LAUREL FAMILY (LAURACEAE) 



45. Laurel avispillo, Jamaica nectandra 



This tree, is distino'iiished by: (1) spicy leaves, 

 twips, and bark; (2) shiny green or dark green, 

 leathery, narrowly elliptic leaves nsually short- 

 pointed at both apex and base, pale beneath with 

 a ]ironiinent network of veins on both surfaces; 

 (3) small white flowers % inch or more across, 

 6-lobed, many or several in lateral clusters with 

 pink or red branches: and (4) round or elliptic 

 blackish or dark blue fruits about l/2-% inch long, 

 with red cup. 



A small evergreen tree attaining 20-30 feet in 

 height and 6-12 inches in trunk diameter, with a 

 narrow crown. The bark is gray and smoothish. 

 Inner bark is light brown. The slender twigs are 

 green and slightly hairy when young, turning 



ffi'ay- 



The leaves are alternate on short petioles 14-V2 

 inch long. Leaf blades are 2-0 inches long and 

 34-2I/2 inches broad, thickened and leathery (as 

 the specific name indicates), often bent upward 

 slightly on both sides of midrib, not toothed on 

 edges. 



Flower clusters (panicles) are 1-4 inches long, 

 bearing the fragrant flowers on slender stalks 

 ]/g-i4 incli long. The calyx has 6 widely spread- 

 ing, white, finely hairy lobes Ms-%6 inch long; 

 there are 9 wliite stamens; and i)istil with 1-celled 

 ovary partly enclosed, style, and broader stigma. 

 The fleshy fruits (berries) in drooping clusters 

 have 1 reddish-brown seed. The cup is about 3/1,5 

 inch long and broad. Flowering and fruiting 

 probably irregularly through the year. 



The sapwood is light brown, the heartwood dark 

 brown. Elsewhere the wood has been used in car- 

 pentry and cabinetwork and for poles. 



Planted for shade in soutliern Florida and 

 Cuba. Eeported to be a honey plant. It is said 

 that cattle eat the fruits. 



Common in the moist limestone forest region 

 of northern Puerto Rico. Also in Mona, Vieques, 

 St. Croix, St. Thomas, St. John, and Tortola. 

 PuHLic FORESTS. — Cauibalache, Guajataca. 

 Range. — Southern Florida including Florida 

 Keys and through West Indies from Bahamas and 

 Cuba to Grenada and Tobago. Also in Mexico 

 (Yucatan Peninsula), British Honduras, and 

 Guatemala. 



Other common names. — avispillo, laurel, cigua, 

 laurel cigua (Puerto Rico) ; pepper cillament 

 (Virgin Islands) ; cigua blanca (Dominican Re- 

 public) ; cigua, siguaraya, boniate, lebisa (Cuba) ; 

 laurel (Mexico) : Jamaica nectandra, lancewood, 

 Jamaica ocotea (United States) ; black torch, 

 sweet torch wood (Bahamas); sweetwood, cap- 

 berry sweetwood, small-leaved sweetwood (Ja- 

 maica) ; laurier marbre (Grenada) ; sweetwood 



Nectandra coriacea (Sw.) Griseb. 



(British Honduras) ; laurier blanc (Haiti) ; bois 

 doux negresse, bois violon, bois doux noir (Guade- 

 loupe) ; sweetwood (Dutch West Indies). 



Botanical synonyms. — Ocotea coriacea (Sw.) 

 Bviiton, O. CO fesbyana (Michx.) Sarg. 



Five other species of this genus, known also as 

 laurel, are native in moist forests of Puerto Rico, 

 and 2 of these reported also from the Virgin 

 Islands. Aguacatillo (Nectandra antillana. 

 Meisn.), of soutliern and eastern Puerto Rico and 

 St. Thomas, has oblong or broadly lance-shaped 

 leaves 21/2-9 inches long and 1-3 inches wide, long- 

 pointed at apex and short-pointed at base, hairless 

 except on main vein beneath. 



Laurel canelon (Nectandra krugii Mez), of cen- 

 tral and western mountains, has the twigs, petioles, 

 l)ranches of flower clusters, and the flowers rusty 

 hairy: leaves oblong or lance-shaped, 41/4-10 

 inches long and 11,4-31/2 inches wide, long-pointed 

 at apex and short-pointed or rounded at base, veins 

 sunken in upper surface and prominent beneath, 

 liairy beneath and also above when young. 



Laurel prieto (Nectandra memhranacea (Sw.) 

 Griseb.), also called laurelillo, has young twigs 

 rusty hairy and oblong to elliptic leaves 3-10 

 inches long and 1-3 inclies wide, long-pointed at 

 apex and short-pointed at base, veins sunken in 

 upper surface and prominent beneath, hairless or 

 sliirhtly hairy. This tree, included in "Puerto 

 Rican Woods," was reported long ago from St. 

 Tlirnnas and St. Croix also. 



Laurel roset a (Nectandra patens (Sw.) Griseb.) 

 has leaves elliptic, 3-8 inches long and 114-8 inches 

 wide, usually short -pointed at both ends, leathery 

 and with prominent veins on both sides, and hair- 

 less except sometimes witli tufts in vein angles be- 

 neath ; and fruit oblong, nearly 1 inch long, white, 

 with i-ed cup. 



Laurel amarillo (Nectandra sinterum Mez), also 

 called laurel macho, has young twigs with short 

 flattened hairs and lance-shaped to elliptic leaves 

 2-8 inches long and 1-3 inches wide, long-pointed 

 at apex, hairless, with few main veins. This tree, 

 listed in "Puerto Rican Woods," was recorded long 

 ago from St. Tliomas also. 



A similar tree known also as laurel avispillo 

 (Phoehe elongata (Vahl) Nees) has been confused 

 with Nectandra coriacea. This related medium- 

 sized tree is common in the eastern mountains and 

 northern foothills of Puerto Rico and found also 

 in St. Croix. It has leaves only slightly shiny, 

 witliout prominent network of veins, and smaller 

 flowers less tlian i/^ inch across. The flesiiy round 

 or elliptic blackish fruit 1/2-% inch long has a 

 6-lobed cup formed from the calyx. 



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