0.6), strong, and reported to be durable. Used 

 chiefly for fuel or feiiceposts in Puerto Rico. In 

 Cuba the wood is employed for piling. 



Planted as an ornamental in .southern Florida 

 and Cuba. Also a honey plant. The root and 

 fruit reportedly have insecticidal properties. 



Alon<r streams and in youno; forests in the moist 

 toastal, moist limestone, and lower mountain for- 

 est reo;ions of Puerto Rico. 



Public forests. — Cambalache, Guajataca, Lu- 

 quillo, Susiia. 



Range. — Throu<ih West Indies from Cuba and 

 Jamaica to Grenada and Trinidad. Also from 

 soutliern Mexico (Tabasco), Guatemala, and Brit- 

 ish Honduras to Colombia, Venezuela, the Gui- 

 anas, and Brazil. Introduced in southern Florida 

 and Cuba. 



Other common n.\mes. — palo hediondo, fort- 

 eventura, frenogeno, palo seco (Puerto Rico) ; 

 guama de costa, frijolillo amarillo, guama macho 

 (Cuba) ; mataboy (Guatemala) ; cincho (Hon- 



duras) ; puapaste, cuapaste (Nicara^a) ; coto 

 (Costa Rica) ; acurutii, mahomo, jebe (Venezu- 

 ela) ; savonette (St. Lucia) ; white savonette, 

 savonette jaune (Trinidad) ; lancewood (United 

 States) ; swamp doo^wood, dogwood (British 

 Honduras) ; dogwood (Canal Zone) ; savonette 

 grand bois, savonnette grandes feuilles, savon- 

 nette riviere (Guadeloupe, Martinique). 



Two other species of this genus are native and a 

 few otliers have been planted experimentally. 

 Genogeno {Lorichocarpvs doinivgensis (Pers.) 

 DC), of western and southern Puerto Rico, has 

 leathery pods deeply narrowed between the seeds, 

 long-pointed leaflets hairy beneath, and twigs 

 finely hairy. 



Geno {Lo-nchocarpus gJaucifoUus Urban), 

 known only from western Puerto Rico, has narrow 

 leathery pods not or only slightly narrowed be- 

 tween seeds, leaflets whitish beneath and notched 

 at apex, and twigs hairless. 



LEGUME FAMILY (LEGUMINOSAE) 

 PEA SUBFAMILY (LOTOIDEAE; FABACEAE) 



87. Palo de matos 



A tree of mountain forests characterized by : (1) 

 clean, light tan, smoothish bark; (2) young twigs 

 finely brown haiiy; (3) very large pinnate leaves 

 11/2-3 feet long, consisting of 7 or 9 (sometimes 5) 

 stout-stalked, large, elliptic, dull green leaflets with 

 abrupt minute point at rounded apex, paired ex- 

 cept at end; (4) many pea-shaped dark ^aolet 

 flowers % inch long in terminal or lateral clusters; 

 and (5) brown pod IVo-^ inches long, deeply nar- 

 rowed between the rounded se«ds, which are % 

 inch in diameter and shiny scarlet red usually with 

 1 or more black spots. 



A medium-sized evergreen tree 30-60 feet high 

 and to 2 feet in tnmk diameter, with broad crown. 

 The bark becomes scaly on large trees. Twigs 

 are stout and greenish. Young leaves, branches 

 of flower clusters, calyx, and pods are finely brown 

 hairy. 



The alternate leaves have a stout green axis 

 keeled above and swollen at base. The green leaf- 

 let stalks are %-% inch long, longer on the ter- 

 minal leaflet. Blades are 3-12 inches long and 

 11/4-8 inches wide, the base rounded or short- 

 pointed, not toothed on edges, strongly pinnately 

 veined with many parallel lateral veins slightly 

 sunken, slightly thickened, the upper surface dull 

 green, and the lower surface paler and inconspicu- 

 ouslv fine hairy, especially on the veins. 



Flower clusters (panicles) are 6-12 inches long, 

 branched, and many-flowered. The short-stalked 

 flower has a brown hairy bell-shaped calyx more 

 than % inch long, including unequal pointed teeth ; 

 5 dark violet petals about % inch long, including 

 broad rounded standard spotted with white or yel- 



Ormosia krugii Urban 



low, 2 wings, and 2 keel petals; 10 separate and 

 unequal stamens ; and pistil % inch long with flat- 

 tened brown-hairy 1-celled ovary and slender 

 curved style. 



The brown pods are %-% inch wide, slightly 

 keeled, long-pointed at both ends, and with calyx 

 remaining at base. There are 1-5 seeds, rounded 

 but slightly flattened. Recorded in flower from 

 September to November and in fruit from May to 

 November. 



The sapwood is yellowish, and the heartwood a 

 uniform salmon color with occasional darker 

 streaks. The wood is somewhat coarse-textured, 

 of medium weight (specific gravity 0.50), with in- 

 distinct growth rings, and large open pores. It is 

 very susceptible to damage by dry-wood termites. 

 The rate of air-seasoning is slow, and amount of 

 degrade is moderate. Machining characteristics 

 are as follows: planing, shaping, sanding, and re- 

 sistance to screw splitting are good; turning, bor- 

 ing, and mortising are fair. 



The wood is used chiefly for fuel in Puerto Rico. 

 However, it should be suitable for furniture, mill- 

 work, construction, boxes, crates, and general 

 carpentry. 



Because of the rapid growth and vigorous 

 sprouting of the trees in secondary forests, efforts 

 are being made to find a better use for the wood. 

 Apparently the trees are shallow rooted and easily 

 blown over, as many are leaning or prostrate. 

 Possibly suited for shade or ornament. 



Found in secondary forests in the lower Luquillo 

 and lower Cordillera forest regions of Puerto Rico. 



200 



