heterophylJa subsp. pallida (Miers) Stehle, T. 

 domlnicemis Urban, T. pallida subsp. domini- 

 cetisifi (Urban) Stehle, 7'. lucida Britton. 



The Spanish name roble bianco, meaning white 

 oak, refers to the superficial resemblance of the 

 wood to oak. The local English name "white- 

 cedar" in the Virgin Islands and Lesser Antilles 

 is misleading, because the wood does not resemble 

 that of the unrelated cedars. White tabebuia 

 would be a more appropriate name. 



This is a variable species whose variations have 

 been distinguished as species or subspecies by some 

 authors, as the above synonymy indicates. The 

 typical variation common through Puerto Rico 

 except in the drier parts has leaves with 5 large 

 leaflets. In dry areas and on coastal thickets in 

 the Lesser Antilles the shorter trees, known as 



roble prieto, have smaller leaves with reduced 

 leaflets as few as 1, fewer and mostly smaller flow- 

 ers, shorter pods, and smaller seeds. A third var- 

 iation present in Guadeloupe, Dominica, and Mar- 

 tinique is a large tree whose leaves generally have 

 only 1 large broadly elliptic thicker blade or 

 leaflet. 



Some authoi-s have united this "West Indian 

 species with another species ranging from Mexico 

 through Central America to Colombia and Vene- 

 zuela and formerly known as Tahebuia. penta- 

 phi/lla^ a name now rejected. The mainland 

 species (T. rosea (Bertol.) DC), called apamate 

 in Venezuela and pink poui in Trinidad, is a larger 

 tree readily distinguislied by the 5 larger, long- 

 pointed, thinner, ovate leaflets. 



BIGNONIA FAMILY (BIGNONIACEAE) 



237. Roble de sierra 



A small to medium-sized tree confined to the 

 eastern mountains of Puetro Rico, distinguished 

 by: (1) opposite, elliptic to ovate, stiff and leath- 

 ery simple leaves 2-6 inches long and 11/4-21/4 

 inches wide, with edges curved under; (2) pink 

 to dark red tubular 5-lobed flowers 11/0-2 inches 

 long, 1 or few in terminal clusters; (3) dark 

 brown, cigarlike pods 5-614 inches long and % 

 inch in diameter; and (4) 4-angled twigs. 



Evergreen tree commonly 25-30 feet tall and 8 

 inches in trunk diameter, sometimes larger or 

 shrubby. Crown open and spreading. The 

 smooth, light brown bark is usually covered with 

 mosses and similar small plants. Inner bark is 

 whitish and bitter. Twigs becoming gi'ay, with 

 tiny brown dotlike scales. 



Petioles are %-l inch long. Blades are short- 

 pointed or rounded at apex and base, with tiny 

 brown dotlike scales, green on upper surface and 

 paler beneath. 



Flowers have slender stalks 1-1 1/2 inches long. 

 There is a tubular calyx %-i/^ inch'long, covered 

 with dotlike scales; the tubular corolla 11/^-2 



Tabebuia rigida Urban 



inches long has 5 spreading lobes 1 inch across and 

 is pink, turning to dark red ; stamens 4 in 2 pairs 

 of different lengths, inserted near base of corolla; 

 and pistil on disk composed of 2-celled ovary, 

 slender style, and 2-lobed stigma. 



The pod (capsule) splitting lengthwise releases 

 numerous thin light brown seeds 1-11/4 inches long 

 with 2 white wings. In flower and fruit nearly 

 through the year. 



The sapwood is hard and brown. Because of 

 the small size and poor form of the trees, the wood 

 is little used. 



Upper mountain forest, including dwarf forest, 

 in the Luquillo Mountains of Puerto Rico. 



Public forest. — Luquillo. 



Range. — Known only from eastern Puerto Rico. 



Roble Colorado {Tabebuia schum^nniana Ur- 

 ban), known only from mountain forests of west- 

 ern Puerto Rico, is a related species also with sim- 

 ple leaves and red flowers. It differs in the leaves 

 broadest toward apex (obovate or oblanceolate), 

 3-614 inches long, and the usually longer flower 

 stalks 1-2 inches long. 



500 



