CHLORANTHUS FAMILY (CHLORANTHACEAE) 



13. Azafran 



This distinctive small tree or shrub of the east- 

 ern mountains of Puerto Rico is readily identified 

 l)y the following characters: (1) the leaves, twigs, 

 and other parts are pleasantly fragrant when 

 crushed; (-2) the opposite, elliptic, slightly fleshy, 

 dark green leaves have finely saw-toothed edges, 

 and the petioles of a pair are united at base into 

 an enlarged sheath %-V2 i"ch long around twig; 

 (3) stalkless small green flowers less than Vs '"ch 

 long, male and female on ditierent trees (dioe- 

 cious), the male flowers crowded in narrow clus- 

 ters and the female flowers in groups of 2 or 3 sur- 

 rounded by 3 scales along an axis; and (4) whitish 

 watery fruits about % inch in diameter, with 3 

 fleshy scales on outside. 



An evergreen tree to 20 feet high and 4 inches in 

 trunk diameter or shrubby. The bark is brown, 

 smoothish and thin, often covered with mosses and 

 liverworts. Inner bark is light brown or pinkish, 

 and with sjncy or bitter taste. The dark green 

 fleshy twigs have enlarged ringed nodes and large 

 pith and are brittle. 



Petioles are i/4-% inch long, the leaf blades 

 13/4-5 inches long and %-2 inches broad, short- 

 pointed at both ends, with the edges slightly 

 turned under. 



Hedyosmum arborescens Sw. 



I'lower clusters are terminal and lateral. Male 

 flowers are in a stalked cylindrical cluster (spike) 

 34-1% inches long and Vie iuch or more in diame- 

 ter, each flower consisting merely of 1 stamen less 

 than i/g inch long and without calyx. The axis 

 (spike) of female flowers is 1-2 inches long, the 

 flowers composed of 3-angled inferior ovary less 

 than i/g inch long covered by gre«n tubular base 

 ( hypanthium ) and bearing minute 3-toothed calyx 

 at apex. 



Tlie fruits are composed mainly of the enlarged 

 fleshy scales, enclosing 2 or 3 individual 3-angled 

 fruits (drupelike) about Vg inch long, each from 

 a separate flower and containing 1 brown seed. 

 Flowering and fruiting nearly through the year. 



The light brown sapwood is hard and is not 

 used. 



In openings in the forests in the upjier Luquillo 

 and eastern upper Cordillera regions of Puerto 

 Rico, ascending to near the summits of the peaks. 



Public forests. — Carite, Luquillo. 



Range. — Jamaica, Puerto Rico, and Lesser 

 Antilles from St. Kitts to St. Vincent. 



Otjier common names. — bois fragile, bois de 

 I'eau, bois senti (Guadeloupe). 



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