DOGBANE FAMILY (APOCYNACEAE) 



Key to the 3 species illustrated (Nos. 217-219) 

 A. Leaves alternate. 



B. Leaves narrowly lance-shaped, long-pointed, with edges turned under, the lower surface densely white hairy ; 

 fiowers white — 217. Pliimeria alha. 

 BB. Leaves elliptic, short-pointe<l, edges not turned under, lower surface often hairy; flowers red, yellow, or 

 white — 218. Pltimeria rubra.* 

 AA. Leaves whorled, 4 of unequal size at a node— 219. Rauvolfia nitida. 



217. Aleli, milktree 



This attractive wild tree, with milky juice or 

 white latex whicli runs abundantly from cut parts, 

 is easily distinguished by: (1) its peculiar shape 

 witliout a crown of foliage but with a few stout 

 soft and brittle brandies ending in clusters of 

 crowded .spreading leaves; (2) tiie long narrow 

 lance-shaped leaves 6-15 inches long and %-2 

 inches broad, shiny green on upper surface and 

 densely and minutely white hairy beneath; (3) the 

 clusters of sliowy and very fragrant, tubular and 

 spreading, waxy, white flowers 1 1/2-2 inches long 

 and broad, with 5 overlapping elliptic corolla 

 lobes; and (4) the paired brown pods 4-6 inches 

 long and about i/o inch in diameter. 



A small evergreen tree to 10-15 feet or more in 

 height and 4 inches in trunk diameter or .shrubby, 

 witii bare branches. The smoothish bark is brown- 

 ish gray. Inner bark is orange, slightly bitter, 

 when cut yielding much latex, which reportedly is 

 poisonous. Tlie twigs ^0-% i"cb in diameter are 

 greenish, becoming brownish gray, and have nu- 

 merous nearly round leaf scars. 



The leaves are alternate on petioles %-lV2 

 inches long. Blades are long-pointed at both ends, 

 thick and leathery with edges turned under, and 

 with many lateral veins spreading out almost at 

 right angles from the midrib, hairless on upper 

 surface. 



A flower stalk 3-8 inches long, arising among 

 the leaves, bears several to many short-stalked 

 flowers in a compact, flattened cluster (cyme). 

 The small calyx is about i/g inch long, 5-lobed; 

 corolla with narrow tube and 5 widely spreading 

 lobes, waxy and white except for a yellow dot or 

 "eye'' at the base of each lobe; 5 small stamens 

 inserted near base of corolla tube; and pistil of 2 

 separate ovaries about Vs i»<-'h long, partly infer- 

 ior, with single short style. 



Each fruit consists of 2 brown pods (follicles), 

 long-pointed and widely spreading, containing 



Plumeria alba L. 



many flat winged seeds. Flowering and fruiting 

 throughout the year in Puerto Rico. 



The wood with light brown sapwood is hard, 

 heavy (specific gravity 0.8), and tough. A fuel- 

 wood in Puerto Rico but used also in carpentry 

 where the tree grows to sufficient size. 



This species apparently is not in cultivation 

 thougli it should be a hardy ornamental for dry 

 areas. The white-flowered aleli commonly grown 

 for ornament belongs instead to the related intro- 

 duced sjjecies, frangipani {Plumeria rubra L.*), 

 which typically has red blossoms. Wlaite-flowered 

 forms of the latter are distinguished by broader 

 elliptic leaves greenish beneath and by more nu- 

 merous larger blossoms. 



Coastal thickets and limestone forests at low 

 elevations and ascending in the western mountains 

 of Puerto Rico. Also Muertos, Icacos, Culebra, 

 Vieques, St. Croix, St. Thomas, St. John, Tortola, 

 Virgin Gorda, and Anegada. 



Public forests. — Cambalache, Guanica, Ma- 

 ricao, Susua. 



Range. — Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands and 

 throughout Lesser Antilles from Anguilla to 

 Grenada. 



Other common names. — aleli bianco, alelaila 

 (Puerto Rico) ; milky -bush (Virgin Islands) ; 

 jasmine (Barbuda) ; frangipanier sauvage (Gua- 

 deloupe) ; white frangepane, pigeonwood (Dutch 

 AVest Indies). 



The generic name honoring the French botanist 

 Charles Plumier is spelled also Plumiera and 

 Plumieria. 



Aleli cimarron (Plumerm ohtusa L. ; synonyms 

 P. knigii Urban, P. portoricensis Urban) is a re- 

 lated species of di"y areas of western Puerto Rico 

 and Mona and west to Cuba and Bahamas. This 

 small tree has oblong leaves 21^-8 inches long, 

 rounded or notched at apex. 



460 



