Public forests. — Carite, Guilarte, Luquillo, 

 Toro Negro. 



Range. — Hispaniola (Haiti and Dominican Re- 

 public), Puerto Rico, Guadeloupe, and Dominica. 



Other common names. — matillo, mato, palo de 

 peronias, peronia (Puerto Rico) ; peronia, palo de 

 peronia (Dominican Republic) ; malcaconier (Do- 

 minica). 



LEGUME FAMILY (LEGUMINOSAE) 

 PEA SUBFAMILY (LOTOIDEAE; FABACEAE) 



88. Tachuelo, fustic 



This small tree of dry areas is easily identified 

 by: (1) spiny branches, usually several from the 

 base; (2) odd pinnate leaves 21/0-41/2 inches long 

 with 9-25 rounded or obovate leaflets %-% inch 

 long and broad, almost stalkless, each bearing a 

 yellowish spiny or bristle tip Vm-Vi inch long at 

 apex; (3) quantities of showy, bright yellow, pea- 

 shaped flowers 34-I inch long, several together in 

 a lateral cluster; and (4) narrow flattened brown 

 pod %-2 inches long and 14 inch wide, 2-6- 

 jointecl. 



A deciduous tree or shrub 10-20 feet high and to 

 8 inches in trunk diameter or larger. Formerly 

 reported to 30 feet tall, but now rarely seen that 

 size because most large individuals have been cut. 

 Bark of shrubs is brown or gray and smooth with 

 spines remaining, on larger trunks separating in 

 large flakes. Inner bark is yellowish and slightly 

 bitter. The slender twigs are brown or green and 

 finely hairy when young. 



The alternate leaves have at base a pair of 

 slender spines (stipules) %6-V2 inch long, brown- 

 ish but gi-een when young, and a slender finely 

 hairy axis. Leaflets are notched or nearly 

 straight at the spiny tip, rounded or slightly 

 notched at base, bent up on both sides of midrib 

 and curved down at tip, not toothed on edges, 

 slightly thickened, finely hairy when young but 

 l)ecoming nearly hairless, and green and slightly 

 shiny on both surfaces. 



Flower clusters (racemes) are 1^-3 inches long, 



Pictetia aculeata (Vahl) Urban 



with flowers on slender stalks. The bell-shaped 

 green calyx 1/1-% inch long is unequally 5-toothed; 

 there are 5 petals %-l inch long, narrowed into 

 stalks at base, the bright yellow standard nearly 

 round and curved backward, 2 bright yellow ob- 

 long wings, and 2 pale yellow petals forming the 

 keel; 10 stamens %-l inch long, 9 united into a 

 tube and 1 separate; and greenish pistil consisting 

 of stalked, narrow, hairy, 1-celled ovary and slen- 

 der curved style. The slightly curved pod is fine- 

 ly hairy and does not split open. Flowering and 

 fruiting nearly through the year. 



The sapwood is light brown, and the heartwood 

 dark brown. Resembling lignumvitae, the wood 

 is extremely hard, hea\-y (specific gravity 0.8), 

 and durable. Used in Puerto Rico only for fence- 

 posts, since larger sizes are not now available, for- 

 merly also for larger poles. 



Because of the numerous attractive yellow flow- 

 ers which beautify the counti-yside, this species is 

 suitable as an ornamental for dry areas. Some- 

 times grown as a living fencepost. 



Coastal thickets and pastures in the dry coastal 

 and dry limestone regions of Puerto Rico. Also 

 in Culebra, Vieques, St. Croix, St. Thomas, St. 

 John, Tortola, Virgin Gorda, and Anegada. 



Public forests. — Aguirre, Guanica. 



Municipalities where especially common. — 

 21, 26, 28, 36, 55, 66, 75. 



Range. — Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands and 

 reported from Hispaniola. 



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