316 



VEBBENACEAE. 



6. CITHAREXYLUM L. 



Trees or shrubs, with alternate estipulate leaves and small flowers in 

 terminal or axillary racemes, the pedicels subtended by minute bracts. Calyx 

 narrowly campanulate, minutely 5-lobed, persistent. Corolla salverform, its 

 limb slightly oblique, 5-lobed. Stamens 4 or 5, adnate to the corolla-tube, the 

 fifth one mostly sterile or rudimentary; filaments filiform. Ovary sessile, 

 incompletely 4-celled; ovules solitary, anatropous; stigma 2-lobed. Drupes 

 berry-like, the fleshy pulp enclosing a bony stone which separates into 2 

 2-seeded nutlets. [Greek, fiddle-wood; French, bois fidele.] About 20 species, 

 of tropical America, the following typical. 



1. Citharexylum spinosum L. 



FIDDLE-WOOD. (Fig. 338.) A tree, 

 reaching a maximum height of 50 

 or more with a trunk sometimes 

 3 in diameter, freely branching, 

 the twigs 4-sided, glabrous. Leaves 

 elliptic or oblong-elliptic, rather 

 thin, deciduous in spring, 8' long 

 or less, IV-S' wide, acute or acu- 

 minate at the apex, narrowed at 

 the base, the petioles l'-V long, 

 the blades entire, or those of 

 shoots coarsely serrate; racemes 

 slender, many-flowered, 4 '-8' long, 

 often branched near the base; 

 pedicels only about \" long; calyx 

 about 2" long, puberulent; flowers 

 very fragrant; corolla white, about 

 4" long; stamens 4; drupe obo- 

 void-ioblong, black, shining, about 

 5" long. [C. quadrangulare Jacq.] 



Common on hillsides, especially 

 in Hamilton Parish. Naturalized. 

 Native of the Lesser Antilles. Flow- 

 ers in summer and autumn. Recorded as introduced about 1830. A large tree at 

 Paynter's Vale is pointed out as the plant first brought to Bermuda. Useful only 

 for firewood and shade. A tree of rapid growth, the wood light in weight, ir 

 oldest specific name of this tree, spinosum, is unfortunate, as there are no spn 

 on the plant. 



7. DURANTA L. 



Shrubs or small trees, with sometimes armed branches, the leaves opposite 

 or whorled, entire or toothed. Flowers small, in elongated terminal or short 

 axillary racemes. Calyx campanulate or tubular, truncate or minutely 5- 

 lobed. Corolla funnelform or salverform, its tube cylindric, straight or in- 

 curved, its limb spreading, oblique or of 5 equal lobes. Stamens 4, didyn- 

 amous, included; anthers with unappendaged connectives, the sacs distinct. 

 Ovary partially or imperfectly 8-celled. Stigma oblique, sometimes un- 

 equally 4-lobed. Ovules solitary or 2 in each cavity. Drupe included in the 

 calyx, of 4 nutlets. Seeds without endosperm. [In honor of Castor Durante, 

 a physician of Borne.] About 8 species, natives of tropical America, the fol- 

 lowing typical. 



