MYRSINE FAMILY (MYRSINACEAE) 



203. Mantequero 



This common small tree is distinguished by : (1) 

 lance-shaped shiny green leaves numerous and 

 crowded near ends of twigs, with minute gland 

 dots on both sides; (2) long slender twigs, I'usty- 

 brown hairy, greenish near apex but becoming 

 brown; (3) many inconspicuous small yellow- 

 green flowers almost stalkless in scaly lateral clus- 

 ters mostly back of leaves; and (4) numerous 

 round black fruits Vs inch or more in diameter, 

 almost stalkless and crowded along the twigs for 

 a few inches. 



Small evergreen tree 15-30 feet high and 3-6 

 inches in trunk diameter, with ei"ect crown. The 

 bark is smooth or slightly fissured, thin, and gray. 

 Inner bark is whitish or light brown, tasteless or 

 slightly astringent, with sticky sap. 



Leaves are altei-nate but close together, with 

 finely hairy petioles Vi-^,4 i"*"!! long. Blades are 

 11/2-4 incites long and V2-I inch broad, widest at 

 middle or a little beyond, short-pointed at apex 

 and tapering to the long-pointed base, slightly 

 thickened, and with edges turned under. The 

 lower surface is paler and usually slightly hairy. 



The spreading flowers about tg inch across are 

 male and female on different trees or some flowei'S 

 bisexual (polygamo-dioecious). Calyx is deeply 

 5-lobed; the spreading corolla has 5 narrow, 

 pointed lobes, yellow green with pink dots ; 5 stalk- 

 less stamens on the corolla and opposite the lobes; 



Rapanea ferruginea (Ruiz & Pav.) Mez 



and pistil composed of 1-celled ovary with short, 

 lobecl stigma. 



The berries change color from green to red to 

 black at maturity and contain purplish flesh and 

 1 round brown seed less than Yg inch long. Flower- 

 ing and fruiting nearly through the year. 



The whitish sapwood, characterized by promi- 

 nent white rays, is hard and heavy (specific grav- 

 ity 0.7). The wood is used chiefly for fenceposts. 



In open moist forests in Puerto Rico from near 

 sea level almost to the summit of Cerro Pimta, 

 above 4,000 feet in altitude. Characteristic of 

 openings, clearings, and edges of forests and prob- 

 ably light requiring. 



Public forests. — Carite, Guilarte, Luquillo, 

 Maricao, Toro Negro. 



Range. — Greater Antilles and throughout 

 Lesser Antilles from Saba and St. Kitts to Gren- 

 ada. Also from Mexico and Central America to 

 Argentina, Uruguay, and Brazil. 



Other common names. — arrayan, arrayan bobo, 

 biidula (Puerto Rico) ; hojita larga, palo de sabana 

 (Dominican Republic) ; camagiiilla (Cuba) ; ama- 

 tillo (El Salvador) ; manglillo (Panama) ; espa- 

 dero (Colombia) ; manteco, manteco bianco, man- 

 tequero, mantequito (Venezuela) ; canelon-puita 

 (Argentina) ; bois plomb, bois savanne (Haiti) ; 

 azeitona brava, azeitona do matto (Brazil). 



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