SAPODILLA FAMILY (SAPOTACEAE) 



207. Caimitillo de perro, satinleaf 



A small tree, with milky sap, resembling star- 

 apple or caimito {ChrysophyUuni cahutol^.) and 

 easily recognized by the similar elliptic leaves 

 with lower surfaces pretty reddish brown (copper 

 colored), finely satiny or silky hairy. It difl'ers in 

 the smaller elliptic dark purple berry about % 

 inch (to 11/4 inches) long with usually onlj- 1 

 seed. Other distinguishing characters are: (1) 

 young twigs, buds, petioles, flower stalks, and 

 calyx finely reddish-brown hairy; and (2) the 

 small tubular bell-shaped 5-lobed flowers %e inch 

 long and broad, whitish green, a few together on 

 short stalks at base of leaves. 



An evergreen tree 12-30 feet high with trunk to 

 1 foot in diameter. Tlie gray-brown bark is rough 

 and much fissured into iri'egular plates and thin 

 scales. Inner bark is light pink and contains 

 milky latex. The slender reddish-brown or rusty 

 young twigs later become light gray. 



The alternate leaves have petioles 1/4--'/^ inch 

 long. Blades are 11/4-3 inches long and %-l% 

 inches wide, short-pointed at apex, rounded or 

 short-pointed at base, slightly thickened, above 

 shiny green witli inconspicuous veins and hairless 

 except when young. 



There are a few flowers clustered together at 

 the base of a leaf on slender reddish-brown hairy 

 stalks 1/8-1/4 inch long. The calyx consists of .5 

 rounded, reddish-brown hairy and greenish sepals 

 more than y^e inch long; the whitish-green tubu- 

 lar corolla ^le inch long with 5 rounded lobes and 

 bearing 5 minute stamens at apex of tube opposite 

 the lobes; and light green pistil Vg inch long with 

 hairy 5-celled ovary, short style, and minutely 

 5-lobed stigma. 



Chrysophyllum oliviforme L. 



The elliptic fleshy fruit resembles an olive, as 

 the specific name indicates. It retains the calyx 

 at base and has a minute style point at apex. The 

 light purple to whitish flesh is sweetish and edible, 

 but the skin is gummy or rubbery with milky sap. 

 The large seed is shiny light brown. Collected in 

 flower from July to October and with mature 

 fruits in February. 



The light brown wood is hard, very heavy (spe- 

 cific gravity 0.9), and strong. In Cuba it is used 

 for construction, beams, and doors and windows. 



Planted in southern Florida as an ornamental 

 for the beautiful foliage. Jelly can be prepared 

 from the fruits. 



The moist limestone region of northern and 

 western Puerto Rico. 



PtTBLic FORESTS. — Canibalaclie, Vega. 



R.\NGE. — Southern Florida including Florida 

 Keys, Bahamas, Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola, 

 Mona (possibly introduced) , and Puerto Rico. 



Other common names. — caimitillo, caimito de 

 perro (Dominican Republic) ; caimitillo, caimito, 

 caimito cimarron, macanabo (Cuba) ; satinleaf 

 (United States) ; satinleaf, saffron-tree (Baha- 

 mas) ; cai'mite marron (Haiti). 



A related species of caimitillo {ChrysophyJJum 

 biroJor Poir. ; synonym C eggersii Pierre) is 

 called also wild cainit and lechecillo. It has ellip- 

 tic leaves with lower surfaces reddish brown and 

 finely satiny or silky hairy when young but later 

 nearly hairless. It differs from the above species 

 in the flower with 5-9-celled ovary and in the fruit 

 with 1 to few seeds. Besides Puerto Rico, it is 

 found in St. Croix, St. Thomas, and St. John. 



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