BORAGE FAMILY (BORAGINACEAE) 



224. Moral, white manjack 



Tliis medium-sized tree of moist areas is easily 

 recoijnized by its open spreading crown of a few 

 widely forkinfi and often nearly horizontal 

 branches witii large, rough hairy leaves, whicli are 

 ovate to elliptic to nearly round, mostly 9-12 in- 

 ches long and 5-8 inches wide and usually spaced 

 apart on lateral branches forking at broad angles. 

 Other distinguishing characteristics are the much- 

 branclied flattened clustei-s of numerous small 

 whitish flowers 1/4 inch long with tubular 5-lobed 

 corolla and the round whitish mucilaginous fruits 

 % inch in diameter. 



Deciduous tree 20-65 feet high and II/2 feet or 

 more in trunk diameter. The bark is smooth and 

 gray, becoming furrowed on large trunks. Inner 

 bark is light brown, slightly astringent. The 

 twigs are finely hairy, green but becoming gray, 

 slightly furrowed when young, as the scientific 

 name suggests. 



The alternate leaves have short stout petioles 

 1/4-1,4 inch long. Blades are short-pointed to 

 rounded at apex and rounded or slightly heart- 

 shaped at base, the edges inconspicuously saw- 

 toothed or without teeth, slightly thickened, green 

 to dark green, rough and finely hairy on upper sur- 

 face, and paler and finely soft hairy on lower sur- 

 face. 



Flower clusters (panicles) are 4—6 inches high 

 and 4-10 inches broad, terminal but becoming lat- 

 eral at the base of 2 forking twigs. There are 

 numerous fragrant small flowers 14 inch long and 

 %6 i'lch across, stalkless. Calyx is tubular, 3-5- 

 toothed, green, and minutely hairy; the white co- 

 rolla has a tube and 5 shorter lobes turned back; 

 5 stamens are inserted on the corolla tube: and the 



Cordia sulcata DC. 



pistil has an orange 4-celled ovaiy with style twice 

 forked. 



The fruits (drupes) containing sticky flesh and 

 a large irregular-shaped stone are produced in 

 abundance. Flowering from late spring to fall 

 and with mature fruits nearly through the year. 



The wood is light brown, soft, moderately light- 

 weight (specific gravity 0.6), and easily worked 

 but not durable. In use classed as roundwood. 

 Elsewhere the wood has sometimes served for 

 cooperage. 



The trees have been planted along highways for 

 shade and ornament. 



Common and widespread in moist forests at all 

 elevations in Puerto Rico. It is characteristic of 

 openings and second-growth forests and probably 

 is light-requiring. Also in Vieques, St. Thomas, 

 St. John, and Tortola. Reported long ago from 

 St. Croix. 



Public forests. — Cambalache, Carite, Guaja- 

 taca, Luquillo, Maricao, Rio Abajo, Susua, Tore 

 Negro. 



Municipalities where especially common. — 1, 

 29, 42, 50, 51, 59, 64, 68. 



Range. — Greater Antilles, Virgin Islands, and 

 Lesser Antilles from Saba to St. Vincent and 

 Barbados. 



Other common names. — moral de paz (Puerto 

 Rico) ; mucilage manjack (Virgin Islands) ; ateje 

 cimarron, ateje macho, palo tabaco (Cuba) ; man- 

 jack (Jamaica, St. Kitts, Nevis, St. Vincent) ; 

 bois bre (Dominica) ; wild clammy-cherry (Bar- 

 bados) ; laylay, mapou, haii-y laylay, bois laylay 

 (Trinidad); paresol (Haiti); grand mapou, 

 mahot grandes feuilles, mapou (Guadeloupe) ; 

 manjack (Dutch West Indies). 



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