MYRSINE FAMILY (MYRSINACEAE) 



204. Badula, Guiana rapanea 



This small tree resembles its close relative man- 

 teqiiero (Ri(panea femiginea (Ruiz&Pav.) Mez) 

 but is hairless throughout and has broader leaves 

 with mostly rounded apices and slightly larger 

 flowers and fruits. It is characterized by : (1) the 

 elliptic, slightly shiny, green leaves clustered at 

 ends of twigs, with minute gland dots on both 

 sides; (2) the long slender twigs, greenish when 

 young, becoming liglit brown; (3) numerous small 

 greenish flowers almost stalkless in scaly lateral 

 clusters mostly back of leaves; and (4) many 

 round blue-black fruits 3/ig inch in diameter 

 crowded along the twigs for a few inches. 



A small evergreen tree to 25 feet high and 3-6 

 inches in trunk diameter, with straight axis, open 

 and narrow crown, and relatively few unbranched 

 twigs. The thin gray bark is smooth or slightly 

 fissured. Inner bark is reddish or brown, slightly 

 bitter or almost tasteless. 



The leaves, alternate but close together, have 

 petioles V^-Vi inch long. Blades are 2-i inches 

 long, %-!% inches broad, widest at middle or be- 

 yond, rounded or blunt-pointed at apex, pointed at 

 base, slightly thickened, and with edges turned 

 under. The lower surface is paler. 



Male and female flowers are on different trees 

 or some flowers bisexual (polygamo-dioecious), 

 greenish and more than %6 inch across. The small 

 calyx is deeply 5-lobed, dotted with purple; the 



Rapanea guianensis Aubl. 



spreading corolla with 5 unequal pointed lobes dot- 

 ted with purple: 5 stalkless stamens on the corolla 

 and opposite the lobes; and pistil with 1-celled 

 ovary and short-lobed stigma. The berries have 

 thin flesh and 1 large brown seed more tlian i/g inch 

 in diameter. Collected in flower in spring and 

 with fruits in summer. 



The light brown, hard, strong wood is used 

 chiefly for posts. 



In the moist and dry limestone forests in north- 

 ern and western Puerto Rico. Also in Tortola. 



PuRLic FoitESTS. — Cambalache, Guajataca, Rio 

 Aba jo, Susiia. 



R.A.NGE. — Central and southern Florida includ- 

 ing Florida Keys, Bahamas, Greater Antilles, 

 Tortola, Lesser Antilles from Guadeloupe to 

 Grenada, and Trinidad and Tobago. Also in 

 southern Mexico, British Honduras, Costa Rica, 

 and South America from Colombia to Bolivia, Ar- 

 gentina, Brazil, and Guianas. 



Othkr fOJiMox NAMES. — mamcyuclo (Domini- 

 can Republic) ; camagiiilla (Cuba) ; chagualito 

 (Colombia) ; manteco bianco, mameycillo, cucharo 

 (Venezuela) ; canelon (Argentina, conunerce) ; 

 Guiana rapanea, myrsine (United States) ; myr- 

 sine (Baliamas) ; dakara (British Guiana) ; fuelle 

 canelle (Haiti) ; dakai-a, konaparan, mannie 

 botieie (Surinam). 



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