128. Millo 



SPURGE FAMILY (EUPHORBIACEAE) 



Phyllanthus nobilis (L. f.) Muell.-Arg. 



Millo is a small tree distineuislied by: (1) dark 

 brown twigs witJi numerous conspicuous, raised, 

 light brown, warty dots (lenticels), the alternate 

 leaves hanging down in 2 rows; (2) thin narrowly 

 elliptic leaves 2-5 inches long and ^A-l% inches 

 In-oad, short- or long-pointed at both ends, above 

 dull green or dark green and beneath pale whitish 

 green; (3) tiny 4-parted green flowei-s, male and 

 female on ditlerent trees (dioecious) in lateral 

 clusters scattered along the twig; and (4) green- 

 ish seed capsules %6 inch in diameter, rounded 

 but broader than long, with 5 or 4 peculiar narrow 

 2-forked styles remaining flattened on apex, 

 slightly fleshy but splitting into 5 or 4 dark blue 

 segments, each 2-seeded. 



A deciduous tree 25-40 feet high and to 8 inches 

 in tnmk diameter, with irregular spreading crown. 

 The bark is light gray, smoothish but becoming 

 slightly fissured and scaly, exposing the brown 

 bark beneath. Inner bark is pinkish and slightly 

 bitter. 



The leaves have short thin petioles V^-Vi mch 

 long and at base a pair of pointed scales (stipules) 

 i/i6 inch long. 



The male flowei-s less than Vs hich across are 

 borne on threadlike stalks about ^,\e-, inch long, 

 many clustered together at a node, consisting of 4 

 sepals less than i/ie inch long and 4 stamens of the 

 same length. The small but larger female flowers 

 have stalks 14-1/2 inch long, calyx nearly %& inch 

 across the 4 lobes which are turned downward, 

 and pistil of rounded 5- or 4-celled ovary i/jg i^ch 

 in diameter \\\i\\ 5 or 4 styles united at base, bent 

 downward, each with 2-forked stigma. The brown 

 seeds are Vg inch long. Flowering and fruiting 

 nearly thi-ough the year, chiefly in the spring and 

 early summer. Often flowering when leafless. 



The light brown sap wood is hard. Heart wood 

 is brownish, sometimes pinkish and heavy (spe- 

 cific sravity 0.9) . The wood is used only for posts 

 and fuel. 



"Widely distributed in thickets and the under- 

 story of forests in the coastal, moist limestone, and 

 lower mountain regions of Puerto Rico. Also in 

 St. Thomas, St. John, and Tortola, and recorded 

 from St. Croix. 



PrRLic FORESTS. — Cambalaclie, Guajataca, Lu- 

 fpiillo, Susna. 



Range. — Widely distrilnited in tropical Amer- 

 ica. Through West Indies in Cuba, Jamaica, His- 

 ]5aniola. Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands, Lesser 

 Antilles from Saba to Grenada, and Trinidad. 

 Also from Mexico to Ecuador, Peru, Brazil, Gui- 

 anas, and Venezuela. 



Other common names. — amortignado, palo de 

 millo, higuillo, avispillo, siete-cueros, yuquillo 

 (Puerto Rico) ; false gooseberry (Virgin Islands) ; 

 palo amargo (Dominican Republic) ; gnaicaje, 

 azulejo, lloron (Cuba) ; nistamal (El Salvador) ; 

 carillo (Nicaragua) ; pinturero, yayo (Colombia) ; 

 guarataro (Venezuela); chaquirillo (Ecuador); 

 ucariviro (Peru) ; bastard hog-ben-y (Jamaica) ; 

 clawberry, ramon macho (British Honduras) ; 

 mille branches, bois diable, acomat batard (Guade- 

 loupe) ; gooseberry (Dutch West Indies) ; boskof- 

 fie ( Surinam ) . 



Botanical synonyms. — Margarifaria nohilis 

 L. f., M. nohilis var. nntillana (A. Juss.) Stehle & 

 Quentin, FJu/Uanthus antillamis (A. Jus.s.) 

 Muell.-Arg., P. nobilix var. antillanus (A. Juss.) 

 Muell.-Arg. 



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