18 



Distribution, common names and usea 



Virola 'i7arburgii has been colleoted in the Chagres Valley, 

 in Ghiriqui and in Darien, and is by no means a rare species. 

 It grows always in thickly forested districts and prefers low, 

 fertile ground, river flats especially. In Ghiriqui, it is 

 known as bogamani . The wood is of little use; the seeds burn 

 readily with a clear light and the native Indians stick them 

 on a thin piece of hard wood and use them as torches when 

 they have to go out in the dark. 



Lauraceae 



The spreading Sigua 



Phoebe effusa Lleissn. , DC. Prodr. 15, 1: 33 - 1664. 



Description of the tree 



A tree often 30 m. high, the trunk erect, 75 to 100 cm. 

 in diameter, covered with a grayish bark, the limbs ascendent, 

 the crown irregular; flowering branchlets elongate and slen- 

 der, the bark yellowish, more or less tomentellous toward the 

 ends. Leaves subcoriaceous, the petioles up to 1 cm. long, 

 canaliculate, the blades lanceo .ate or elliptic-lanceolate, 

 cuneate at the base, aciiminate, 6 to 17 cm. long, 2 to 6 cm. 

 broad, more or less distinctly triplinerved, glabrous above, 

 more or less pilous and barbulate in the axils of the promi- 

 nent veins beneath. Inflorescence panniculate, glabrous, 

 many-flowered; flowers greenish, very small, glabrous, ill- 

 smelling; pedicels 4 to 7 am. long; perianth 6-partite, the 

 tube very short, the segments ovate, acute, the 3 exterior 

 ones smaller; stamens of the two outer series contracted at 

 the base in a short filament, the connective ovate; stamens 

 of the third series narrower, not contracted and i^rovided at 

 the base with tv/o large glands; staminodes (4th series) 

 broadly ovate at the base, acuminate. Ovary suoglobose, 

 about 0,5 mm. in diameter, the style short and subcapitellate, 

 Berry ovate-elongate, about 1 cm. long and 6 mm. in diameter. 



