CASHEW FAMILY (ANACARDIACEAE) 



135. Ciruela del pais, purple mombin 



Occasionally planted in fence rows and for its 

 edible fruits, this small tree, frequently with 

 gnarled branches, is characterized by : (1) pinnate 

 leaves 4—8 inches long witli 9-25 almost stalkless, 

 elliptic, thin, yellow-green leaflets, %-lV^ inches 

 long, rounded or short-pointed at apex, short- 

 pointed and sliglitly oblique at base, with edges 

 slightly wavy toothed; (2) small red or pnik 

 5-parted flowers less than I/4 inch across, in lateral 

 clustei-s; and (3) the yellow or purplish-red, cylin- 

 drical, slightly sour, edible fruits 1-11/4 inches 

 long. 



A small spreading deciduous tree to 30 feet 

 high, with thick trunlc to 1 foot in diameter, or 

 sometimes shiiibby. Tlie bark is brown or gray, 

 smoothish, soft, and thick, becoming rough and 

 warty on large trunks. Inner bark is whitish and 

 brown streaked, soft, and astringent. The large 

 branches are brittle and easily broken. The stout 

 twigs are green with brown dots (lenticels), be- 

 coming brown. 



The leaves ai-e alternate and with slender, 

 angled, finely haii-y, yellow-green axes. Leaflet 

 blades are more or less paired except for terminal 

 one, 1/4-1 inch broad, nearly hairless, and dull or 

 slightly shiny. 



The branched flower clusters (panicles) are 

 short and finely hairy and bear few flowere on 

 stalks about Vg inch long when the trees are leafless 

 or nearly so. Flowers are male or female and bi- 

 sexual on the same tree (polygamous). The mi- 

 nute calyx is 5-lobed ; there are 5 petals about Vs 

 inch long; 10 stamens; and pistil on a disk, with 

 usually 5-celled ovary and 3 or 4 short styles. 



The short-stalked fruits (dnipes) have yellow, 

 juicy and edible pulp and a large stone V2-% inch 

 long, which is fibrous on the outside, and contain 

 5 or fewer- seeds. Flowering in spring and matur- 

 ing fruits in summer. 



The wood is wliitish, soft, lightweight, and 

 brittle. It is seldom used, though elsewhere the 

 ash has been employed in soapmaking. 



The fruits, which resemble plums (ciruelas) 

 and have a similar flavor, are eaten raw or some- 

 times cooked and produce wine and other alcoholic 

 drinks. They serve also to fatten hogs and cattle. 



Spondias purpurea L.* 



In parts of Mexico and Central America this 

 species is one of the most important fruits. The 

 sour young shoots and leaves sometimes are eaten 

 raw or cooked and are browsed by animals. 



Grown commonly as living fenceposts, tlie trees 

 are easily propagated from cuttings and seeds. 

 Tliey are luindsome with tlieir small flowers and 

 showy fruits when leafless. Elsewhere the trees 

 have been employed to support cultivated orchids. 



In fence rows, along highways, and near homes 

 in the coastal regions, commonest and largest and 

 in a narrow strip along the base of the southern 

 side of the Cordillera of Puerto Eico. Probably 

 naturalized rather than native. Also in St. Croix, 

 St. Thomas, and St. John. 



Range. — Planted and naturalized tlu'oughout 

 West Indies except Bahamas. Native of tropical 

 continental America and widely distributed from 

 central Mexico to Peru and Brazil, spread through 

 cultivation. Planted in southern Florida. Also 

 introduced into the Old World tropics. 



Other common names. — ciruela, jobillo, jobo 

 f ranees (Puerto Rico) ; purple-plum (Virgin 

 Islands) ; ciruela, ciruelo (Spanish) ; jobo, ciruela 

 morada, ciruela sanjuanera (Dominican Repub- 

 lic) ; ciruela colorada, ciruela campechana (Cuba) ; 

 jocote (Mexico, Central America) ; jocote de 

 invierno, jocote jobo, jobo, pitarrillo (El Salva- 

 dor) ; jocote comiin (Nicaragua) ; jobito (Costa 

 Rica) ; wild-plum (Costa Rica, Panama) ; hobo 

 Colorado, ciruelo Colorado (Colombia) ; hobo, 

 ciruela colorada (Ecuador); ajuela ciruelo 

 (Peru); purple mombin, red mombin, hogplum, 

 Spanish-plum (United States, English) ; Jamaica- 

 plum (Trinidad); jobo (British Honduras); 

 cirouelle (Haiti); prune d'Espagne, prune du 

 Chili (Guadeloupe, Martinique) ; prune rouge, 

 prune jaune, mombin rouge (Guacleloupe) ; noba, 

 makka pruim, redplum, Jamacia-plum (Dutch 

 AVest Indies) ; imbuzeiro, caja, ciroela (Brazil). 



BoTANic.VL SYNONYMS. — Spondios mombln L. 

 (1759, not 1753), S. ciroueUa Tussac, S. purpurea 

 L. forma luteci (Macfadyen) Fawcett & Rendle. 

 The yellow-fruited form has been separated from 

 the purple-fi-uited form by some authors as a 

 species {S. ciroueUa Tussac) . 



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