LEGUME FAMILY (LEGUMINOSAE) 



MIMOSA SUBFAMILY (MIMOSOIDEAE; MIMOSACEAE) 



68. Guama americano, guamuchil 



This introduced tree, planted for shade and 

 ornament along highways and streets and around 

 houses is distinguished by: (1) usually a pair of 

 slender sliarp spines (stipules) 1/16-% '"^h long 

 at base of each leaf or sometimes spineless; (2) 

 twice pinnate leaves (bipinnate) with 2 lateral 

 axes, each with 2 nearly stalkless oblong or ovate 

 leaflets; (3) small creamy white flowers in many 

 small ball-like heads % inch across in slender 

 di'ooping terminal or lateral axes; and (-4) curved 

 or coiled pink to brown pods 4-5 inches long, nar- 

 rowed between the seeds, and splitting open on 

 both sides to loosen several shiny black seeds 

 mostly covered by pink or whitish pulp, which is 

 edible. 



A small to medium-sized tree SO-HO feet in 

 height and 1-2 feet in trunk diameter, or shrubby, 

 with trunk and branches often crooked, and broad 

 spreading crown. Nearly evergreen but shedding 

 the old leaves as new ones appear. The bark is 

 light gray, smoothish, becoming slightly rough 

 and furrowed. The thick inner bark is light 

 brown and bitter or astringent. Twigs are slender 

 and droojiing, greenish and slightly hairy when 

 young, becoming gray, covered with many small 

 whitish dots (lenticels). 



The alternate leaves have a very slender green 

 petiole V^-iyo inches long with minute round gland 

 near apex and the 2 lateral axes (pinnae) only 

 y^-Vi inch long. The 4 thin or slightly thickened 

 leaflets are 1/0-2 inches long and %6~% inch wide, 

 rounded at apex, the oblique base rounded or 

 short-pointed, not toothed on edges, hairy or hair- 

 less, dull iiale green above and light green beneath. 

 Xew growth is ])ink or i-eddish. 



The flower clusters (heads) are short-stalked, 

 each covered with whitish hairs and composed of 

 about 20-30 densely hairy flowers. The flower has 

 a tubular hairy Ti-toothed calyx about Vie inch 

 long, a funnel-shaped tubular hairy 5-toothed 

 corolla about i/g inch long, about 50 spreading long 

 threadlike stamens united into a short tube at base, 

 and pistil with hairy ovary and threadlike style. 



The pod is %-% inch wide, slightly flattened, 

 and inconspicuously hairy. The flattened seeds 

 (4.000 to a pound) are about % inch long and 

 hang down inside the pulpy mass (aril) as much 

 as 34 inch long. Recorded as flowering from Jan- 

 uary to May and in fruit from February to July. 



Sapwood is yellowish, and heartwood yellowish 

 or reddish brown. The wood is moderately soft. 



Pithcellobium dulce (Roxb.) Benth.* 



heavy, strong, and durable. It takes a high polish 

 but is brittle and not easily M-orked. 



In Puerto Rico the wood is used only for posts 

 and fuel, but elsewhere it is employed for general 

 construction. The bark, which contains about 25 

 percent tannin, is harvested in Mexico. It also 

 yields a yellow dye and is an ingredient in home 

 remedies. A mucilage can be made by dissolving 

 in water the transparent deep reddish-brown gum 

 which exudes from the trunk. 



This attractive species makes a good highway 

 and street tree, especially in dry areas, growing 

 rapidly and enduring drought, heat, and shade. 

 It withstands close browsing and pruning and is 

 suitable for fences and hedges also. Formerly it 

 was a popular .street tree in southern Florida, 

 where it was susceptible to hurricane damage and 

 did not recover well. 



The thick, pink, sweetish acid pulp around the 

 seeds can be eaten or prepared into a drink like 

 lemonade. Livestock and wild animals browse on 

 the pods under the trees. Also a honey plant. 



Along roads and in towns throughout Puerto 

 Rico. Introduced also into St. Croix. 



Range. — Mexico (Lower California, Sonora, 

 and Chihuahua southward) through Central 

 America to Colombia and Venezuela. Introduced 

 in southern Florida, Cuba, Jamaica. Puerto Rico, 

 and St. Croix. Widely planted and naturalized 

 in tropical regions, including the Old World. 



Other common names. — guamuche (Mexico, 

 commerce) ; inga dulce (Cuba) ; guamuchil (Mex- 

 ico) ; jaguay, shahuay. madre de flecha (Guate- 

 mala) ; mongoUano, guachimol, espino, guayacan 

 bianco (El Salvador) ; mochigiiiste (Costa Rica) ; 

 gallinero, chininango, tiraco, chancan (Colombia) ; 

 yacure, guamo bianco, guamacho (Venezuela) ; 

 blackhead, apes-earring (United States) ; guamu- 

 chil. Manila-tamarind, Madras-thorn (English) ; 

 bread-and-cheese (British Guiana). 



This species was named and described botan- 

 ically in 1795 from Coromandel, India, where it 

 had been introduced. The specific name, meaning 

 sweet, doubtless refers to the edible seed pulp. 



A related native shrub or small tree of coastal 

 thickets is una de gato or catclaw blackhead 

 {Fifhecellobium ungim-cafi (L.) Benth.), known 

 also as rolon, escambron Colorado, and catclaw. 

 This species with yellowish or pinkish flowers is 

 native from southern Florida to northern South 

 America. 



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