FLACOURTIA FAMILY (FLACOURTLACEAE) 



172. Cafeillo 



This rather common and widely distributed 

 shrub or small tree is recognized by: (1) the 

 shiny (jreen lance-shaped to ellij-tic leaves longer 

 than 21/2 inclies, mostly long-pointed, thicker than 

 those of related species, edges wavy and incon- 

 spicuously toothed but appearing as if without 

 teeth, hairless, in 2 rows in a flattened arrange- 

 ment on long, unbranched twigs; (2) many minute 

 greenish or yellowish-white flowers about % inch 

 across, crowded on short stalks at leaf bases; and 

 (3) rounded, red, fleshy seed capsules % inch or 

 more in diameter, containing usually 3 brown 

 seeds. 



Evergreen shrub or small tree 10-15 feet high 

 and to 4 inches in trunk diameter, also recorded as 

 up to 65 feet in height, with rounded spreading 

 crown, sometimes several trunks, hairless through- 

 out. The thin gray bark is smoothish with warty 

 dots (lenticels). Imier bark is whitish and taste- 

 less or slightly bitter. The long, slender, un- 

 branched twigs commonly are horizontal or slight- 

 ly drooping, green and afterwards becoming gray. 



Leaves are alternate on short gi-een petioles 14 

 inch long. The blades vary in size as well as shape, 

 214-7 inches long and 1-3 inches broad, mostly 

 with a long narrow point at apex and short- 

 pointed at base, the upper surface with sunken 

 veins, and the lower surface light green. Wlien 

 examined with a hand lens against the light, the 

 leaves show numerous minute lighter gland dots 

 and lines within the network of veins. 



Flower clusters (umbels) are lateral, about 14 

 inch across, with numerous small greenish or yel- 

 lowish-white flowers about % inch across on 

 slender stalks of the same color, % inch long and 

 jointed near middle. Each flower consists of usual- 

 ly 5 spreading calyx lobes more than i/ig inch long; 

 about 10 stamens insei-ted near base of calyx and 

 alternating with sterile stamens (staminodes) ; 



Casearia sylvestris Sw. 



and pistil composed of green ovai-y with short style 

 and 3-lobed stigma. The rounded, red, fleshy seed 

 capsules split into 3 parts and have usually 3 brown 

 seeds Vie inch long. Flowering a:id fruiting 

 tlirougliout the year. 



Sapwood is light brown, heartwood dark brown. 

 The wood is hard, heavy, strong, and tine-textui"ed. 

 Classed as fuelwood. Suitable for small handles 

 and elsewhere used in carpentry and for poles. 



A honey plant, the fi'agrant flowers attracting 

 bees. 



Very common, especially in open areas, road- 

 sides, and also in forest understory, in moist coastal 

 and lower mountain regions in Puerto Rico. Also 

 in Vieques, St. Ci'oix, St. Thomas, St. John, and 

 Tortola. 



Public forests. — Cambalache, Carite, Gua- 

 jataca, Luquillo, Rio Abajo, Susua, Toro Negro. 



Range. — Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola, Puerto 

 Rico and Virgin Islands, throughout Lesser An- 

 tilles, and Trinidad and Tobago. Also from 

 southern Mexico to Peni, Argentina, Uruguay, 

 and Brazil. Botanical varieties have been distin- 

 guished in different areas. 



Other common names. — cafe silvestre, cafeillo 

 cimarron, palo bianco (Puerto Rico) ; sarnilla, jia 

 colorada, ]uba rompehueso (Cuba) ; guayabillo, 

 palo de cotona (Mexico) ; corallilo, sacmuda 

 (Guatemala); barredera (El Salvador); sombra 

 de annado, sombra de conejo (Honduras) ; comida 

 de culebra (Nicaragua) ; corta lingua (Panama) ; 

 dondequiera, mahajo (Colombia) ; tortolito, gua- 

 yabito, punteral, tacasito, pabito (Venezuela) ; 

 avtvti-timbati, palo rajador, guazatumba, cambagui 

 (Argentina); wild-coffee (Trinidad); wild-sage 

 (British Honduras) ; pajielite (Haiti) ; crack-open 

 (Saba) ; guassatunga (Brazil). 



Botanical synonym. — Casearia parvifiora 

 auth., not (L.) Willd. 



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