MELASTOME FAMILY (MELASTOMATACEAE) 



199. Verdiseco 



This small tree is easily recognized by the erect 

 conical crown which is grayish in appearance, the 

 thick furrowed gray bark, and the opposite, most- 

 ly small, lance-shaped leaves with 3 main veins 

 from near base to apex and with the lower surface 

 whitish and densely fine hairy. The spreading 4- 

 petaled white flowers, %, inch broad and almost as 

 long, are borne in short, few-flowered terminal 

 clusters, and the fruit is a rounded berry nearly 

 % inch in diameter, with calyx at apex. 



An evergreen tree 20-30 feet high and to 6 

 inches in trunk diameter, with a crown of thin 

 foliage. The inner bark is light brown and slight- 

 ly sour to the taste. Young twigs, petioles, and 

 branches of flower clusters are light brown, finely 

 scurfy hairy. Older twigs are dark brown. 



inch long and blades 

 inch broad, mostly 

 short-pointed (sometimes blunt-pointed) at both 

 apex and base, thickened, dark green and hairless 

 on upper surface, and whitish, soft hairy beneath. 

 There are many small parallel veins almost at 

 right angles to midrib. 



Flower clusters (panicles) branched, 1-2 inches 

 long, the few flowers short-stalked. The tubular 

 base, (hypanthium) extends % inch above the in- 

 ferior ovary about i/ie inch long, contracted, scaly 

 hairy, with short, spreading calyx tube %6 i^ich in 

 diameter, membranous at edge; 4 broad and 



Leaves have petioles Vi"^/^ 

 1^/4-3 inches long and i/4-% 



Tetrazygia elaeagnoides (Sw.) DC. 



rounded petals % inch long, narrowed at base, 

 white but fading to pink; 8 slender stamens V2 

 inch long; and pistil with inferior 4-celled ovary 

 and slender, slightly curved style more than lA 

 inch long. The berry is broader than long and 4- 

 lobed, fleshy and containing numerous minute, 

 seeds. Flowering and fruiting probably through 

 the year. 



The sapwood is light brown and hard. The tree 

 is used chiefly for fenceposts. 



Hillsides and cutover lands in the moist lime- 

 stone forest region in northern and western Puerto 

 Rico. Also in Vieques, St. Croix, St. Thomas, 

 St. .John, and Tortola. 



Public forests. — Cambalache, Guajataca, 

 Vega. 



Municipality where especially common. — 11. 



Range. — Hispaniola and Puerto Rico and Vir- 

 gin Islands. Also recorded from Montserrat and 

 Martinique. 



Other common names. — camasey cenizo, cenizo, 

 (Puerto Rico) ; kre-kre (Virgin Islands). 



Another species {Tetrazygia angustifoJia (Sw.) 

 DC.) is a small tree or shrub through the Virgin 

 Islands, common on St. .John, but absent from 

 Puerto Rico. It has narrower lance-shaped leaves, 

 clusters of many small flowers about i/4 inch long 

 and broad, with yellowish or pink petals, and 

 small blackish berry %6 i^^ch in diameter. 



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