152 CONTRIBUTIONS FROM THE NATIONAL HERBARIUM. 



In littoral woods near Rio Grande, at La Estancia; near Ceiba; near Naguabo in 

 the woods at Guyacan; near Guanica in the woods of La Boca, at Barinas and at 

 La Plata. 



The strong wood of this tree is much used in the manufacture of household furniture. 



Local names cobana, polisandro. 



16. HYMENAEA L. 



Hymenaea L. Sp. PL 2: 1192. 1753. 

 Courbari Adans. Fam. 2: 317. 1763. 

 Tanroujou Juss. Gen. 351. 1789. 

 Courbaril Plum.; Endl. Gen. 1317. 1841. 



Calyx with thick, campanulate receptacle, its segments 4, imbricate; petals 5, 

 sessile, oblong or obovate, subequal or the posterior one often larger, glandular; 

 stamens 10, free, glabrous; anthers glandular; ovary subsessile; style filiform; stigma 

 terminal, small; legume obliquely obovate or oblong, thick and often almost terete, 

 coriaceous or subligneous, indehiscent; seeds few, exalbuminous, without aril. 

 Unarmed trees; leaves paripinnate; leaflets coriaceous, glandular-punctate; flowers 

 usually large, white, in paniculate racemes; bracts and bracteoles ovate or orbicu- 

 lar, concave, caducous. 



1. Hymenaea courbaril L. 



(Urban. 270.) 



Tree 10 to 20 meters high; leaves bifoliate; leaflets leathery, polished, falcate-ovate 

 or oblong, 6 to 10 cm. long, 2.5 to 4 cm. wide, shortly petiolate; flowers white, in 

 many-flowered terminal cymes; calyx segments ovate, obtuse, leathery, 15 mm. 

 long; petals nearly equal, as long as the calyx segments; legume ligneous, thick, 

 7.5 to 10 cm. long, 5 to 6 cm. wide, indehiscent, filled with mealy pulp. 



Near Bayamon; in the Sierra de Luquillo at Mavi; near Juncos in the woods of 

 Mount Santo de Leon; near Maunabo, at Emajagua; near Mayaguez; near Manati. 

 Cuba (Grisebach), Jamaica, St. Thomas, St. Croix, St. John (Eggers), St. Bartholo- 

 -mew (Stockholm Herbarium), Antigua (Grisebach), Gaudeloupe, Dominica, Mar- 

 tinique, St. Lucia (Grisebach), St. Vincent, Bequia (Kew Bull. no. 81, p. 249), Mus- 

 tique (do.), Brazil, Guiana, Colombia. 



From the trunk of Hymenaea courbaril (locust tree, quapinole, jutahy, jatahy, or 

 jatoba) a clear balsam drops to the ground, where it hardens. It is found in pieces 

 weighing sometimes several pounds. This resin is known as American copal, resina 

 copal, or courbaril, and is used by the Brazilian physicians and by the Indians as a 

 medicament. The red wood is hard and heavy and is known in trade as courbaril 

 wood. Among the Indians the sweetish pulp is a favorite food. They understand 

 how to polish the resin most beautifully, and they use it for all kinds of ornaments, 

 especially for the well-known lip decorations, tembeta (of the Amazon near Parana). 



Local name, algarrobo. 



17. TAMARINDUS L. 



Tamarindus L. Sp. PI. 1: 34. 1753. 



Calyx with a narrowly turbinate receptacle and 4 strongly imbricated membranous 

 segments; petals 3 (1 posterior, 2 lateral), oblong or obovate-oblong, subequal, shortly 

 clawed; 2 anterior petals minute, setaceous or squammiform; fertile stamens 3, the 

 anterior connate nearly half their length, alternating with minute or rudimentary 

 staminodia; ovary stipitate, multiovulate; style elongated; stigma terminal, truncate, 

 capitate; legume oblong or oblong-linear, thick, curved or nearly straight, compressed, 



a For illustration of fruit see Cook and Collins, pi 41, facing p. 164. 



