SAPODILLA FAMILY (SAPOTACEAE) 



211. Caimitillo 



A tree of mountain forests distinguished by the 

 beautiful bronze or reddish-brown, finely silky 

 hairy lower surfaces of the elliptic leaves, which 

 are 1V2~3V2 inches long and 1-2 inches broad, and 

 abruptly short-pointed at the apex. Other char- 

 acteristics are : ( 1 ) small, bronze and greenish cup- 

 shaped flowers about 14 inch long and broad, borne 

 laterally; (2) elliptic berries %-13^ inches long 

 and % inch or less in thickness; and (3) a small 

 amount of milky sap. 



Medium-sized evergreen tree 30-60 feet in 

 height and 2 feet in trunk diameter, with erect 

 trunk and narrow dense crown of dark green 

 foliage. The gray bark is smoothish. Inner bark 

 is pinkish, tasteless or bitter. Twigs are bronze 

 hairy when young, becoming dark gray and hair- 

 less. 



The alternate leaves have bronze hairy petioles 

 14-% inch long. Blades are short-pointed at base, 

 thick and leathery, the upper surface dark green, 

 hairless or nearly so, and slightly shiny, and the 

 lower surface sometimes in age also nearly hair- 

 less. 



The inconspicuous flowers are attached on 

 bronze hairy stalks about i/i inch long, usually 1-3 

 (sometimes to 8) at the base of a leaf or on twig 

 back of leaves. There are 5 bronze hairy sepals 

 Yg inch long ; the yellowish-green corolla with tube 

 and 5 short, rounded spreading lobes 14 i'^^h 

 across; 5 small stamens on the corolla tube op- 

 posite the lobes and 1 short appendage (stami- 

 node) between each 2 lobes; and pistil with hairy 

 5-celled ovary and sliort style. One large elliptic 

 brown seed is contained in the flesliy fruit. Flow- 

 ering and fruiting nearly through the year. 



The heartwood is uniform light yellowish bi-own 

 and not readily separated from the lighter brown 



Micropholis chrysophylloides Pierre 



sapwood. The wood is hard, heavy (specific grav- 

 ity 0.68), strong, tough, fine-textured, straight- 

 grained, and with indistinct growth rings. It is 

 susceptible to attack by dry-wood termites. The 

 rate of air-seasoning is rapid, and the amount of 

 degrade is minor. Machining characteristics are 

 as follows: planing, turning, and mortising are 

 good ; shaping and boring are excellent ; and sand- 

 ing and resistance to screw splitting are fair. 

 Sawing and machining ai'e moderately difficult 

 because silica in the wood dulls the saw teeth and 

 cutting edges. However, the wood takes a high 

 polish. 



The wood is used sometimes for construction. It 

 is suitable for furniture, cabinetwork, interior 

 trim, flooring, paddles, farm implements, tool han- 

 dles, veneer, plywood, and general carpentiy. 



In the forests of the upper mountains of Puerto 

 Rico, widely distributed from east to west. 



Public forests. — Carite, Guilarte, Luquillo, 

 Maricao, Toro Negi'O. 



Municipalities where especially common. — 

 1, 17, 19, 27, 35, 45, 52, 54, 62. 



Range. — Puerto Rico and Lesser Antilles from 

 St. Kitts to Grenada. 



Other common names. — mesa, leche prieta 

 (Puerto Rico) ; pan mango (Nevis) ; wild mango 

 (INIontserrat) ; caimite (Dominica) ; feuille doree 

 (St. Lucia) ; wild star-apple (St. Vincent) ; bois 

 (Grenada) ; caimitier bois (Guadeloupe, Marti- 

 nique). 



Botanical synonyms. — Micropholh curvata 

 (Pierre) Urban, M. partoricensis Pierre var. cur- 

 vata Pierre, Pouteria chrysophylloides (Pierre) 

 Stehle. 



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