BIGNONIA FAMILY (BIGNONIACEAE) 



236. Roble bianco, "white-cedar" 



This valiuil>le timber tree, is distinguished by: 

 (1) beautiful masses of showy pink tubuhir 5- 

 lobed flowers 2-3i/^ inches long, covering the tree 

 in spring and making it stand out as an attractive 

 feature of the landscape; (2) opposite palmate 

 leaves with 5 or fewer (sometimes only 1) unequal 

 elliptic or oblanceolate leaflets; and (3) dark 

 brown cigarlike pods 3-8 inches long and y^ inch 

 in diameter. 



Roble bianco is a small to medium-sized, mostly 

 deciduous ti-ee attaining 60 feet in height and fi/) 

 feet in diameter, with an erect axis and narrow 

 columnar crown. The bark is rough and furrowed, 

 gray to brown, about i/4~% ii^^^li thick. Inner bark 

 is light brown and slightly bitter. Twigs are 

 green, turning to brown, covered with tiny brown 

 dotlike scales, with large nearly round leaf seal's. 



The leaves typically are 6-12 inches long, includ- 

 ing the petioles 2-5 inches long and leaflets witli 

 slender stalks about i^-l inch long and blades 2-6 

 inches long and 1-21^4 inches wide. However, in 

 dry areas the leaves are .smaller, only IV^-S inches 

 long, including the petioles 1/4-11/4 inches long and 

 the short -stalked or stalkless leaflets only %-S 

 inches long and as few as 1. Leaflets are mostly 

 broadest beyond middle and commonly blunt- 

 pointed at apex and base, the edges without teeth 

 and sometimes slightly turned under, slightly 

 thickened, hairless except for tiny brown dotlike 

 scales, green and slightly shiny on upper surface 

 and paler beneath. 



The large flowers are abundant over the crown, 

 few to several together in terminal and lateral 

 clusters (corymbs or panicles) or sometimes single 

 on slender stalks i/4-l inch long. Calyx tubulai-, 

 %-l^ inch long, 3-5-toothed, covei'ed with dot- 

 like scales; the tubular corolla funnel-shaped, 

 2-31/4 inches long with 5 slightly unequal broad 

 lobes l%-3 inches across, deep pink or sometimes 

 varying from whitish to purplish; stamens 4, in 2 

 pairs of ditferent lengths inserted on the corolla; 

 and pistil on a disk, with 2-celled ovary, slender 

 style, and 2-lobed stigma. 



The pod (capsule) splits along 2 lines to shed 

 the numerous thin light brown seeds i/4-l inch 

 long with 2 white wings. The fresh seeds average 

 about 21,000 to the pound. Flowering mainly in 

 early spring but also sporadically through the 

 year, and with mature fruits over the year. 



The heartwood is light brown with grayish or 

 golden hue and fine brown lines, not easily sepa- 

 rated from the similar sapwood. The wood is 

 moderately hard, moderately heavy (specific grav- 

 ity 0.58), tough, strong, with medium to coarse 

 texture, with straight to interlocked grain, and 

 growth rings. The rate of air-seasoning is rapid, 

 and amount of degrade is moderate. Machining 

 characteristics are as follows : planing and resist- 



498 



Tabebuia heterophylla (DC.) Britton 



ance to screw splitting are fair; shaping, boring, 

 inortising, and sanding are excellent ; and turning 

 is good. The wood takes a high polish. It is mod- 

 erately dural)le in contact with the ground but 

 very susceptible to attack by dry-wood termites. 



The wood is important in Puerto Rico, classed as 

 construction timber, although now cut chiefly for 

 posts and poles. Other uses mostly elsewhere are 

 furniture, cabinetwork, interior trim, face veneer, 

 flooring, paneling, boatbuilding, and ox yokes. 



Extensively planted on the more humid public 

 forest lands because of its adaptability to soils de- 

 graded by farming. The abundant small trees 

 found in many areas may in good weather be 

 pulled up and successfully reestablished by plant- 

 ing elsewhere. Classed also as a honey plant. 



Because of the numerous large pink flowers 

 which cover the tree, often when nearly leafless, 

 and which form a carpet on the ground upon fall- 

 ing, the trees are popidar for ornament and shade. 

 Unfortunately, some trees in Puerto Rico have 

 been deformed by a witches'-broom disease. Also, 

 in long dry jjeriods, leafhoppers feed on these 

 trees, defoliating them or causing the leaves to 

 turn yellow. Consequently, some authorities have 

 suggested that planting of this species for orna- 

 ment be discontmued and have recommended the 

 substitution of immune introduced species of the 

 same genus. 



Widespread in forests, abandoned pastures, sec- 

 ondary forests, forest plantations, and along road- 

 sides and city streets throughout Puerto Rico, with 

 the exception of the upper Luquillo and upper 

 Cordillera forest regions. Also in Mona, Caja de 

 Muertos, Culebra, Vieques, St. Croix, St. Thomas, 

 St. John, Tortola, Virgin Gorda, and Anegada. 



Public forests. — Aguirre, Cambalache, Carite, 

 Guajataca, Guanica, Guilarte, Luquillo, Maricao, 

 Rio Abajo, Susiia, Toro Xegro, Vega. 



MUNICIP.VLITIES WHERE ESPECIALLY COMMON. — 



13, 17, 20, 24, 26, 28, 29, 31, 32, 47, 50, 53, 58, 59, 

 68,74. 



R.\NGE. — Hispaniola, Puerto Rico and Virgin 

 Islands, and throughout Lesser Antilles to Gre- 

 nada and Barbados. Also naturalized in Ber- 

 muda and planted in southern Florida. 



Other common names. — roble, roble de yugo, 

 roble prieto, prieto. roble de costa (Puerto Rico) ; 

 pink man jack, pink-c«dar, tooshe- flower (Virgin 

 Islands) ; roble bianco (Spanish) ; roble (com- 

 merce) ; pink trumpet-tree (United States) ; 

 white-cedar (Bermuda, St. Kitts to Grenada) ; 

 poirier (St. Lucia); whitewood (Barbados); 

 poirier gris, poirier rouge, poirier blanc (Guade- 

 loupe, French). 



Botanical synonyms.— T'aJe^MM! pentaphylla 

 auth., not (L.) Hemsl., T. pallida (Lindl.) Miers, 

 T. pallida subsp. heterophylla (DC.) Stehle, T. 



