ME2EREON FAMILY (THYMELAEACEAE) 



177. Majagua brava 



This small Puerto Kican tree with tough, fibrous 

 bark is characterized by: (1) twigs forking into 

 2 or sometimes 3 equal forks, reddish brown when 

 yoimg and turning brown; (2) elliptic to obovate, 

 leathei-y and slightly fleshy leaves short- or long- 

 pointed at both ends, clustered together at ends of 

 twigs and at nodes; (3) small fragrant white 

 flowers, several at nodes in stalkless clusters 

 (heacls) with hairy scales; and (4) elliptic white 

 fleshy fruits %-V2 i"ch long, 1-seeded. 



An evergreen tree or shrub 10-20 feet high and 

 2-4 inches in trunk diameter. The bark is gray, 

 smooth or slightly fissured, and thin. Inner bark 

 is whitish, almost tasteless. 



The leaves appear as if opposite or in clusters 

 of 3 or 4 (whorled). They have petioles 1/3-% 

 inch long and blades 21/4^ inches long and 1-21^ 

 inches broad, commonly widest beyond middle, 

 edges not toothed, slightly shiny on upper surface, 

 and pale gi-een beneath. 



Flowers are male and female on different plants 

 (dioecious). Male flowers have a white hairy 

 calyx with narrow tube more than 1^4 "^ch long 

 with 4 lobes less than Vs inch long, 8 stamens in 2 

 sets of 4 each near mouth of tube, and rudimentai-y 

 pistil. Female flowers are smaller, with a calyx 

 about half as long as in male flowers, with tube 

 and 4 lobes, and pistil with ovary and short style. 



Daphnopsis philippiana Krug & Urban 



The fleshy fruits are borne several together or 

 only 1 at a node on very short stalks, green when 

 immature but becoming white. The single brown 

 seed is about i/4 inch long. Flowering and fruit- 

 ing nearly through the year. 



The wood is whitish or yellowish, soft, and 

 little used because of the small size of the tree. 

 The bark has in the past been used for rope. 



Known only from the upper Luquillo and Cor- 

 dillera forests of Puerto Rico. 



Public forests. — Carite, Luquillo, Toro Negro. 



Range. — Restricted to mountains of Puerto 

 Rico. 



Other common names. — emajagua de sierra, 

 majagua quemadora, emajagua brava (Puerto 

 Rico). 



This genus and family are represented by 2 

 other tree species. Majagua de sierra or mahout 

 {Daphnopsis americana (Mill.) J. R. Johnston; 

 synonyms D. americana subsp. cariiaea- (Griseb.) 

 Nevl., D. cariiaea Griseb.), of forests in Puerto 

 Rico, Vieques, and the Virgin Islands and beyond, 

 has slightly smaller flowers in small branched 

 clusters at ends of twigs, and fruits only i^ inch 

 long. The other (Z>. helleriana Urban), known 

 only from 1 collection near Bayamon, has ob- 

 long leaves rounded at apex and hairy beneath. 



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