agglutinata Jacq. Enum. 13. 1760.
Echites circinalis Sw. Prod'r. 52. 1788.
Echites obtusifolia Sess6 & Mog. Fl. Mex. ed. 2, 42. 1894.
A glabrous vine, up to 7 m. long or longer. Leaves ovate to elliptic or ovate-
orbicular, chartaceous, 4-10 cm. long, pinnately veined, the apex short-acuminate
or mucronate, the base rounded, obtuse or narrowed, the petioles 2 cm. long or
shorter; peduncles shorter than or as long as the leaves; cymes racemiform, few-
flowered; pedicels short, stout; calyx-lobes ovate, acute; corolla greenish, its
tube about 6 mm. long, its lobes nearly as long; follicles linear, 10-17 cm. long.
[E. umbellata of Bello and of Stahl, not of Jacquin.]
Thickets at lower and middle elevations, Porto Rico, most abundant In dry dis-
tricts; Mona; St. Croix; St. Thomas; St. Jan; Tortola:-Hispaniola. BABEIRO.
Echites Echites (L.) Britton was erroneously recorded from Porto Rico
by Grisebach, by Bello and by Stahl, and this error was carried into the "Bahama
Flora." [Tabernaemontana Echites L.; Echites umbellata Jacq.]
Echites nitida Vahl, recorded by Krebs from St. Thomas, is a South
American species.
Echites thomasiana DC. is unpublished, appearing in Krebs' list of plants
found in St. Thomas, and not identified.
9. RHABDADENIA Muell. Arg. in Mart. Fl. Bras. 6L: 173. 1860.
Woody vines, rarely erect shrubs, with opposite petioled leaves, and large
flowers in small racemes, or solitary. Calyx 5-cleft. Corolla tubular-campanu-
late, with a cylindric base and a spreading 5-lobed limb, the lobes broad, dextrorse.
Stamens short, included, borne near the top of the corolla-tube; anthers oblong,
connivent around the stigma, the sacs with short obtuse appendages at the base.
Carpels 2, distinct; style slender; stigma thick, its base dilated into a reflexed
membrane; ovules many in each carpel. Follicles linear, parallel or little diver-
gent, many-seeded. Seeds linear, comoso. [Greek, wand-gland; probably
referring to the fruit.] About 10 species, of Florida, the West Indies and South
America. Type species: Rhabdadenia Pohlii Muell. Arg.
1. Rhabdadenia biflora (Jacq.) 'Muell. Arg. in Mart. Fl. Bras. 61: 175. 1860.
Echites biflora Jacq. Enum. 13. 1760.
A glabrous vine, 3-8 m. long, the branches slender, terete. Leaves oblong
to elliptic, oblanceolate or obovate, somewhat fleshy, 5-10 cm. long, faintly pin-
nately veined, the apex acute or obtuse, apiculate, sometimes emarginate, the
base narrowed, the petioles about 2 cm. long or shorter; peduncles as long as the
|
RSS
HIDE
