CANELLA FAMILY (CANELLACEAE) 



168. Barbasco, canella 



This small tree characteristic of dry areas is 

 identified by: (1) a dense crown of obovate or 

 spoon-shaped, leathery shiny green leaves 11/4-3^/2 

 inclies long and %-li/^ inches broad, rounded at 

 apex and gradually narrowed toward base, aro- 

 matic and with peppery stinging taste; (2) small 

 dark red, purplish-tinged flowers 14 inch long 

 and broad, several to many in terminal flat-topped 

 clusters shorter than the leaves; (3) round red 

 (or purplish-black) berries about % inch in diam- 

 eter; and (4) aromatic, gray, smoothish, slightly 

 warty bark with burning or stinging taste. 



An evergreen tree to 20 feet high and 5-8 inches 

 in trunk diameter, or shrubby. The thin bark 

 sometimes is fissured. Inner bark is whitish. The 

 twigs are green at apex, becoming gray, with spicy 

 taste. 



The alternate leaves are crowded near ends of 

 twigs, with petioles Vs-i/i inch long. Leaf blades 

 are broadest beyond middle, with edges slightly 

 turned under, thickened, with few indistinct veins, 

 minutely gland dotted, and paler beneath. 



Flower clusters (corymbs) are branched, about 

 1 inch long and broad, with fragrant spreading 

 flowers on stalks about % inch long. There are 3 

 broad, rounded, blue-green sepals less than % inch 

 long; 5 elliptic rounded fleshy petals %6 inch long, 

 dark red but purplish on outside; about 20 red 

 stamens united by filaments and anthers into a 

 tube more than I/8 inch long; and pistil %6 inch 

 long consisting of light gi-een 1-celled ovary with 

 short style and very slightly 2-lobed stigma, pro- 

 truding through stamen tube. Berries are fleshy, 

 with a few black seeds %6 inch long. Flowering 

 and fi-uiting probably irregularly through the 

 year. 



The sapwood is olive brown, and the heartwood 

 blackish. The wood is very hard and very heavy 

 (specific gravity 0.9-1.0). In Puerto Rico it is 

 seldom utilized except for posts because of the 



Canella icinterana (L.) Gaertn. 



small size of the trees. Uses elsewhere have been 

 for plows, poles, and beams. 



Canella bark, the wild cinnamon bark of com- 

 merce, has served in medicine though rarely at 

 present as an aromatic stimulant and slight tonic 

 and also as a condiment. The leaves have been 

 employed similarly and as a fish poison. The ber- 

 ries are reported to be hot like black pepper when 

 gathered green and dried. Also a honey plant, 

 the flowers being very rich in nectar. Though this 

 usually is not regarded as a poisonous plant, the 

 leaves and stems were toxic to poultry in feeding 

 trials in St. Croix. 



Planted around houses in the Virgin Islands. 

 In southern Florida this is a hardy ornamental 

 shrub grown for the numerous bright red berries 

 borne m spring. 



Thickets in the dry coastal and limestone re- 

 gions of Puerto Rico and also at Cabezas de San 

 Juan at the northeastern corner of the island. 

 Also on Mona, Icacos, Vieques, St. Croix, St. 

 Thomas, St. John, and Anegada. 



Public forests. — Guanica, Maricao, Susua. 



Range. — Southern Florida including Florida 

 Keys, Bahamas, Cuba, Jamaica, Puerto Rico and 

 Virgin Islands, and Lesser Antilles from St. Mar- 

 tin and Barbuda to St. Lucia and Barbados. 



Other common names.— canela (Puerto Rico) ; 

 wild cinnamon, caneel, pepper cinnamon, cilli- 

 ment-bush (Virgin Islands) ; canela de la tierra, 

 canelilla (Dominican Republic); ciirbana, pica- 

 pica, malambo, canela blanca (Cuba) ; canella, cin- 

 namon canella (United States) ; canella, wild cin- 

 namon, white wood bark (English) ; cimiamon- 

 bark (Bahamas) ; canelle poivree (Haiti) ; canel- 

 lier blanc, canellier batard, bois canelle (Guade- 

 loupe). 



Botanical synonyms. — Canella alba Murr., 

 Winterana canella L. 



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