tribution from Guadeloupe to southern Florida, 

 has elliptic long-pointed leaves shiny above and 

 smaller fruit about %6 in<^i^ iu diameter. 



Calyptranthes portoricensis Britton, known 

 only from near Maricao in Puerto Rico, has leaves 

 rounded or short-pointed at apex and hairy be- 



neath when young; dense brown hairs on twigs, 

 flower clusters, and fruits ; and fruit about %g inch 

 in diameter. 



Calyptranthes thomasiana Berg, described from 

 St. Thomas, has blunt-pointed oblong or obovate 

 leaves 1-2 inches long. 



MYRTLE FAMILY (MYRTACEAE) 

 186. Eucalipto, beakpod eucalyptus Eucalyptus robusta J. E. Smith* 



This handsome introduced tree, occasionally 

 planted in Puerto Rico, is characterized by: (1) 

 generally very straight axis with thick furrowed 

 bark and narrow to spreading crown of dark green 

 foliage; (2) broadly lance-shaped leaves 4-8 

 inches long and 11/4-21/2 inches broad, mostly 

 slightly curved and unequal-sided from the short- 

 pointed base, with a long tapering point, stiff and 

 leathery, aromatic, with a peculiar spicy resinous 

 odor (when crushed) and taste; (3) cream-col- 

 ored flowers with very numerous stamens in a 

 spreading mass I14 inches across, several borne 

 laterally at the end of a flattened green stalk about 

 1 inch long; and (4) cu])like dark green seed cap- 

 sules 1/^-% inch long and % inch in diameter. 



A medimn-sized evergi'een tree to 90 feet in 

 height and li/4 feet in trunk diameter. The bai-k 

 on large trunks is gray on the surface, 1-1 14 inches 

 thick, deeply furrowed, reddish brown beneath, 

 fibrous and vei-y soft. The inner bark, about 14 

 inch thick, is fibrous, whitish, and slightly bitter. 

 Twigs are yellowish green and angled when young, 

 becoming round and reddish brown. 



The alternate leaves have slightly flattened yel- 

 lowish-green petioles 1-1 1/4 inches long. Blades 

 have toothless edges and many fine, widely spread- 

 ing, parallel lateral veins and are dark green on 

 upper surface and only slightly paler beneath. 



Spreading clusters (umbels) of 10 or fewer 

 short-stalked flowers are borne at leaf bases. 

 Flower buds are 1 inch long and % inch broad, 

 becoming pale yellow and tinged with green, with 

 a long-pointed cap nearly I/2 inch long formed 

 from calyx or corolla, which becomes detached 

 from the' funnel-shaped base (hypanthium) about 

 Yo inch long. The stamens, i/^ inch and less in 

 length, with minute anthers, are attached on the 

 rim of the hypanthium in a widely spreading mass 

 about 11/4 inches across and soon shedding. The 

 pistil is composed of inferior 3-5-celled ovary and 

 straight stout style % inch long. 



Seed capsules, which remain on the tree for some 

 time, have 3-.5 pores sunken below the rim, through 

 which numerous minute brown seeds i/je inch long 

 sift out. Nearly 2,000,000 seeds per pound. Flow- 

 ering and fruiting from late summer to early 

 spring (mostly from August to March). 



The sapwood is light brown, and the heartwood 

 salmon to light reddish brown, often mottled with 



brown streaks and patches. The wood is hard, 

 moderately heavy (specific gravity 0.51), strong, 

 brittle, stitF, elastic, coarse in texture, and fairly 

 straight-grained with some interlocked grain. 

 The rate of air-seasoning is moderate but with 

 considerable degrade from warp with very great, 

 imeven shrinkage. Machining characteristics are 

 as follows: planing, shaping, turning, mortising, 

 and sanding are good; boring is fair; and resist- 

 ance to screw splitting is excellent. The wood is 

 very susceptible to attack by dry- wood termites 

 but is considered durable in the ground. 



Uses include undergroimd piling, utility poles, 

 and fenceposts. This species is employed for gen- 

 eral construction in Australia, especially in con- 

 tact with the ground, and should be suitable for 

 the same purpose in Puerto Rico. 



Suitable for shade and ornament and also a 

 honey plant. An infusion of the leaves has been 

 prepared for home remedies. 



This species grows very rapidly, 15-year-old 

 trees attaining a diameter of 16 inches and a height 

 of 90 feet. Natural regeneration in Puerto Rico 

 is very rare. Growth is best in the upper and lower 

 moimtain regions, above 1,500 feet elevation. As 

 a street tree in California, this tree proved objec- 

 tionable because the tops were easily broken by 

 strong winds. Planted also in Florida. 



Public forests. — Carite, Guilarte, Luquillo, 

 Maricao, Toro Negro. 



Range. — Native of Australia but introduced in- 

 to many tropical and subtropical lands including 

 West Indies and from subtropical United States 

 and Mexico south to Argentina and Brazil. 



Other common names.— eucalipto del alcanfor, 

 eucalipto de pantano (Puerto Rico) ; eucalyptus 

 (Virgin Islands); eucalipto comun, eucalipto 

 achatado (Colombia) ; beakpod eucalyptus, eu- 

 calyptus (United States) ; eucalyptus, eucalypt. 

 swamp-mahogany, browngum (English). 



Botanical synontm. — Eucalyptus multiflora 

 Poir. 



This species seems to be the best adapted of more 

 than 30 species of Eucalyptus which have been in- 

 troduced experimentally into Puerto Rico from 

 their native home in Australia. Several are being 

 tested by the United States Forest Service in 

 plantations. 



398 



