CXDCHLOSPERMUM FAMILY (COCHLOSPERMACEAE*) 



167. Rosa imperial, Brazilian-rose, cochlospermum 



This introduced, cultivated ornamental is dis- 

 tinguished by : ( 1 ) quantities of large, showy, 

 bright yellow roselike flowers 3^ inches across, 

 borne in tenninal clusters usually when the trees 

 are leafless; and (2) long-petioled, deeply pal- 

 mately lobed leaves with usually 5 long-pointed 

 toothed lobes. The double-flowered form with 

 many petals grown in Puerto Rico does not mature 

 fruits and seeds. 



A small to medium-sized deciduous tree to 25 

 feet tall and 1 foot in trunk diameter, with rela- 

 tively few stout branches. The bark is gray, 

 smoothish and becoming slightly furrowed. Inner 

 bark is brown streaked, hbrous, slightly bitter, 

 and yields a gum. Twigs are green when yomig, 

 becoming brown. 



The alternate leaves have petioles 3-7 inches in 

 length, green and tinged with red, and a pair of 

 minute threadlike stipules at base which soon 

 shed. Leaf blades measure about 4-8 inches long 

 and broad, are heart-shaped at base, and have us- 

 ually 5 (rarely 3 or 7) spreading lobes, each with 

 a prominent central vein and small teeth along the 

 edges. Upper surface of the thin blades is gi-een 

 to dark green and slightly shiny, and the lower 

 surface lighter gray green, finely hairy to nearly 

 hairless. 



Flowers are borne on long stalks in erect spread- 

 ing terminal clusters (panicles), sometimes a few 

 on shiiibby plants only 3-5 feet high. There are 

 5 green to yellow-green sepals 1^-% inch long, the 

 outer 2 pointed and smaller and the inner 3 

 rounded and broader. In the double-flowered 

 Puerto Rican form there are many widely spread- 

 ing, rounded, elliptic, bright yellow petals 11/2-2 

 inches long. Numerous spreading orange stamens 

 %-% inch long with curved slender filaments and 

 curved narrow anthers are in the center, but a 

 functional pistil is lacking. Blooming mostly 

 from Januai-y to March, during the drier part of 

 the year. 



The more widespread single-flowered form not 

 found in Puerto Rico has only 5 petals about 2 

 inches long, notched at apex, and in the center of 

 the many stamens a pistil consisting of a green 

 rounded ovary Yiq inch in diameter, 5-carpeled, 

 and a slender curved yellow style about li/4 inch 

 long. On wild trees the large elliptic dark brown 

 capsules about 3 inches long and 2 inches in diam- 

 eter hang down from curved stalks. The incon- 

 spicuously hairy, thin-walled capsules split into 



Cochlospermum vitifolium (Willd.) Spreng.* 



5 parts, releasing many dark brown kidney-shaped 

 seeds %e inch long, imbedded in masses of soft 

 cottony white hairs. 



The whitish to light brown wood is soft, spongy, 

 very lightweight, perishable, and of little use. 



Planted for ornament on the coastal plains of 

 Puerto Rico and in the Virgin Islands, growing 

 rapidly and best in dry areas. Reported to be a 

 honey plant. The trees are propagated easily by 

 cuttings. The more attractive double-flowered 

 form in Puerto Rico, Hispaniola, Dominica, and 

 perhaps a few other islands of the West Indies is 

 preferred for cultivation but apparently is little 

 known elsewhere. Both the normal and double- 

 flowered forms are grown in St. Thomas. Hedges 

 and living fences can be formed by planting 

 branches and pruning them back. 



Elsewhere, rope has been made from the fibrous 

 bark, and the cotton around the seeds is used for 

 stuffing pillows. A home remedy has been ex- 

 tracted from wood and leaves. 



Range. — Continental tropical America from 

 western Mexico through Central America and 

 northern South America to Ecuador, Peru, Bo- 

 livia, Brazil, Guianas, and Trinidad, chiefly in dry 

 forests. Planted for ornament in the West Indies, 

 such as in Cuba and Puerto Rico, and other tropi- 

 cal areas and as far north as southern Florida and 

 southern California. 



Other common names. — rosa china, emperatriz 

 de la selva, rosa de Maximiliano (Puerto Rico) ; 

 rose-of-Sharon (Virgin Islands) ; botija, palo bobo 

 (Cuba) ; tecomasuche (Mexico, Guatemala, El 

 Salvador) ; rosa amarilla, chuun, cocito, apomo 

 panaco (Mexico) ; jicarillo (Honduras) ; cho, 

 pochote, pumpo, pumpumjuche, tecomatillo 

 (Guatemala); bombon, tecomasuchil (El Salva- 

 dor) ; poroporo (Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, 

 Colombia) ; bombon, catamericuche (Nicaragua) ; 

 caniestolendas, bototo (Colombia, Venezuela) ; 

 papayote (Colombia) ; bototillo, bototito, botulo 

 (Eucador) ; huimba, quillo-sisa (Peru) ; cochlo- 

 spennum, shellseed (English) ; rose-of-Peru 

 (Dominica) ; wild-cotton, pochote (British Hon- 

 duras) ; kanakuchiballi, wild-cotton (British 

 Guiana) ; njoe fodoe (Surinam). 



Botanical synonyms. — MaxlTnilianea vitifolia 

 (Willd.) Krug & Urban, Cochlospermum hihis- 

 coid-es Kunth. 



The descriptive specific name, meaning "grape- 

 leaf," recalls the similarity of the leaves to those of 

 cultivated grapes. 



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