Tlie narrow flower clusters (panicles) li^-''' 

 inches lonjr are near ends of twijrs. the individual 

 flower stalks about Vs i»fh lou?; and jointed below 

 niidd'p. The sliffhtly fragrant cup-shaped to 

 spreading flowers have a liffht jjreen minute 

 5-l.»bed calyx less tlian Vu; inch lono;; 5 greenish- 

 white or pale yellow oblonp; petals ^Aq inch long; 

 10 stamens Vs i"ch long, witli white liairy filaments 

 flattened and united toward base; and on a yellow 

 disk the light green pistil more than 1/8 i"ch long 

 including rounded liairy 3-celled ovary, style, and 

 rounded stigma. The elliptic seeds are %6 inch 

 long, with fleshy coats. Flowering and fruiting 

 over most of the year. 



The sapwood is light brown and heartwood red- 

 dish brown with darker veins. The wood is de- 

 scribed as resembling cedro {Cedrelo) in color, 

 moderately lightweight (specific gravity 0.5). 

 Heartwood vei-y resistant and sapwood resistant to 

 attack by dry-wood termites. 



Used ' chiefly for posts and fuel in Puerto 

 Rico. Broom handles have been made from young 

 stems. In Venezuela oars or paddles (canaletes) 

 were made from the wood, which was recom- 

 mended as suitable for interior finish, furniture, 

 implements, and plywood. Planted for shade and 

 ornament in southern Florida. Also a honey plant. 



Open forests in the limestone and coastal 

 (chiefly dry coast) regions of Puerto Rico. Also 

 in Vieques, St. Croix, St. Thomas, and St. John. 



Public forests. — Cambalache, Guanica, Susua. 



Range. — Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola, Puerto 

 Rico and Virgin Islands, and Grenadines and 

 Grenada. Also from Mexico and Tres Marias Is- 

 lands to Ecuador, Peru, Brazil, and Venezuela. 

 Introduced in southern Florida. 



Other common names. — cabo de hacha, guaita, 

 retamo, palo de anastasio (Puerto Rico) ; broom- 

 wood (Virgin Islands) ; jojoban (Dominican Re- 

 public) ; jubabiin, cabo de hacha (Cuba) ; cabo de 

 hacha, garbancillo, jumay, mapahuite (Mexico) ; 

 mapahuite, trompillo, cedrillo, cedro Colorado 

 (Guatemala) ; ceclro espiuo (Honduras) ; cola de 

 pavo, jocotillo, cedrillo (El Salvador) ; mata piojo 

 (Nicaragua); canalete, cazabito, cedrillo, trom- 

 pillo, pan de trigo (A^enezuela) ; pata de vaca (Co- 

 lombia) ; gajigua (Ecuador) ; redcedar (British 

 Honduras) ; mombin batard (Haiti) ; carrapeta 

 (Brazil). 



Botanical synonym. — Trichilia spondioides 

 Jacq. 



Bariaco (Trichilia friacantha Urban), called 

 also guayabacon, the third representative of this 

 genus, is known only from the dry southwestern 

 part of Puerto Rico. This shrub or small tree is 

 easily recognized by the spiny tips of the leaflets. 

 The pinnate leaves have 3-7 obovate or wedge- 

 shaped leaflets 1/2-1^/4 inches long and %-% inch 

 wide, broadest at the spiny 3-toothed apex. 



MAHOGANY FAMILY (MELLACEAE) 



114. Gaeta 



Trichilia pallida Sw. 



A small tree, recognized by: (1) the alternate 

 pinnate leaves with 3 or 5 (or 7) elliptic leaflets 

 having veins sunken and prominent beneath, caus- 

 ing a wrinkled appearance, the end leaflet largest 

 and others paired and smaller toward base; (2) 

 the few 4-])arted spreading greenish-white flowei-s 

 almost 1/^ inch across; and (3) the nearly round 

 seed capsules %-i/^ inch in diameter, light brown 

 and finely hairy, with 1-3 bright orange-red seeds. 



Evergreen, commonly 15-30 feet high and 3-6 

 inches in trunk diameter. Bark on small trunks is 

 dark brown, smooth, with many horizontal dots 

 and lines (lenticels), and the inner bark whitish 

 and bitter. The twigs are light to dark brown, 

 with raised dots (lenticels), hairy when young. 



The leaves are 4—9 inches long. The leaflets are 

 short-stalked or almost stalkless, li/i>-6 inches long 

 and %-21/i inches broad, siiort-pointed at apex 

 and base, edges often slightly turned down, 

 slightly thickened, dark green or green on upper 

 surface and paler beneath. 



The small flower clusters (like umbels) are lat- 

 eral at base of leaves, %-li/4 inches long and 

 broad, with slender hairy branches. Flowers are 



finely hairy and slightly fragrant. Calyx is 

 4-toothed ; petals 4, i/4 inch long, whitish, minutely 

 hairy; stamens 8 on a cup-shaped stamen tube; 

 and pistil with 3- or 2-celled ovary, style, and 

 stigma. The few clustered seed capsules split 

 widely into 3 or 2 parts, releasing elliptic seeds 

 1/4 inch long. Flowering and fruiting nearly 

 throughout the year (March to December). 



The wood is hard, heavy (specific gra\nty 0.7), 

 and fine-textured, the sajnvood whitish. Though 

 seldom used because of the small dimensions, the 

 wood is very resistant to attack by dry-wood 

 termites. 



Usually an understory tree in forests of the 

 lower mountain and moist limestone regions of 

 Puerto Rico. 



Public forests. — Carite, Guilarte, Luquillo, 

 Susiia, Toro Negro. 



Range. — Cuba, Hispaniola, and Puerto Rico. 



Other common names. — ramoncillo, caracolillo 

 (Puerto Rico) ; caracoli, palo amargo, almendro, 

 almendrillo (Dominican Republic) ; siguaraya 

 (Cuba) ; hois arada, dombou, Marie-Jeanne 

 (Haiti). 



254 



