CALTROP FAMILY (2YGOPHYLLACEAE) 



94. Guayacan bianco, holywood lignumvitae 



Guaiacum sanctum L. 



A small tree of diy areas characterized by : 

 (1) bark deeply fissured vertically; (2) opposite, 

 even iiiiinate leaves with mostly 6-10 stalkless, 

 oblique, elliptic or obovate leaflets ending in a mi- 

 nute point, witli several veins from base; (3) blue 

 flowers % inch across the 5 spreading hairless 

 petals, usually a few in terminal clusters shorter 

 tlian the leaves; and (4) yellowish or orange cap- 

 sule % inch lonfr, deeply 5- or 4-angled or winged. 



An evergreen tree 15-30 feet high with sliort 

 stout trunk S inclies or more in diameter, and dense 

 round crown of spreading or drooping branches. 

 The light gray bark is rough. Imier bark is light 

 brown and slightly bitter. Sapwood is light yel- 

 low and very hard. The light gray twigs are en- 

 larged at nodes, slightly angled, and green and 

 minutely hairy when young. 



Tlie leaves 21/2-31/2 inches long have paired mi- 

 nute hairy scales (stipules) at base and a green 

 minutely hairy axis. Leaflets are %-l inch long, 

 %-3/4 inch wide, short-pointed at base, rounded 

 and minutely pointed at apex, not toothed on 

 edges, broadest above middle and on the side to- 

 ward base of leaf, slightly thickened and leatheiy, 

 hairless, and green on both sides. During the hot- 

 test part of the day the paired leaflets often fold 

 together. 



Flowers are borne on slender minutely hairy 

 stalks %-l inch long attached between the upper- 

 most pair of leaves. There are 5 blunt -pointed 

 sliglitly hairy sepals 14 inch long; 5 blue petals 

 %6-% inch long, narrowed at base and in part 

 2-lobed at apex ; 10 stamens nearly i/j inch long ; 

 and stalked pistil 14 inch long, the ovai-y with 5 

 or 4 angles and cells and ending in pointed style. 



Seed capsules are % inch long and 14 inch across 

 the angles, broadest near the short-pointed apex, 

 containing dark brown or black seeds about % 

 inch long, each with a scarlet fleshy covering 



(aril). Flowering and fruiting from spring to 

 fan. 



Sapwood is light yellow and very hard, and 

 heartwood becoming greenish or brown on expo- 

 sure. The wood has clearly defined gro%\'th rings, 

 is resinous with a characteristic odor, very hard, 

 very heavy (specific gravity about 1.1), and very 

 durable. It resembles the wood of common lig- 

 numvitae {Gxiaiacum officinale Ij.) and has similar 

 uses but is less valuable. Like its relative this 

 species of lignumvitae formerly was official in med- 

 icine for similar purj^oses. 



Sometimes planted as a handsome blue-flowered 

 ornamental in Puerto Rico, southern Florida, and 

 elsewhere. 



In thickets and forests in the dry coastal and dry 

 limestone regions of Puerto Rico from Ponce to 

 Cabo Rojo. Also in Mona. 



Public forest. — Guanica. 



Range. — Florida Keys, Bahamas, Cuba, His- 

 paniola, Puerto Rico, and Mona. Also in Mexico 

 (Yucatan). Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicara- 

 gua. Recorded from Bonaire, Curasao, and 

 Aruba, perhaps in cultivation. Planted in south- 

 ern Florida, Trinidad, and elsewhere in tropical 

 America. (The botanical type specimen came 

 from Puerto Rico.) 



Other common names. — guayacan de vera, 

 guayacancillo (Puerto Rico) ; vera, guayacan- 

 cillo (Dominican Republic, Cuba) ; guayacan 

 bianco (Cuba) ; guayacan (Mexico, Guatemala, 

 Nicaragua) ; palo santo (Mexico) ; holywood 

 lignumvitae, roughbark lignumvitae, lignumvitae 

 (United States) ; lignumvitae (English, com- 

 merce) ; bois saint, gaiac blanc, gaiac femelle 

 (Haiti) ; wayaka shimaron, beera, boeloebarie, wa- 

 jakaa maatsjoe (Dutch West Indies). 



Botanical stnontm. — Guaiacuvi guatemalense 

 Planch. 



214 



