MELASTOME FAMILY (MELASTOMATACEAE) 



198. Camasey 



Camasey {Mieonia and related genera) is rep- 

 resented by many species of snaall trees and shrubs 

 in Puerto Rico. One of the commoner species, 

 this is characterized by : ( 1 ) opposite, narrowly 

 elliptic leaves finely wavy-toothed, green and 

 slightly shiny on both sides, with 5 main veins, the 

 2 pail's of lateral veins joined to the midrib at 

 different points near base (5-nerved) ; (2) small 

 whitisli flowers in large tenninal clusters with 

 horizontal, paired, spreading branches; and (3) 

 rounded purplish-blue berries yig inch in diameter. 



An evergreen shrub or small tree to 25 feet high 

 and 4 inches in trunk diameter. The bark is 

 smooth, gray, and thin, the inner bark yellowish 

 brown and bitter. The stout gray-brown twigs are 

 minutely hairy with star-shaped hairs when young 

 and with faint rings at nodes. 



The leaves have winged or wingless petioles 

 1/4-1 inch long and blades iVo-'J^V^ inches long and 

 II/2-214 inches broad, the apex long-pointed and 

 base short-pointed, slightly thickened, usually 

 hail-less or nearly so at maturity. The veins are 

 a little sunken on upper surface and raised on the 

 lower surface, which is slightly lighter green. 



Flower clusters (panicles) are 3-6 inches long 

 and 2—1: inches broad, with branches covered with 

 minute star-shaped hairs, bearing many stalkless 

 flowers 14 ii^ch long. The tubular base (hypan- 

 thium) and slightly o-lobed calyx are less than i/g 

 inch long, finely hairy; there are 5 small white 

 petals more than W^ inch long; 10 spreading sta- 

 mens with white filaments; and pistil composed of 

 inferior ovary, slender style, and rounded stigma. 



The berries are slightly flattened, juicy, edible 

 but slightly sour and almost tasteless. There are 

 many brown seeds about I/30 inch long. In flower 

 and fruit nearly through the year. 



The sapwood is light brown, and the heartwood 

 is grayish brown. The hard, heavy wood (spe- 



Miconia prasina (Sw.) DC. 



cific gravity 0.7) is little used except as fuel. Not 

 durable as a fencepost. 



Common in the moist coastal, moist limestone, 

 and lower mountain forests in Puerto Rico. Also 

 in Tortola. 



Public forests. — Carite, Luquillo, Rio Aba jo, 

 Toro Negro. 



Range.— Common and widely distributed in 

 tropical America. Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola, 

 Puerto Rico, and Tortola. I^esser Antilles in An- 

 tigua, Montserrat, Guadeloupe, Martinique, and 

 Grenada, and Trinidad and Margarita. Also 

 from southern Mexico to Peru, Boliva, Paraguay, 

 and Brazil. Botanical varieties are distinguished 

 in dift'erent parts of the broad range. 



Other common names. — camasey bianco (Pu- 

 erto Rico) ; granadillo bobo, cenizoso (Dominican 

 Republic) ; mullaca Colorado, mullu caspi (Peru) ; 

 sardine (Trinidad) ; waraia (British Guiana) ; 

 santo, selele beletere, konorrepie, pint jo (Suri- 

 nam) ; jacatirao, mondururu preto (Brazil). 



This genus has 15 additional native species of 

 small trees or shrubs recorded from Puerto Rico 

 and tiie Virgin Islands, found generally in moist 

 areas and known commonly as camasey. Britton 

 and Wilson (Botany of Porto Rico and the Vir- 

 gin Islands 6: 6-11, 555. 1925) published botani- 

 cal descriptions and a key for identification. 

 These species are : Mieonia foveolata Cogn., M. im- 

 petiolaria (Sw.) D. Don, M. laevigata (L.) DC, 

 M. Janata (DC.) Triana, M. microcarpa DC, M. 

 ottoHchulzii Urban & Ekman, M. pachyphylla 

 Cogn., M. punctata (Desv.) D. Don, M. pycno- 

 neura Urban, M. racemosa (Aubl.) DC, M. ruhi- 

 ginosa (Bonpl.) DC, M. sintenisii Cogn., M. sub- 

 corymbosa Britton, M. tetrandra (Sw.) D. Don, 

 ancl M. thomasiana DC. 



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