370 USEFUL PLANTS OF GUAM. 
extremities of the branches, elliptic-oblong, acute; primary veins thick, petioles 
downy; flowers whitish, pedicellate in the axils; calyx segments 6, in 2 distinct 
series; corolla 6-lobed. The fruit is a little larger than an egg. It is covered by ¢ 
rough brown skin and contains a yellowish pulp with 4 or 5 black seeds. It is not 
‘aten until thoroughly ripe, when it is sugary and very sweet. 
This species is allied to the star-apple of the West Indies (Chrysophylluim cainito). 
It was introduced into Guam about thirty vears ago. The few trees now growing on 
the island appear to thrive, but they seldom bear fruit. A fine tree grows in San 
Ramon, near the southern boundary of Agana, opposite the house of Don José Herrero. 
In the markets of Manila the fruit is common. In the United States the cultivation 
of this tree is limited to southern Florida. The tree yields a latex, which is boiled 
down until it assumes the consistency of gutta-percha, to which it is allied. It is 
called chicle in Mexico, and is the basis of the chewing gum so widely used in the 
United States. 
REFERENCES: 
Sapota zapotilla (Jacq.) Coville. 
Achras sapota L. Sp. Pl. ed. 2.1: 470. 1762. Not Achras zapota L. Sp. Pl. 2: 
1190. 1758. . 
Achras zapota zapotilla Jacq. Select. Stirp. Am. Hist. 57.1755. 
The genus Achras (L. Sp. Pl. 2: 1190. 17538; L. Gen. Pl. ed. 5. 497.1754) was based 
by Linneeus on Plumier’s genus Sapota, but only one of Plumier’s two species was 
enumerated by Linneus in 1758. This species, Achras zapota, being the only Achras 
in the first edition of Linnzeus’ Species Plantarum, is the type of that genus. An 
unfortunate confusion of names was introduced by Linnzeus in the second edition of 
his Species Plantarum, in 1762, when he changed the name of his Achras zapote of 
1753 to Achras mammosa, transferring the former name, Achras zapota, to another 
species under a modified spelling lehras sapota. The nomenclatorial misunderstand- 
ings thus originated are easily and definitely dispelled by an application of the rule 
of priority and the principle of generic types. The name -lchras zapota is restored to 
its original use, and since the second species, called Jlchras sapota, does not belong to 
the same genus as the first, a new generic name must be found. This nomenclatorial 
vacancy is filled by Sapota, published by Miller, Gard. Dict. ed. 7. 1759, who includes 
both species, but his first and the type of the genus is the one described above. The 
specific name, sapota, is not tenable on account of the earlier Achras zapota of 1753, 
and as Miller did not propose a binomial name for the species, the subspecifie name 
Frederick V. Coville. 
Sapotilla plum. See Sapota zapotilla. In Guam and the Philippines it is called 
“chico.” 
sapotilla, proposed by Jacquin in 1763, is adopted. 
Sappan-wood. See Biancaca sappan, 
Sarasa (Philippines). See Graptophylluim pretum. 
Saromo (Philippines). See Achyranthes aspera. 
Saucer leaf. See Nothopanase cochleatuin. 
Sauco (Spanish). See Premna gaudichaudii, 
Savanna plants. 
The upland regions devoid of forest growth are known in Guam as ‘‘sabanas’’ 
ee ”? 
savannas, The highest mountains of the island scarcely exceed 1,000 feet in 
height, and there is no distinctive vegetation on the high land. The soil consists 
or 
chiefly of red clay, which is impervious to water and is incapable of drainage. 
Among the plants growing there are a number of strand plants and marsh plants 
which love the sun and will not grow in shaded localities. Most of the savannas are 
covered with a growth of sword-grass or ‘neti’? (Vipheagrostis floridula), with a 
