LEGUME FAMILY (LEGUMINOSAE) 



PEA SUBFAMILY (LOTOIDEAE; FABACEAE) 



Key to the 11 species illustrateil ( Xos. 81-91) 

 A. Leaves with 3 leaflets. 



B. Leaflets with 3 main veins from base, short-pointed at apex. 



('. Leaflets wedfje-.shaped. whitish sreen beneath: spines al)sent — S2. Eriithrina herteroana* 

 CC. Leaflets broadly ovate, nearly straight at base; spines often scattered on twigs and branches — 84 

 Ery Ihrina poipp iy tuna.* 

 BR. Leaflets with 1 main vein, elliiitic to ovate, nmnded or short-pointed at botli ends, whitish green Ijeneath ; 

 spines scattered on twigs and branches — 83. Erythrina glaiica* 

 AA. Leaves pinnate. 



D. Leaflets rounded, %— ^ inch long and broad, with yellowish spiny or bristle tip: twigs spiny — 88. Pictetia 

 acidcata. 

 DD. Leaflets larger, longer than broad, not spiny : twigs not spiny. 



K. Leaflets paired. 10-31) pairs, oblong. %-lV2 inches long, rounded at both ends — 01. .SV.ffioni'a grandiflora* 

 EE. Leaflets of odd number. 17 or fewer, ovaTe or elliiitic, larger, short-pointed at apex. 

 F, Leaves less than 1 foot long. 



G. Leaflets paired except at end : sap watery. 



H. Leaflets 5-0. usually 7, with stout stalks Vs-% inch long — 86, Lonchocarpus latifoUus. 

 HH, Leaflets 7-13 <ir more, with slender stalks. 



I. Leaflets slightly shiny green on upper surface. 2-5 inches long — 81. AiuUra inerniis. 

 II. Leaflets dull green, mostly less than 2 inches long — 85, Gliricidia sepiutn.* 

 GG. Leaflets all attached singly, not paired : sap dark red. 

 J. Leaflets ovate — SO. Pirrocarpiis indiriis* 

 J.J. Leaflets elliptic to oblong — 'M\. Ptrrorarpus offlcinalis. 

 FF, Leaves very large, 1V2-3 feet long: leaflets 7 or (sometimes 5), large, 3-12 inches long, elliptic, with 

 many parallel lateral veins slightly sunken — 87. Ormosia krugii. 



81. Moca, cabbage angelin 



This attfuctive tree is easily recognized in flower 

 by the sliowy masses of pink to purple pea-shaped 

 flowers yjfi inch long. Other distinguishing char- 

 acters are: (1) the rough light gray bark, 

 which has an unpleasant cabbagelike odor when 

 cut; (2) alternate pinnate leaves with 7-13 oblong 

 or elliptic short- or long-pointed, thin, slightly 

 shiny green leaflets ; and (3) the distinctive stalked 

 elliptic or egg-shaped green pod I-IV2 inches or 

 more in length, containing 1 poisonous seexl and 

 not splitting open. 



A medium-sized deciduous tree becoming 2(V50 

 feet tall and 6-12 inches in trunk diameter, some- 

 times larger, erect in the forest but in the open 

 much branched and with dense rounded spreading 

 crown. Tlie bark 14-% inch thick is much fis- 

 sured and scaly. Inner bark is light brown, some- 

 times with slightly bitter taste. The stout twigs 

 are green and finely hairy when young, becoming 

 brown or gray. 



The leaves 6-16 inches long have a gre©n axis 

 enlarged at base, bearing there when young 2 nar- 

 row pointed green to brown scales (stipules) 

 Vg-Vo inch long. Leaflets, paired except at end, 

 have short green stalks %-i/4 inch long and 2 

 narrow pointed green scales Vie-^ inch long at 

 base. The blades are 2-5 inches long and 1-2 

 inches broad, rounded at base, not toothed at edges, 

 turned up a little at midrib, pale and very slightly 

 shiny or dull beneath, varying in color from yel- 

 low green through green to brownish green. 



Flower clusters (panicles) are broad and much 

 branched, 6-12 inches long, terminal or sometimes 

 also lateral, the greenish branches finely hairy, 

 bearing numerous almost stalkless flowers, which 



188 



Andira inermis (W. Wright) H. B. K. 



are dark red to deep pink in bud. The bell-shaped 

 calyx tube is %g inch long and broad, minutely 

 .5-toothed at the almost even top, pinkish tinged, 

 finely haii-;v'; there are 5 usually pink petals '^g 

 incli long, all narrowed and stalked at base, a broad 

 rounded standard, 2 wings, and 2 keel petals; 10 

 white stamens, 1 free and 9 united into a tube about 

 % their length; and long-stalked pistil nearly i/^ 

 inch long, including flattened light green hairy 

 1 -celled ovary and cur\'ed slender white style. 



The thick pods (drupes) are slightly fleshy out- 

 side and hard within, weighing about 20 to the 

 pound. Recorded in flower in winter (January 

 and February) and summer (May to September) 

 and in fruit mainly from summer to December. 



Sapwood is light brown. The highly figured, 

 decorative heartwood varies from yellowish brown 

 to dark reddish brown with sharply contrasting 

 bands of light and dark fibers. The wood is hard, 

 fairly heavy (.specific gravity 0.63), coarse-tex- 

 tured, easy to work, and finishes well. It is sus- 

 ceptible to attack by dry-wood termites but re- 

 ported to be durable in contact with the ground. 

 Rate of air-seasoning and amount of degrade are 

 moderate. Machining characteristics are as fol- 

 lows: planing, turning, and sanding are excellent; 

 shaping is fair; and boring, mortising, and resist- 

 ance to screw splitting are good. 



Formerly and potentially for high-grade furni- 

 ture and cabinetwork in Puerto Rico, the wood is 

 now utilized chiefly for posts and poles because of 

 the small dimensions available. Uses elsewhere 

 are fancy turned articles including billiard-cue 

 butts, umbrella handles, and canes, also heavy con- 

 struction, bridge timbers, carpentry, vehicles, pil- 

 ing, and boats. 



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