MALPIGHIA FAMILY (MALPIGHIACEAE) 



Key to the 2 species illustrated (Nos. 115-116) 

 A. Leaves thin, tuniing rich red upon drying, upper surface shiny, midrib lighter in color than blade — 115. Ryrsonima 

 coriacea. 

 AA. Leaves leathery, with prominent veins, upper surface slightly shiny, lower surface with larger veins often rusty-red 

 hairy — 116. Byrsonima crassifolia. 



115. Maricao 



A medium-sized tree with a spreading crown, 

 characterized by: (1) opposite elliptic to lance- 

 shaped leaves 2-5 inches long and %-2 inches 

 broad, short -pointed or rounded at apex and short- 

 ])ointed at l)ase, the midrib notably lighter in color 

 than the thin blade, turning rich red upon drying, 

 a few such leaves on most trees at all times; (2) 

 young twigs and flower stalks covered with fine, 

 rusty-red hairs; (3) flowers showy, yellow, i/2~% 

 inch across with 5 rounded petals narrowed into 

 long stalks ; and (4) the nearly round yellow fruits 

 %-i/2 inch in diameter. 



An evergreen tree 30-60 feet tall and I-IV2 f^^t 

 or more in trunk diameter. The bark is smoothish, 

 gray, becoming slightly rough and warty and 

 1/^-% inch thick. Inner bark is pinkish and bitter. 



Petioles are Vi~% inch long. The upper surface 

 of the Ijlades is shiny green and hairless, the lower 

 surface lighter green and often slightly hairy on 

 midrib and near edges, which are not toothed. 



Flower clusters (racemes) are terminal, 2-4 

 inches long. The many flowers are borne along 

 the erect flower stalks %-V2 inch long and curved 

 downward when young. The calyx % inch long is 

 5-lobed with 10 oblong glands on outside ; 5 petals, 

 yellow, widely spreading, 14 inch long, nearly 

 round but narrowed into long stalks; 10 stamens; 

 and pistil witli 3-celled ovary and 3 styles. The 

 flowers are slightly fragrant and attract bees. The 

 juicy fruits (drupes) are broader than long and 

 with a large stone, edible, but with a bitter taste. 

 Flowering and fruiting nearly through the year. 



The sapwood is gray to reddish brown, and the 

 heartwood is reddish brown with a purplish cast 

 and generally marked by darker stripes with a 

 stippled effect. The wood is moderately hard, 

 heavy (specific gravity 0.64), of fine texture and 

 straight to slightly roey grain, and fairly strong 

 but brittle. Its rate of air-seasoning and amount 

 of degrade are moderate. Machining characteris- 

 tics are as follows: planing, shaping, turning, and 

 sanding are good ; boring and mortising are excel- 

 lent ; and resistance to screw splitting is poor. Tlie 

 wood is very susceptible to attack by dry-wood ter- 

 mites and only slightly resistant to decay. 



Though few trees are large enough to produce 

 lumber, the wood is recommended for fancy furni- 

 ture and cabinetwork, turning, flooring, interior 

 trim, and other decorative uses. It is suitable also 

 for general carpentry, heavy construction, ply- 

 wood, and veneer. Elsewhere it has been made into 

 charcoal. The bark is employed in tanning. 



The trees are rather ornamental when in flower 

 and suitable for shade but are seldom planted for 



256 



Byrsonima coriacea (Sw.) DC. 



these purposes. The seeds are slow to germinate, 

 lying as long as a year on the forest floor before 

 germination. Early growth is rapid. 



Common in secondary forests and frequently on 

 lands degraded by farming in the lower mountain, 

 moist coastal, and moist limestone regions of 

 Puerto Rico. Also in St. Croix, St. Thomas, St. 

 John, and Tortola. 



Public forests. — Cambalache, Carite, Guilarte, 

 Luquillo, Maricao, Susiia, Toro Negro. 



IVIUNICIPALITIES WHERE ESPECIALLY COMMON. 



29, 69. 



Range. — Through West Indies from Cuba and 

 Jamaica to Trinidad and Tobago. Also from 

 Guianas to Colombia and Panama and south to 

 Peru, Bolivia, and Brazil. 



Other common names. — doncella (Puerto 

 Rico) ; peralejo (Dominican Republic) ; peralejo 

 de pinar (Cuba) ; piginio (Colombia) ; manteco 

 sabanero, manteco, manteco de agua, chaparro de 

 chinche (Venezuela) ; hogberry, locust-tree (Ja- 

 maica) ; indano,indano Colorado (Peru) ; mauricef 

 (Dominica, Grenada) ; bois tan (St. Lucia) ; 

 barka-locust, locust-berry (Barbados) ; serrette 

 (Grenada, Trinidad) ; rosewood (Tobago) ; hicha 

 (British Guiana) ; bois tan, mauricef (Guade- 

 loupe, Martinique) ; hollyhock (Dutch West In- 

 dies) ; holia, moeleri, sabana kwarie (Surinam) ; 

 pau de cortume, pessegueiro bravo (Brazil). 



The West Indian tree has been placed in a vari- 

 ety {Byrsonima coriacea (Sw.) DC. var. spicata 

 (Cav.) Niedenzu) often accepted as a species (B. 

 spicata (Cav.) DC). 



Besides the 2 illustrated here, 4 additional tree 

 species of this genus known also as maricao are 

 native in Puerto Rico. Palo de doncella (Byr- 

 so7uma hicida DC; synonym B. cttneata (Turcz) 

 P. Wils.) has small spoon-shaped or obovate leaves 

 34-2 inches long and flowers with white to red 

 petals. 



Two poorly known, doubtfully distinct, local 

 species described from Guanajibo, near Mayaguez, 

 have yellow petals turning red. They are Byrson- 

 ima ophiticola Small, with obovate leaves less 

 than 2 inches long, and B. horneana Britton & 

 Small, with obovate leaves 11/0-31/2 inches long. 



A distinct species rare in dwarf forests and 

 mountain forests of eastern and central Puerto 

 Rico is almendrillo {Byrsonima. loadswortMi 

 Little) . During the preparation of this book, this 

 species was noted as new and was named in 1953. 

 It has elliptic leaves mostly li/^-3 inches long, 

 slightly thickened, with edges turned under, gray 

 hairy beneath, and flowere with white petals turn- 

 ing pink. 



