A shrub or small tree known as cerezas blancas 

 and white nianjack {('ordia dentata Poir. ; ('. alba 

 auth., ('(ilyptnieordhi idha auth.) is found in dry 

 forests of southwestern Puerto Rico, St. Croix, and 

 St. Thomas, throug;h the West Indies, and from 

 Mexico to Venezuela. It has elliptic leaves li/^- 

 414 inches lonw, coarsely toothed, rough hairy 

 above; terminal branched clusters of numerous 

 showy white Howers % inch across; and elliptic 

 whitish fruits about lA inch long. 



The '1 species below have very showy flowers 1- 

 114 inches long and broad, with tubular oi-ange 

 corolla. Anaconda or Geiger-tree {Cordia se- 

 bestena L.*; synonym Sebesten sebesterm (L.) 



Britton) is a popular planted ornamental along 

 roadsides of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands 

 but not native. It has ovate thick leaves 3i/^-8 

 inches long, often toothed on edges, long-pointed 

 at apex, rough on upper surface, and egg-shaped 

 pointed white fruit l-li/^ inches long. 



San Bartolome {Cord la rickseckeri Millsp.; 

 synonym Sebesten rickseckerl (Millsp.) Britton) 

 is a closely related small tree of coastal thickets 

 native only in Puerto Rico, Culebra, Vieques, St. 

 Thomas, and Tortola. It has elliptic leaves us- 

 ually very rough on upper surface, orange-red 

 corolla, and yellow or orange f iniit. 



BORAGE FAMILY (BORAGINACEAE) 



222. Muneco 



A small tree of wet forests mostly in mountains, 

 known only from Puerto Rico, distinguished by : 

 (1) erect axis with horizontal branching fre- 

 quently in 3's; (2) thick and leathery, mostly 

 large, elliptic or obovate, shiny green leaves witn 

 prominent network of many raised veins and vein- 

 lets on both sides; (3) small white flowers more 

 than 14 inch long and broad, with tubular 5-lobed 

 corolla, several to many in branched flat-topped 

 terminal clusters, male and female on ditferent 

 trees (dioecious) ; and (4) fleshy orange-red 

 rounded fruit % inch in diameter, broader than 

 long, and oblique and swollen on side. 



Usually about 20 feet tall and 5 inches in trunk 

 diameter but recorded as becoming larger, some- 

 times flowering when only 5 feet high, evergreen. 

 The gray bark is smooth with raised dots (lenti- 

 cels), whitish within, and tasteless. The stout 

 twigs are green and minutely hairy when young, 

 becoming brown. 



Leaves are alternate, with stout green petioles 

 1/4-1 inch long, grooved above, and minutely hairy. 

 Blades are 3-10 inches long and ly^-^Vo inches 

 broad, rounded or short-pointed at both ends, 

 green above and slightly lighter beneath, turning 

 dull yellow before falling. 



Flower clusters (panicles) are l-Si^ inches 

 broad and high, with slender curved nearly hori- 

 zontal branches bearing almost stalkless flowers. 



Cordia borinquensis Urban 



The bell-shaped tubular calyx about %6 inch long 

 is minutely hairy and has 5 pointed lobes, and the 

 tubular white corolla hairy inside has 5 rounded 

 lobes turning downward, becoming brown before 

 shedding. Male flowers have 5 stamens nearly i/g 

 inch long, hairy at base, protruding from corolla 

 tube, and a small pistil. Female flowers have 

 slightly larger calyx, shorter sterile stamens, and 

 larger pistil 14 indi long, with 4-celled ovary, 2 

 protruding styles, united below and each forked 

 above, ending in 4 flattened stigmas. 



The shiny fruits (drupes) are green, turning to 

 orange red at maturity, with greenish calyx re- 

 maining at base, broader tlian long, oblique and 

 swollen on 1 side, with remains of style slightly 

 on 1 side. Within the orange-red flesh is a brown 

 nutlet. Flowering and fruiting nearly through 

 the year. 



The whitish or light yellow wood is hard and 

 heavy (specific gravity 0.7). It is used for posts 

 and tool handles. 



An understory tree in the mountain forests of 

 Puerto Rico. 



Public forests. — Carite, Luquillo, Maricao, To- 

 ro Negro. 



Range. — Puerto Rico only. 



Other common names. — capa, capa cimarron 

 (Puerto Rico). 



470 



