BIGNONIA FAMILY (BIGNONIACEAE) 



235. Roble cimarron 



This handsome small tree native only of Puerto 

 Rico is characterized by: (1) opposite, digitate or 

 palmately compound leaves with 5 or 3 elliptic 

 stiff and leathery leaflets and stout petioles; (2) 

 showy, dark red or crimson flowers 11/4-2 inches 

 long, narrowly tubular and irregidarly 5-lobed, 

 several to many in erect terminal clustere; and 

 (3) narrow grooved seed pod 2iy4— 4 inches long 

 and less than 14 i'ld^ in diameter. 



Usually a small tree 10-20 feet tall or often 

 flowering as a shrub, evergreen. The gray bark is 

 smoothish and slightly Assured, the inner bark 

 whitish and slightly bitter. The light gray twigs 

 are slightly flattened below nodes. 



The leaves have petioles 1-2 inches long and 

 leaflet stalks %-l inch long. Leaflet blades are 

 2-6 inches long and V2-1V^ inches broad, when 5 

 the lowest 2 much smaller than the others and 

 nearly stalkless, the apex short-pointed or rounded 

 and base rounded or slightly heart-shaped, with 

 edges turned under slightly, hairless or minutely 

 scaly hairy, the upper surface green and slightly 

 shiny, and lower surface paler. 



Flower clusters (panicles) have several to many 

 flowei-s on slender spreading branches 3-6 inches 

 long and broad. The tubular dark red calyx %- 

 % inch long has 2 or more short and unequal 



Tabebuia haemantha (Bert.) DC. 



rounded lobes at apex ; the dark red or crimson co- 

 rolla is 11^-2 inches long with long narrow tube 

 and % inch or more across the 5 short irregular 

 lobes; there are 4 stamens in 2 pairs inserted near 

 base of corolla with the long slender filaments pro- 

 jecting beyond; and pistil on a disk with conical 

 2-celled ovary, slender style as long as corolla, and 

 stigma with 2 flattened lobes. 



The seed pod (capsule) retains the calyx at 

 base and bears many 2-winged seeds % inch long. 

 Probably flowering and fruiting nearly through 

 the year. 



The light brown, hard wood is little used be- 

 cause of the small size of the tree. 



Perhaps of ornamental value for the showy 

 flowers, from which the spe<'ific name, meaning 

 blood flower, was derived. N. L. Britton called 

 this one of the most elegant of the endemic species 

 of Puerto Rico. 



In di-y forests and thickets in the southern foot- 

 hills rising into the lower mountain region on the 

 south slopes of the west end of the Central Cor- 

 dillera of Puerto Rico. 



Public forests. — Maricao, Susua. 



Range. — Known only from Puerto Rico. 



Other common name. — roble Colorado (Puerto 

 Rico). 



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