MADDER FAMILY (RUBIACEAE) 



247. Tintillo, box-briar 



A spiny shrub or small tree, mostly of dry areas, 

 characterized by : (1) long, slender, still', horizon- 

 tal branches with 4 rows of many paired short lat- 

 eral twigs %-2 inches long, usually ending in a 

 pair of widely forking gray spines 1/4-% inch long ; 

 (2) leaves varying in shape from elliptic to nearly 

 round to spoon-shaped (spatulate), %-l% inches 

 long and Vi-l inch broad, almost stalkless, op- 

 posite or clustered; (3) fragrant white flowers 14 

 inch long, with short tube and 5 broad flat corolla 

 lobes % inch across, single and stalkless on twigs ; 

 and (4) rounded ben-ies V4~V2 inch in diameter 

 with calyx remaining at apex, green turning to 

 white at maturity. 



Deciduous shrub 5-10 feet high or small tree 

 to 20 feet tall and 3 inches in trunk diameter, with 

 erect axis and thin crown of many nearly hori- 

 zontal spiny branches. The bark is gray and 

 smoothisli or slightly fissured. Inner bark is light 

 brown, slightly gritty and tasteless. 



The leaves are opposite or often clustered 4 to- 

 gether at end of a short lateral twig, almost stalk- 

 less or with short petioles to % inch long and 

 brown scales (stipules) 1/1 g inch long at base. 

 Blades are short-pointed at base, rounded at apex, 

 not toothed on edges, a little thickened, shiny 

 green above, and beneath light green and slightly 

 shiny. 



The solitary flowers appearing lateral along the 

 twigs actually are on very short spur or lateral 

 twigs about Vie inch long. The light green tubu- 

 lar base (hypanthium) about Vjg inch long en- 

 closes the inferior 2-celled ovary and bears a light 

 green calyx tube about 1/1 g inch long with 5 nar- 

 row calyx lobes Vig inch long. The white corolla 

 consists of a broad tube more than i/g inch long 

 and 5 elliptic lobes Yie inch long, hairy at throat. 

 At apex of tube are 5 stalkless light brown sta- 

 mens about Vie inch long, alternating with the 

 lobes. The pistil with inferior ovaiy has a whitish 

 style nearly 14 inch long and broader, 2-lobed 

 stigma. Flowers .sometimes are small and with 



Randia aculeate L. 



4-lobed corolla. A berry contains several rounded 

 seeds in blue or black pulp. Flowering and with 

 green fruits nearly through the year. 



The light brown wood is hard and heavy. Fish- 

 ing rods are made from the rigid stems in the 

 Virgin Islands. 



The names arbol de navidad and Christmas-tree 

 refer to use of the tree as a Christmas decoration. 

 A blue dye has been obtained from the berries, 

 the source of the common names tintillo and ink- 

 berry. It is reported that the fruits can be eaten 

 and also have been employed elsewhere in home 

 remedies. 



Thickets and open forests, mostly in dry areas, 

 in the coastal, limestone, and lower mountain re- 

 gions of Puerto Rico. Also in Mona, Icacos, 

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

 and Anegada. 



PtrBLic FORESTS. — Aguirre, Cambalache, Carite, 

 Guajataca, Guanica, Susua. 



Range. — Southern Florida including Florida 

 Keys, Bennuda, and throughout West Indies from 

 Bahamas and Cuba to Grenada and Barbados, 

 Trinidad and Tobago, and Bonaire and Curagao. 

 Also in Mexico, Central America, Colombia, and 

 Venezuela. 



Other common names. — escambron, cambron, 

 arbol de navidad, palo de navidad, palo de cotorra, 

 sota caballo (Puerto Rico); fishing-rod, Christ- 

 mas-tree, inkberry (Virgin Islands) ; resuelesuele 

 (Dominican Republic) ; cafe cimarron (Cuba) ; 

 espino cruz, crucete, crucilla, papachilla (Mexi- 

 co) ; crucito, tintero (El Salvador) ; cruceto, maiz 

 tostado, maria angola, corallero (Colombia) ; 

 cruceto (Venezuela) ; box-briar (Bermuda, Ba- 

 hamas, Jamaica) ; indigo-berry, inkberry, prickle- 

 bush (Jamaica) ; fishing-rod (Antigua) ; inkberry 

 (Barbados) ; peetsch-kitam (British Honduras) ; 

 croc-a-chien (Haiti) ; petit coco (St. Barthelemy, 

 Guadeloupe) ; raboe die kabasi, wakoera, leele 

 (Dutch West Indies). 



Botanical synonyms. — Randia miti^ L., R. 

 aculeata var. mitis (L.) Griseb. 



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