BUCKWHEAT FAMILY (POLYGONACEAE) 



29. Calambiena. chicoiy-sriape 



A small troo with odihlc fi'uii.s I'liaractorized by : 

 (1) a veiT spioailiiiiT crown with noarly horizontal 

 branches and leaves ih-oopinfj in "2 rows; (2) sliort- 

 stallced leaves witii thin elliptic to obovate blade, 

 usnally broadest above middle, the nnich sunken 

 lateral veins nearly parallel but curved and joininu: 

 near edjies and with membranous lonir-pointed 

 sheath (ocrea) -"j^-^^ inch lona' surroumlinir twi^: 

 but soon sheddiuii; (15) very slender erwt terminal 

 and lateral flower clusters ;>-" inches lonir, with 

 numerous short-stalked 5-parted frreenish-yellow 

 flowei's more than iji inch across, the male and fe- 

 male flowers on ditl'erent trees (dioecious) ; and 

 (4) numerous showy fleshy white to pinkish fi-uits 

 3,jg-i^ inch lonir, eii'<x-sha]nHl, consist ini;: of eilible 

 lobed calyx, antl inside a shiny blackish seed 

 (akene). 



A deciduous tree or shrub to ;U) feet hisxh and S 

 inches in diameter. The brown bark is smoothish 

 with raised dots (lenticels). the inner bark pink 

 brown and sliirhtly bitter. Twijrs are ereen when 

 younji, becomiuir li^iht brown with raised dots 

 (lenticels). with remains of sheath or rinir :»t 

 nodes, and lx>arini: alternate leaves. 



Petioles are i.i-ij inch lonir. brownish <rreen. 

 After the basal slieath sheds, the base remains at- 

 tached. Blades are SV'o-f* inches long and l^/o— I 

 inches wide, or larsrer on rajiidly srrowine shoots. 

 short- to long-pointed at apex and siradually nar- 

 rowed to the short-pointed or sliirhtly heart-sha]ied 

 base, the edjjes not toothed, the upper surface jxi-een 

 and slisihtly shiny, and lower surface dull ixi-een 

 with raised veins. 



Coccoloba venosa L. 



Mowers are bori\e along the axis (spikelike 

 raceme), 1 to few above a scale on stalks about i/jg 

 inch lonjr. Each flower has a "i-lobed membranous 

 scale about Vio inch long at base. The male flower 

 consists of a minute greenish-yellow basal tube 

 ( hypanthiimi) with i\ spreading calyx lobes about 

 'iti '"I'll long, S stamens less than 'm inch long, 

 and rudimentary pistil. The female flower has 

 basal tube (hypanthinm) with 5 calyx lobes, sterile 

 .stamens, and pistil with ;>-angled 1-celled ovary 

 and ;5 styles. 



The fruit is broadly egg-shaped with fleshy calyx 

 lobes, sweet and edible, surrounding the seed 

 (akene) ij^ inch long. Recorded in flower from 

 May to September and in fruit in October. 



The wood is whitish, hard, and little used. 



Ii\ the ilry coastal region of Puerto Kico. .Vlso 

 in Mona, Vieques, St. Croix, St. Thomas, St. .lohn. 

 and Tortola. 



Public forests. — (luanica, Susiia. 



K.ANGE. — Hispaniola, Puerto Rico and Virgin 

 Islands, Lesser Antilles from St. Martin south to 

 (iivnada, and Trinidad and Tobago. Reported 

 from -lamaica nearly '200 years ago, perhaps in 

 error. Also in Venezuela and introduced experi- 

 mentally in Cuba. 



Otiikk co.mmox xamks. — false-grape, cherry- 

 grape, trible-gra])e (Virgin Islands): guarapo 

 (Dominican Republic): checker-grape (Grena- 

 dines) : hoe-stick- wood (Barbados) : white-grape, 

 small - leaf - grape (Trinidad) : sugary - grajje 

 (Dutch West Indies). 



Botanical synonym. — Coccoloba nivea Jacq. 



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