ELM FAMILY (ULMACEAE) 



Key to the 2 si>ecies illustratecl (Nos. 15 and 16) 



A. Leaves less than 2 inches long, short-pointed, rough hairy on both surfaces — 15. Trema lamarckiana. 

 AA. Leaves 3i/i-6 inches long, long-pointed, rough hairy above, soft hairy on veins beneath — 16. Trema micrantha. 



15. Palo de cabrilla, West Indies trema 



This shrub or small tree of openings in dry areas 

 is characterized by: (1) a thin, very spreading 

 crown of horizontal or slightly drooping branches; 

 (2) small, lance-shaped leaves usually less than 2 

 inches long, rough and hairy on both sides, thick 

 and with the finely saw-toothed edges tm-ned 

 under, with 3 main veins at base, and with network 

 of veins sunken on upper surface and raised on 

 lower surface ; (3) the leaves in a flat ari-angement 

 in 2 rows; and (4) many small greenish flowers 

 and pink fruits Vs '"cl^ i'l diameter clustered at 

 bases of leaves. 



An evergreen shrub or ti'ee to 20 feet in height 

 and 10 inches in trunk diameter. The smoothish 

 light brown bark has many tiny warty dots (lenti- 

 cels) and thin fissures. Inner bark is light brown 

 or pinkish, fibrous, and slightly bitter. The slen- 

 der twigs, green wlien young and becoming brown, 

 are covered with minute, stiff, whitish hairs. 



The alternate leaves have short hairy petioles 



l/c 



14 iiich long. Leaf blades are mostly %-li/^ 



inches in length and ^4-^2 ^''^ch ni width, some- 

 times to 31/2 inches long and l^/t inches broad, usu- 

 ally short-pointed at apex, rounded or slightly 

 oblique at base, green above and light gi-een 

 beneath. 



Trema lamarckiana (Roem. & Schult.) Blume 



The hairy flower clusters (cymes) about % inch 

 across bear several short-stalked hairy flowers less 

 than Vs inch across, mostly male and female to- 

 gether (monoecious). Male flowers have 5 sepals, 

 5 stamens, and rudimentary pistil; female flowers 

 have 5 sepals and pistil composed of ovai-y with 2 

 stigmas. The fleshy fruits (drupes) contain 1 

 brown seed Vjg inch long. Flowering and fi'uiting 

 probably through most of the year. 



The liglit brown soft wood is seldom used in 

 Puerto Rico. 



In open areas along the edges of forests and 

 along roadsides in the southwestern part of the 

 lower Conlillera region of Puerto Rico. 



PuiiMc FORESTS. — Maricao, Susi'ia. 



Range. — Southern Florida including Florida 

 Keys, Bermuda, Bahamas, Greater Antilles, and 

 Lesser Antilles from Saba to St. Vincent. 



Other common names. — cabrilla (Puerto 

 Rico) ; jiiemizo de majagua, memizo cimarron, 

 majagua, memiso (Dominican Republic) ; capuli 

 cimarron, guasimilla (Cuba) ; West Indies trema 

 (United States) ; Lamarck trema, pain-in-back 

 (Bahamas) ; mahaut piment (Haiti) ; orme petites 

 feuilles (French West Indies). 



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