STANDLEY TBEES AND SHBUBS OF MEXICO 1321 



This is an important timber tree in some parts of Mexico and Central America, 

 and furnishes wood of excellent quality for house building, cabinet work, wagons, 

 oars, and other purposes. In Europe the wood has been employed as a substitute 

 for boxwood in engraving. In Cuba the plant is considered an antidote for 

 poisoning by manchineel {Hippommie mancinella), and it has been used in some 

 regions (the decoction, taken internally) as a remedy for snake bites. The 

 powdered bark and leaves were formerly used in the Antilles as a febrifuge. 



When in flower, Tabebuia pentaphylla is one of the most showy and most beau- 

 tiful of American trees and an extensive stand of them is a sight long to be remem- 

 bered. The blossoms exhibit great variation in color, ranging from nearly white 

 to deep purple-pink. The color effect produced is strikingly like that seen in 

 Japanese cherries. 



Specimens from Central America identified as Couralia rosea (Bertol.) Donn. 

 Smith do not appear to differ from Tabebuia pentaphylla. 



2. Tabebuia donnell-smithii Rose, Bot. Gaz. 17: 418. pi. 26. 1892. 

 Colima. Guatemala and El Salvador; type from Cuyuta, Guatemala. 

 Tree, 15 to 25 meters high, the trunk often 1.2 meters in diameter; leaflets 



5 or 7, long-petiolulate, oblong-elliptic, 25 cm. long or less, acuminate, rounded 

 or subcordate at base, entire or sinuate-serrate, glabrate; panicles about 20 cm. 

 long; calyx about 1.5 cm. long; corolla 4.5 to 5 cm. long; fruit 20 to 30 cm. long, 

 2.5 cm. wide, longitudinally ridged and irregularly tuberculate. "Primavera" 

 (Colima); "cortez," "cortez bianco" (El Salvador). 



The wood is exported from Mexico for veneering and cabinet work, and is 

 reported to be known in trade as "white mahogany." 



3. Tabebuia palmeri Rose, Contr. U. S. Nat. Herb. 1: 109. pi. 11. 1891. 

 Sonora to Guerrero; type from Alamos, Sonora. 



Tree, 5 to 20 meters high; leaflets 5, long-petiolulate, elliptic-oblong to ovate- 

 elliptic, 14 cm. long or less, acuminate, rounded at base, entire, densely pubescent 

 or glabrate; calyx 5 to 6 mm. long; corolla 6.5 to 8 cm. long; fruit about 35 cm. 

 long and 1.5 cm. thick, smooth. "Amapa" (Sonora, Sinaloa); "roble" (Guer- 

 rero); "amapa prieta," "amapa rosa" (Sinaloa). 



The wood is said to be brown, with red lines, and very handsome, heavy, 

 rather hard, resistant, taking a good polish, and durable when exposed to mois- 

 ture. It is much used locally for building purposes and for cabinet work. A 

 violet ink is said to be made from it. 



4. Tabebuia chrysantha (Jacq.) Nicholson, Diet. Gard. 4: 1. 1887. 

 Bignonia chrysantha Jacq. PL Hort. Schoenbr. 2: 45. pi. 211. 1797. 

 ?Tecoma mexicana Mart.; DC. Prodr. 9: 218. 1845. 



Tecoma chrysantha DC. Prodr. 9: 221. 1845. 



tTabebuia mexicana Hemsl. Biol. Centr. Amer. Bot. 2: 495. 1882. 



Tecoma palmeri Kranzlein, Repert. Sp. Nov. Fedde 17: 220. 1921. 



Sonora to Chiapas. Central America to Venezuela; type from Caracas, 

 Venezuela. 



Small or large tree with scaly bark; leaflets 5, broadly obovate to elliptic- 

 oblong, 18 cm. long or less, abruptly acuminate, rounded or subcordate at base, 

 entire, stellate-pubescent or glabrate; calyx about 1 cm. long; corolla 5 to 6.5 

 cm. long; fruit 20 to 30 cm. long or larger, 12 to 15 mm. thick, smooth or tuber- 

 culate, stellate-tomentose or glabrate. "Verdecillo" (Michoacdn, Guerrero); 

 "amapa," "amapa prieta" (Sinaloa); "roble" (Guerrero); " guayacdu," 

 "corteza amarilla" (Costa Rica); "cortez," "cortez amarillo," "cortez coyote," 

 "cortez negro" (El Salvador). 



The flowers are sweet-scented. The wood is blackish and very hard. 



