RUE FAMILY (RUTACEAE) 



101. Aceitillo, yellow-sanders, yellowheart 



Zanthoxylum flavunt Vahl 



Formerly one of Puerto Rico's most valuable 

 timbers, this now scarce tree is distin<ruished by: 

 (1) the pinnate leaves with mostly 5-9 nearly 

 stalkless elliptic leaflets rouiuled or short-pointed 

 at a])ex and base, the edjres witliout teeth or very 

 finely wavy, and with minute g'land dots; (2) 

 trunk and twips not sjiiny as in related species; 

 (.'5) small yellowish 5-parted spreading flowers i/i 

 inch across; and (4) the dry fruits of 1 or 2 dark 

 brown jjods i/i inch lonfr. 



A small to medium-sized deciduous tree 20-50 

 feet high and S-lfi inches in trnnk diameter or a 

 shi'ub. Tlie bark is smoothish, slightly fissured, 

 light gray, and thin. Inner bark yellowish, with 

 citrus spicy taste. The twigs are stout, gray, and 

 finely gray hairy with minute star-shaped hairs 

 when young. 



The leaves are alternate and 4-10 inches long. 

 Leaflets are paired except for the end one, 1-;; 

 inches long and V2-IV2 inches broad, tiiin, with 

 minute star-shaped hairs when young but Ijecom- 

 ing almost hairless, and slightly shiny gi-een at 

 maturity. 



Tlie much branched flower clusters (panicles) 

 are terminal and 2-5 inches long and broad. The 

 many short-stalked fragrant flowers are male and 

 female on difl'erent trees (dioecious). Sepals 5, 

 minute, covered witli gray star-shaped haii"s, 

 l^etals 5; male flowers with 5 stamens about as 

 long as petals; and female flowers with pistil of 

 mostly 2-lobed 2-celled ovary (or 1-3-celled) and 

 mostly 2-lobed stigma. 



The fruits are of 1 or 2 stalked pods (follicles), 

 splitting open and containing 1 nearly round shiny 

 black .seed Vg i»ch long. Flowering mainly with 

 the new leaves or from winter to summer and with 

 fi'uit from s]>ring to fall. 



The sapwood is whitish to light yellow, and the 

 heartwood yellow to yellowish brown. The wood 

 is very hard, heavy (specific gravity 0.9), strong, 

 fine-grained, with clearly defined growth rings, 

 and with odor of coconuts or oil. It has a satiny 

 luster, takes a fine polish, and is resistant to attack 

 l)y dry-wood termites. 



This beautiful decorative wood has been prized 

 for cabinetmaking, fine furniture, paneling, inlaid 

 work, veneer, and turnery. Other uses are backs 

 of hand mirrors and hairbrushes. Wood figured 

 with wavy grain is converted into veneer for hand- 



.some furniture and paneling. It is reported that 

 Puerto Rico formerly produced the finest West 

 Indian satinwood, both in quality and color, but 

 exjiorts ceased with exiiaustion of the supply. 

 Logs of figured wood commanded very high prices 

 by the cubic foot or by weight. Even the stumps 

 and roots were removed and shipped from Puerto 

 Rico as late as 1920. 



This species can be planted for shade as well as 

 its fine wood. It is also a honey i)lant, the flowers 

 attracting bees. 



Protected forests in the serpentine and dry and 

 moist limestone regions of westei'n Puerto Rico, 

 now rare. Planted experimentally in the Guaja- 

 taca Foi-est, this species is proving slow growing. 

 Trees 15 years old are scarcely 3 inches in diam- 

 eter. Reported many years ago from Bordeaux 

 Hills, St. John, and possibly now extinct there. 



Public forests. — Cambalache, Guajataca, Gua- 

 nica, Maricao. 



Ranoe. — ]>ower Florida Keys (nearly extinct), 

 Bermuda, Bahamas, Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola, 

 Puerto Rico, and Lesser Antilles from Anguilla to 

 St. Lucia. Also recorded from Bonaire. 



Other common names. — espinillo (Dominican 

 Republic) ; aceitillo (Cuba) ; yellowheart, satin- 

 wood, yellowheart prickly-ash, yellow wood (Unit- 

 ed States) ; West Indian satinwood, satinwood 

 (English, commerce) ; Jamaican satinwood, yel- 

 low-sanders (Jamaica) ; noyer, bois noyer (Gua- 

 deloupe) ; kalabarie (Bonaire). 



Botanical synonym. — Fagara flava (Vahl) 

 Krug & LTrban. 



This genus, whose name frequently is spelled 

 Xanthoxylnm, has 2 additional native tree spex^ies 

 and 2 of shrubs besides the 3 figured here. An- 

 other species of espino rubial {Zanthoxylum cari- 

 haeum Lam.; synonym Fagara caribaea (Lam.) 

 Krug & Urban) in southern and westei-n Puerto 

 Rico has pinnate leaves with 7-13 elliptic leaflets 

 rounded at apex and with wavy-toothed margins. 



Alfiler {Zanthoxylum panctatum Vahl; syno- 

 nym Fagara trifoliata Sw.) , a spiny shrub or small 

 tree of southwestern Puerto Rico, Mona, and St. 

 Croix, has pinnate leaves with obovate or elliptic 

 leaflets, usually 3 or sometimes as many as 7 or 

 even 19, with variable apex, and relatively few 

 small S-jjarted flowers in lateral clusters. 



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