BORAGE FAMILY (BORAGINACEAE) 



Key to the 5 species illustrated (Nos. 220-224) 



A. Flowers tubular, with narrow, tubular calyx and 5-lobed white corolla, turning brown; fruit a nutlet; leaves 

 elliptic, long- or short-pointed, thin, hairy — 221. Cordia alliodora. 

 AA. Flowers spreading, mostly small and not showy, with white corolla ; fruit a rounded drupe. 

 B. Leaves mostly rounded at apex, elliptic ; fruit orange red. 



C. Leaves ly^-S inches long, slightly thickenetl ; flowers about Yn inch broad; fruit almost % inch in 



diameter, slightly flattened — 220. Boiirreria sucoilenta. 

 CC. Leaves mostly large. 3-10 inches long, thick and leathery, with prominent network of many raised veins ; 

 flowers about % inch broad, fruit about % inch in diameter, broader than long, oblique — 222. Cordia 

 borinqiiensis. 

 BB. Leaves short- or long-pointed at apex. 



D. Leaves elliptic, 2-6 inches long, very shiny ; flowers bell-shaped, %-% inch across ; fruit bright red, 



%-% inch in diameter — 223. Cordia nitida. 

 DD. Leaves large, ovate to elliptic, mostly 9-12 inches long, rough hairy on upper surface and soft hairy 

 beneath ; flowers %g inch broad ; fruit whitish, % inch in diameter — 224. Cordia sulcata. 



220. Palo de vaca, pigeon-berry 



A small tree or shrub widely distributed in open 

 areas at low elevations, characterized by: (1) el- 

 liptic leaves 11/2-5 inches long and 1-3 inches 

 broad, rounded or blunt-pointed or sometimes 

 notched at apex and short-pointed at base, slightly 

 thickened, green above and paler l^eneath, the 

 under surface often finely haiij in dry regions; 

 (2) many fragrant tubular white flowers Yo inch 

 across the .5 rounded spreading corolla lobes, in a 

 much branched flat-topped terminal erect flower 

 cluster; and (3) fleshy orange-red rounded fruit 

 almost Yo inch in diameter and slightly flattened. 



Evergreen tree 12-25 feet high and 4 inches or 

 more in trunk diameter, or sometimes a shrub, with 

 spreading or drooping branches. The bark is 

 smooth and gray, sometimes becoming finely fis- 

 sured and slightly rough and corky. Inner bark 

 is light brown and slightly bitter. Twigs are 

 green wlien young, turning to gray or light brown. 

 Hairless in wet areas but in dry regions, such as 

 southwestern Puerto Rico, a hairy form has the 

 twigs, lower leaf surfaces, branches of flower clus- 

 ters, and calyx finely soft hairy, and upper leaf 

 surfaces and outside of corolla with a few hairs. 

 Leaves are alternate on petioles i/4-% inch long. 



The flower clusters (cymes) are 2-8 inches 

 across and high, and the short-stalked flowers 

 about % inch high. The light green bell-shaped 

 tubular calyx Y-i inch long has 5 slightly unequal 

 pointed lobes; the white corolla has a tube more 

 than 1/4 inch long with 5 rounded spreading lobes 

 ^16 inch long, turning brown before shedding; 5 

 stamens 14 inch long with white filaments and 

 brown anthers, inserted on corolla tube and pro- 

 truding; and pistil % inch long, with light green 

 2-celled ovary, slender white style 2-forked near 

 apex, and flattened greenish stigmas. 



The fruit (drupe) is broader than long, green to 

 yellow when immature but turning orange red. 

 Calyx and often tJie dead style remain attached. 



Bourreria succulenta Jacq. 



Inside the flesh are 4 brown ridged bony nutlets. 

 In flower and fruit nearly through the year. 



The light brown, hard wood is used for fuel. Re- 

 ported to be a good honey plant. 



Coastal and limestone forests of Puerto Rico, 

 especially in thickets and cutover forests. Also in 

 Mona, Icacos, Culebra, Vieques, St. Croix, St. 

 Thomas, St. John, Tortola, Virgin Gorda, and 

 Anegada. 



Public forests. — Cambalache, Guanica, Lu- 

 quillo, Susiia. 



Mt NiciPALrriES where especially common. — 

 12, 36, 66. 



Range. — Throughout West Indies (except Ba- 

 hamas) from Cuba, Cayman Islands, Jamaica, 

 Hispaniola, and Turks Island to Grenada, Trini- 

 dad and Tobago, and Dutch West Indies. Also 

 Panama to Venezuela. 



Other common names. — doncella, cerecillo, ro- 

 ble de guayo (Puerto Rico) ; pigeon-wood, spoon- 

 tree (Virgin Islands) ; palo bobo (Dominican Re- 

 public) ; ateje de costa, roble guayo, fruta de 

 catey, curaboca (Cuba) ; chinkswood (Antigua) ; 

 cutlass (Grenadines) ; cafe marron, mapou gris 

 (Haiti) ; acomat cote-lette, bois capri batard 

 (Guadeloupe) ; goeaana, watakeeli, white-chank 

 (Dutch West Indies). 



Botanical synonym. — Bourreria succulenta 

 var. caneacens O. E. Schulz. The generic name is 

 spelled also Beurerict. 



A related species {Bourreria virgata (Sw.) G. 

 Don) is a shrub or small tree of dry forests in 

 southwestern Puerto Rico and west to Cuba. It 

 has small elliptic leaves mostly %-2 inches long, 

 rough above, and small red fruits 1/4-% inch in 

 diameter. Also recorded from the same area and 

 from Vieques is a doubtfully distinct species (B. 

 domingen.sk (DC.) Griseb.), which differs from 

 the last in the leaves smooth above. 



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