FLORA OF JAMAICA Amyris 



Torch- wood. 



Sloanc Herb. vi. 4 I Browne ! St. Ann, Purdic ! road to Wareka, 300 ft. ; 

 Comma Pen, 500 ft. ; near Lititz ; east of Rifle Range, Kingston, 200 ft. ; 

 Long Mt., 900 ft. ; Lapland, 1800 ft. ; Cane River valley, 250 ft. ; Peckham, 

 Clarendon, 2500 ft. ; Harris ! Fl. Jam. 6673, 7075, 7228, 8610, 8847, 9016, 

 9192, 10,063, 11,014. Florida, Key West, Bahamas, Cuba, Hispaniola, 

 Porto Rico, St. Thomas, St. Jan, St. Cruz, Guadeloupe, Les Saintes, 

 Martinique, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Becquia, Trinidad. The habitat 

 Carthagena quoted by Jacquin is not confirmed by specimens. 



Shrub or tree, 12-35 ft. high ; twigs, inflorescence, and petioles glabrous. 

 Leaflets lanceolate to broadly ovate or roundish, acute to long acuminate, 

 cuneate to rounded at the base, crenulate or entire, thinly leathery. Calyx 

 about 5 mm. 1., with triangular lobes. Petals elliptical to obovate-elliptical, 

 2-3 mm. 1., gland-dotted. Gynopliore wanting or more or less developed. 



The wood is heavy, exceedingly hard, strong, and close-grained ; it is 

 very resinous, extremely durable, and can be made to take a beautiful 

 polish. A cubic foot of dry wood weighs about 65 Ibs. If it could be 

 obtained in large quantities, it would prove valuable (Sargent). 



2. A. balsamifera L. Sijst. ed. 10, 1000 (1759); leaves 

 opposite; leaflets 5, or 5 and 3, 4-13 cm. 1. ; ovary puberulous ; 

 drupe ovoid-ellipsoidal or ellipsoidal, 12-14 ram. 1. Macf. Jam. 

 i. 231 ; Griseb. loc. cit. (excl. syn. Willd. & Kuntli] ; Urb. torn. cit. 

 292 ; P. Wih. loc. cit. A. arboreus foliis <fcc. Browne Hist. Jam. 

 208 (excl. syn. Sloane). Toxicodendron arborescens Miller Gard. 

 Diet. ed. 8 (1768). Specimen from Browne in Herb. Linn, named 

 in Solander's hand. 



Torch Wood, White or Black Candle Wood, Rose- wood. 



Wright ! St. Ann ; Bull Bay ; Browne ! Port Royal Mts., Macfadyen ! 

 Distin ! Lime savanna, Clarendon, Pur die ! March \ Chester Vale ; near 

 Mount Lebanon, 3000 ft. ; Grove, 900 ft. ; Lapland, 1500 ft. ; Peckham, 

 Clarendon, 2500 ft. ; Soho, St. Ann, 1400 ft. ; Harris \ Fl. Jam. 5553, 5913, 

 6693, 8423, 9172, 11,098, 11,992. Florida, Cuba, Hispaniola, Mugeres Is., 

 near Honduras, Colombia, Ecuador. 



Tree (or shrub] 20-40 ft. high. Rhachis of inflorescence and calyx 

 minutely puberulous or glabrate. Leaflets lanceolate to ovate, acute to 

 long acuminate, cuneate at base, rarely obtuse, crenulate or entire. Calyx 

 about -7 mm. L, with triangular-roundish lobes. Petals elliptical to 

 obovate-elliptical, about 3 mm. L, gland-dotted. 



Wood 2 or 3 ft. in diameter, hard, heavy, and close-grained, with 

 aromatic smell. It takes a fine polish, and is considered valuable for 

 cabinet work. It splits easily into strips, and bums readily with a fragrant 

 smell, so that it is used by the peasantry for firewood and torches. Browne 

 states that in his time it was considered one of the most valuable trees in 

 the island. 



3. A. Plumieri DC. Prodr. ii. 81 (1825) (excl. syn. L.) ; leaves 

 alternate or rarely subopposite ; leaflets 3, rarely 5, 5-7 (3-10) 

 cm. 1. ; petals conspicuously gland-dotted ; ovary glabrous ; 

 drupe globular, 4-7 mm. 1. Griseb. loc. cit. A. sylvatica Macf. 

 Jam. i. 231 (non Jacq.) ; Karst. Fl. Col. ii. 109, t. 158, /. in.; 

 Urb. torn. cit. 295; P. Wils. torn. cit. 219. A. maritima Sw. Obs. 

 Bot. 148 (1791); Baill. Hist. iv. 397, /. 447-451 (non Jacq.). 

 Baccifera trifolia racemosa &c. Sloane Cat. 170 & Hist. ii. 101. 



