MYRTLE FAMILY (MYRTACEAE) 



192. Cieneguillo 



A small to medium-sized widely distributed 

 tree, characterized by: (1) twigs, petioles, buds, 

 and branches of flower clusters densely and finely 

 reddish brown or light brown hairy; ('2) opposite, 

 oblong to elliptic, long-pointed leaves with minute 

 gland dots, thick and stiff and hanging downward, 

 with lateral veins much sunken on the shiny upper 

 surface; (3) masses of fragrant, delicate, small 

 white fiowers with 5 petals and numerous spread- 

 ing stamens % inch across; and (4) oval berry 

 about 1/4 inch long with calyx at apex. 



An evergreen tree 10-30 "feet tall and to 6 inches 

 in trunk diameter, with spreading crown. The 

 gray bark is smoothish, becoming slightlj- cracked 

 ancl fissured, and the trunk grooved. Inner bark 

 is pinkish and bitter. 



Petioles are about i/4 inch long, and blades 

 21/^-6 inches long and 1-2% inches wide, short- 

 pointed at base, not flat but the sides bent up 

 slightly from the sunken midrib and the apex 

 bent downward, inconspicuously hairy on veins 

 and lower surface. The upper surface is shiny 

 yellow green to green with the lateral veins near- 

 ly parallel to midrib, and the lower surface dull 

 whitish green with lateral veins much raised. 

 Older leaves and twigs often are partly covered 

 by black masses of sooty mold fungus. 



Flower clusters (panicles) 2-4 inches long and 

 broad are terminal and lateral, those at apex actu- 

 ally at base of leaves and besicle the terminal bud, 

 bearing many nearly stalkless flowers on the finely 

 hairy branches. Flower buds are whitish and 

 rounded, about i/g inch in diameter. The most 

 conspicuous floral parts are the numerous thread- 

 like curved stamens spreading more than % inch 

 across, each about i/^ inch long and ending in a 

 dotlike anther. The whitish hairy tubular base 

 (hypanthium) i/jg 'i^di long encloses the inferior 

 2-celled ovary and bears the other parts. There 

 are 5 whitish hairy, rounded and widely spreading 

 sepals about i^ inch long and 5 round white petals 

 less than %6 '^^^^ ^O'^g) curved backward and near- 



Myrcia deflexa (Poir.) DC. 



ly hidden by the stamens. In the center of the 

 stamens is a tiny white style. Flowering and 

 fruiting nearly through the year. 



The sapwood is whitish and the heartwood red- 

 dish. The wood is hard, heavy (specific gravity 

 0.8) , and strong. It is made into stakes, posts, and 

 handles. Elsewhere it is employed in construction, 

 carpentry, and vehicles. 



A shade-enduring understoi-y tree of the lower 

 mountain forests of Puerto Rico, in some places 

 extending into the upper mountain region. 



Public forests. — Carite, Guilarte, Luquillo, 

 Maricao, Toro Negro. 



Range. — Cuba, Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, Lesser 

 Antilles from Guadeloupe to Grenada, and Trini- 

 dad. Also in Colombia, Venezuela, Guianas, and 

 northern Brazil. 



Other comsion n.\mes. — aquey del chiquito 

 (Dominican Republic) ; goyavier (Grenada) ; 

 bresillette, petite-feuille, goyavier queue-de-rat 

 ( Guadeloupe ) . 



BoTAxic.vL SYNONYM. — Myrcio ferruginea Berg. 



This genus is represented by 4 more native spe- 

 cies of small trees in addition to the 2 illustrated 

 here. The group has flowers in terminal and lat- 

 eral branched clusters ; calyx of 5 sepals which re- 

 main attached at apex of round or elliptic berry 

 fruit; and 5 white petals. Two species {Myrcia 

 herberis DC. and M. paqanii Krug & Urban) were 

 recorded from Puerto Rico long ago but have not 

 been collected there in recent years. 



Limoncillodel monte {Myrcin citrifolia (Aubl.) 

 Urban), of moist areas in Puerto Rico and the 

 Virgin Islands, has ovate to oblong leaves %-2i/4 

 inches long, blunt or short-pointed at apex, edges 

 turned under, hairless or nearly so, and shiny, and 

 round fruit 1/4-% inch in diameter. 



Guayabacon {Myrcia leptodada DC), of moist 

 forests in Puerto Rico, has elliptic leaves 2-4 

 inches long, with long-pointed apex, edges not 

 turned under, and round fruit i^ inch in diameter. 



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