MYRTLE FAMILY (MYRTACEAE) 



193. Hoja menuda 



This small tree with opposite small leaves bear- 

 ing minute gland dots is easily distinguished from 

 others with tlie same common name by tlie very 

 short-stallied leaves shiny green to darlv green, 

 slightly thickened, with very long tapering point 

 and numerous prominent, straight, nearly parallel 

 lateral veins. Other characters are : (1) numerous 

 small white flowers with 5 rounded petals, about 

 % inch across the many spreading white stamens, 

 in lateral and terminal clusters mostly 1-1 1/2 

 inches long; and (2) elliptic or rounded blackish 

 berries Vi-Yie inch long, with ring of sepals at 

 apex. 



An evergreen tree to 30 feet high and 4 inches in 

 trunk diameter or often a shrub. The brown or 

 gray bark is rough, fissured, and flaky or divided 

 into many small plates. Inner bark is brown or 

 dark red and slightly astringent and bitter to the 

 taste. The brown twigs are slender and finely 

 hairy. 



Petioles are i/ie iridi or less in length and finely 

 hairy. The thin blades are 1-3 inches long and 

 1/^-1 inch wide, rounded or short-pointed at base, 

 with sunken midrib, edges slightly turned under, 

 beneath paler green and slightly shiny, hairy when 

 young but nearly hairless at maturity. 



Flower clusters (panicles) have slender hairy 

 branches. The fragrant flower has a hairy tubular 

 base (hypanthium) i/ig inch long and broad, 

 which encloses the inferior 2-celled ovary and 

 bears the other parts; 5 minute blunt-pointed 



Myrcia splendens (Sw.) DC. 



hairy sepals, 5 white rounded petals nearly Vs inch 

 long, hairy on outside; numerous white stamens 

 nearly %6 inch long; and style more than Vs inch 

 long. 



The fleshy fruits are green when immature, turn- 

 ing to dark blue or blackish, and have thin flesh 

 and 1 large seed. Elsewhere they are reported to 

 be edible. Flowering and fruiting nearly through 

 the year. 



The sapwood is light brown to reddish brown 

 and hard. The hardwood is used for posts. 



Common in forests and openings in moist areas 

 in the lower mountain regions of Puerto Rico. 

 Also in St. Croix and Tortola and reported from 

 St. Thomas. 



Public forests. — Luquillo, Carite, Maricao. 



Range. — Cuba, Jamaica (i), Hispaniola, Puer- 

 to Rico, St. Croix, Tortola, Lesser Antilles from 

 St. Martin to St. Vincent and Barbados, and 

 Trinidad and Tobago. Also Colombia to Peru, 

 Bolivia, and Brazil. 



Other common names. — rama menuda (Puerto 

 Rico) ; birchberry, punchberry (Virgin Islands) ; 

 arraijan, comecara, tinajero (Cuba) ; vidho caspi 

 (Peru); black-birch (Montserrat) ; bois creole 

 (St. Lucia) ; red rodwood (Barbados) ; wild 

 guava (Trinidad) ; small-leaf (Tobago) ; ibbi- 

 banaru (Britisli Guiana) ; petit merisier (Guade- 

 loupe) ; merisier petites feuilles, ti feuilles, bois 

 Creole (Martinique) ; Surinam-cheri'y (Dutch 

 West Indies); meerilang (Surinam). 



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