STANDLEY TEEES AND SHRUBS OF MEXICO. 215 



Tree, attainiiig a height of 20 meters or more, the trunk grayish, nearly 

 smooth ; leaves distichous, deciduous, short-petiolate, oblong or oval-oblong, 

 25 to 40 cm. long, cordate at the base, acuminate at the apex, copiously 

 pubescent; flowers monoecious, the 2 kinds on separate receptacles, the stam- 

 inate receptacles 2 to 2.5 cm. broad, bearing numerous flowers ; fruiting recep- 

 tacles 4 cm. or more in diameter, contorted, the fruits becoming fleshy and 

 brick-red. "Arbol del hule " ; " tarantaqua " (Michoacan, Leon); " hule " 

 (the rubber ; sometimes written " ule " ; derived from the Nahuatl olli or ollln) ; 

 " cuauchile." Robelo gives the Nahuatl names for the tree as " olcagiiite," 

 " ulcuagiiil," " olcuahuitl," and " ulcuahuitl." 



This is one of the best-known trees of Mexico, being the principal source 

 of commercial rubber in Mexico and Central America. The rubber is obtained 

 from either wild or cultivated trees. The Costilla grows wild chiefly in the 

 states of Chiapas, Tabasco, Yucatfin, and Veracruz, usually at altitudes of 

 700 meters or less. It is reported also from Campeche, Oaxaca. Guerrero. 

 Michoacftn, Colima, Jalisco, Hidalgo, Sinaloa, and Tamaulipas. Cultivation of 

 the rubber tree was begun in the State of Chiapas about 50 years ago, but 

 only in an experimental way, and it is only in recent years that cultivation has 

 been carried on upon an extensive scale. The details of rubber production 

 are so numerous that they can not be treated here, but those interested In the 

 subject should consult the paper by Cook, listed above. 



Like other plants of the family Moraceae, the rubber tree has milky juice, 

 and this is the source of the rubber. The juice is obtained by tapping the trees. 

 It coagulates upon exposure to the air, but various substances are sometimes 

 added to hasten coagulation. In British Honduras the pounded stems of 

 morning-glory (Calonyction) are said to be used for this purpose. The early 

 inhabitants of Mexico were well acquainted with the crude rubber, using it 

 to make balls for games, for bottles, and for waterproofing coats, hats, shoes, 

 and other objects. 



The wood is white and moderately heavy. The bark is beaten out by some 

 of the Indians of tropical America, and the fabric thus obtained is used for 

 clothing and blankets. In Mexico the bark is said to have been one of the 

 sources of paper. 



Hernandez was probably the first to give an account of the Mexican rubber, 

 tree. He gives a fairly accurate figure,* and the following account, in a chapter 

 entitled " De Holquahuitl, sen Arbore Chilli * " : " Holquahuitl is a tree of which 

 there are two sorts. The one produces a large, smooth, yellow stem, full of 

 soft pith ; whitish flowers ; very large leaves ; and star-shaped disks, pale but 

 becoming red, clinging to a stalk and crowded with fruits like Pontic nuts, 

 which are covered with a whitish and yellow skin and have a bitter flavor. The 

 other sort has leaves like Mains Medicus, but larger; the bark of both trees is 

 bitter. The latter grows in Michoacan, where it is called farantaquam. The 

 first is called Mecatlani and yhulapae. The bark is warm in the third order 

 and slightly lubricous; its infused decoction is good for dysentery. When cut 

 it yields a gum, called HolU by the Indians, which is at first milky, but soon 

 yellow, and finally black, if it is smeared on the bodies of those who gather it. 

 It is so resilient that balls fashioned from it bounce like hand-balls, and it is 

 useful for many other purposes. For it evokes the urine uncommonly, cleanses 

 the womb, and corrects sterility. * * * Added to food it fattens, and com- 

 pounded with those creatures which are called Axin, it is said to engender a 

 certain agility to the body, and to soften the bones so that men are able to 



* Thesaurus 50. 1651. 



' The word " chilli " is probably a typographical error for " hoUi " or " hule." 

 55268—22 4 



