VERBENA FAMILY (VERBENACEAE) 



228. Capa bianco 



A small to inedium-sized tree characterized by: 

 (1) the crown usually having a gi'ayish color; (2) 

 opposite long-stalked elliptic leaves with rough 

 surfaces, green and almost hairless on upper sur- 

 face, the lower surface pale yellow green and 

 covered with minute scales and hairs and with 

 prominent veins; (3) twigs 4-angled, finely hairy, 

 green but becoming brown; (-1:) numerous small 

 white flowers about i/g inch long and broad, with 

 tubular 4-lobed corollas, borne in long-stalked 

 lateral branched clusters and forming round juicy 

 fruits about ^iq inch in diameter, turning from 

 green to red to black; and (5) gray bark slightly 

 shreddy and separating into strips. 



A tree 20-70 feet high and 1 foot or more in 

 trunk diameter, with spreading open crown, ever- 

 green or nearly so. The rough fissured bark has 

 brown and tasteless inner bark. The young twigs, 

 petioles, and flower stalks are minutely hairy. 



Petioles are l-2i^ inches long and blades 3-6 

 inches long and 11,4-3 inches broad, short-pointed 

 at apex and rounded or short-pointed at base, 

 slightly thickened, and without teeth on edges. 



Flower clusters (panicles) are 2-6 inches long, 

 including the long stalks, and bear many minutely 

 hairy, slightly fragrant flowers. Calyx is bell- 

 shaped, 4-toothecl; the white tubular corolla with 

 4 spreading lobes; stamens 4, minute, borne near 

 mouth of corolla tube; and pistil with 2-celled 

 ovary, slender style, and 2-lobed stigma. The 

 fruits (drupes) are 1-seeded. Flowering and 

 fruiting through the year. 



The light brown sapwood is not clearly sep- 

 arated from the very attractive light brown to 

 medium brown heartwood, which frequently is 

 variegated or marked by darker stripes. The 

 wood is vei-y hard, heavy (specific gravity 0.66), 

 tough, strong, fine-textured, with straight, wavy, 



Petitia domingensis Jacq. 



or interlocked grain, and without growth rings. 

 It is susceptible or moderately resistant to attack 

 by dry-wood termites and moderately durable in 

 contact with the ground. The rate of air-season- 

 ing is rapid, and the amount of degrade moderate. 

 Machining characteristics are as follows: planing 

 is fair; shaping, sanding, and resistance to screw 

 splitting are good; and turning, boring, and mor- 

 tising are excellent. 



Uses include furniture, light and heavy con- 

 struction, posts and piling, crossties, and rollers 

 for cort'ee-hulling mills. The wood is suitable also 

 for cabinetmaking, turned articles, novelty items, 

 interior paneling, farm implements, handles, and 

 bridges. 



On hillsides, thickets and woods, in the coastal, 

 limestone, and lower mountain regions of Puerto 

 Rico. Also reported long ago from St. Croix and 

 St. Thomas. 



This species is characteristic of openings in sec- 

 ond-growth forests and probably is light-requir- 

 ing. It is being tested in small plantations in 

 Puerto Rico. The flowers attract bees. 



Public forests. — Cambalache, Carite, Guaja- 

 taca, Luquillo, Maricao, Rio Abajo, Susiia, Toro 

 Negro. 



Municipalities where especially common. — 

 32,34,38,46,47,49,69. 



Range. — Bahamas, Cuba, Cayman Islands, Ja- 

 maica, Hispaniola, and Puerto Rico. Also planted 

 in southern Florida. 



Other common names. — capa amarillo, capa 

 rosado, capa de sabana (Puerto Rico) ; capa de 

 sabana. capa sabanero, capa bianco (Dominican 

 Republic); roble guayo, guayo prieto (Cuba); 

 petitia, bastard stopper (Bahamas) ; fiddlewood 

 (Jamaica) ; boisd'ortie, chene calebassier (Haiti). 



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