FLACOURTIA FAMILY (FLACOURTIACEAE) 



170. Tostado, wild honey-tree 



This shrub or small tree is characterized by : (1) 

 the small, yellow-green elliptic leaves less than 3 

 inches long, finely saw-toothed, thin, and sliedding 

 in winter; (2) the many small greenish- white 

 flowers Vi inch across in clusters about % inch 

 across at nodes when twigs are leafless; and (3) 

 the round seed capsules % inch in diameter, pale 

 yellow or brown, edible but almost tasteless. 



A deciduous shrub or small tree to 15 feet high 

 and to 3 inches in trunk diameter, with spreading 

 crown. The gray bark is smooth and thin, the 

 inner bark light brown and tasteless. The slender 

 hairless twigs are green when young, becoming 

 brown. 



The alternate leaves have short petioles Vg-Vi 

 inch long and thin blades 1^-3 inches long and 

 %~Wi inches broad, long- or short- pointed at 

 apex and short-pointed or rounded at base, green 

 on both sides and slightly shiny above, hairless 

 except for inconspicuous tufts of haii-s usually in 

 vein angles beneath. 



Many finely hairy flowers are borne in lateral 

 flower clusters (umbels) on slender stalks about 

 %G inch long, jointed near base. The calyx is 

 deeply divided into 5 narrow, finely haiiy, spread- 

 ing lobes Vs inch long; 10 haiiy stamens attached 

 near base of calyx are alternate with smaller hairy 

 sterile stamens (staminodes) ; and pistil consist- 

 ing of hairy 1 -celled ovary, slender hairy style, 

 and rounded stigma. 



Casearia decandra Jacq. 



The fleshy seed capsules are single or sometimes 

 paired on twigs back of the leaves and split into 3 

 parts. There are 2-4 seeds in the orange-colored 

 flesh. Flowering and fruiting at different times 

 during the year. 



The light brown, hard sapwood perhaps is used 

 as roundwood where the trees are of sufficient size. 



The fruits are edible, as the common name cerezo 

 (cherry) indicates, but almost tasteless. An im- 

 portant honey plant. 



Common and widely distributed in thickets and 

 as an understory tree in moist coastal and lower 

 mountain forests in Puerto Rico. Also in Vieques, 

 St. Thomas, St. John, Tortola, and Virgin Gorda. 

 (Reported long ago from St. Croix also.) 



Public forests. — Cambalache, Guajataca, Lu- 

 quillo, Maricao, Rio Abajo, Susua, Toro Negro. 



Range. — Hispaniola, Puerto Rico and Virgin 

 Islands, throughout Lesser Antilles, Trinidad and 

 Tobago, and Margarita. Also in Costa Rica and 

 northern South America from Colombia and Vene- 

 zuela to Brazil and Peru. 



Other common n.vmes.— palo bianco, cerezo, gia 

 mausa, cotorrelillo (Puerto Rico) ; wild-cherry 

 (Virgin Islands); machacomo, tapaculo (Vene- 

 zuela) ; fortuga caspi, limoncaspi (Peru) ; jumbie- 

 apple (Grenadines); wild-cherry (Barbados); 

 pipewood, biscuitwood (Trinidad) ; bois jaune 

 (Guadeloupe). 



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