SAPODILLA FAMILY (SAPOTACEAE) 



208. Sanguinaria, wild mespel, willow bustic 



This small to medium-sized tree with white 

 latex is recognized by: (1) lance-shaped or nar- 

 rowly elliptic leaves, mostly widest at middle and 

 long-pointed at both ends, the edges appearing 

 finely wavy or wrinkled; (2) numerous small 

 whitish-gi'een fragrant flowers, rounded and 

 about 3i6 "^"^h long and broad, borne in crowded 

 lateral clusters along tlie twigs mostly back of the 

 leaves; and (3) many round black berries I/4 inch 

 or more in diameter along the twigs. 



An evergreen tree 30-50 feet high and to 1-2 

 feet in diameter. The brownish-gi\ay bark is 

 smoothish and much fissured, becoming rough and 

 flaky or scaly. Inner bark is pinkish and bitter. 

 The slender twigs are brownish-gi'een hairy when 

 young, becoming gray. 



The leaves are crowded but alternate on brown 

 hairy or hairless petioles I/4-I/2 inch long. Leaf 

 blades are 21A-4 inches long and %-li4 inches 

 broad, slightly thickened, hairy when young, 

 green and slightly shiny on upper surface and 

 paler beneath. As the scientific name suggests, 

 thev resemble willow leaves. 



Flower clusters are less than 1/4 inch across, with 

 each flower on a brown hairy stalk less than % 

 inch long. The calyx is composed of 5 nearly 

 round, brown hairy sepals less than % inch long; 

 the whitish funnel-shaped corolla has 5 rounded 

 lobes each with 2 small lobes or appendages; 5 

 stamens on the corolla tube opposite the lobes and 

 alternating with 5 toothed a|)))endages (stami- 

 nodes) ; and pistil with 5-celled ovary and slender 

 style. 



The fruits mostly single back of the leaves are 

 blunt-pointed, sticky inside, and contain usually 

 1 brown seed less than %6 inch in diameter. 

 Flowering chiefly in eai'ly spring and spring 

 (January to May) and maturing fruit in summer 

 and fall. 



The sapwood is light brown, and the heartwood 

 reddish brown or dark brown. The wood is hard, 

 very heavy (specific gi'avity 0.9), strong, tough, 



Dipholis salicifolia (L.) A. DC. 



and moderately durable. It has medium-fine tex- 

 ture, fairly straight grain, and a bitter taste. In 

 Puerto Rico used chiefly for posts. Uses else- 

 where include heavy construction, bridges, poles, 

 flooring, and crossties. 



In British Honduras the trees though rare re- 

 portedly are tapped for chicle. The flowers are 

 attractive to bees. 



The moist and dry limestone regions of Puerto 

 Rico. A tree of open areas and probably light- 

 requiring. Also in Mona, Vieques, St. Croix, St. 

 Thomas, St. John, and Tortola. 



Public forests. — Cambalache, Guajataca, and 

 Guanica. 



Municipalities where especially common. — 



Range. — Southern Florida including Florida 

 Keys and nearly through West Indies from Ba- 

 hamas and Cuba to Dominica, St. Vincent, and 

 Barbados. Also in southern ]\Iexico, Guatemala, 

 and British Honduras. 



Other common names. — almendron (Puerto 

 Rico) ; cayacolorada (Dominican Republic) ; cuya, 

 almendrillo, almendro silvestre, Carolina, jubilla 

 (Cuba) ; xac-chum (Mexico) ; willow bustic, bus- 

 tic, cassada (United States) ; bustic (commerce) ; 

 bustic, wild cassada, cassada- wood (Bahamas) ; 

 white bulletwood (Jamaica) ; sweetwood (Bar- 

 buda) ; bully-tree (Barbados) ; chachiga, mijico 

 (British Honduras) ; acomat rouge, sapotillier 

 marron (Haiti); acomat batard (Guadeloupe). 



Two other species of this genus are native only 

 in mountain forests of Puerto Rico. Tabloncillo 

 (Dipholis heUonis Urban) is a rare large tree 

 known only from the Central Cordillera. It has 

 ovate leaves 3— 4i/^ inches long, long-pointed at 

 apex, and larger black berries 3^ inch long. 



Espejuelo (Dipholis cuhensis (Griseb.) Pierre; 

 synonym D. sintenisiana Pierre), of the central 

 and western mountains, has usually smaller obo- 

 vate leaves I-21/2 inches long with usually rounded 

 apex, and oblong greenish berries % inch long. 



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