26 



the heart and v/hite in the sap, is very hard and claimed 

 to be an advantageous substitute for oak and other hard 

 timbers, esuecially for structures kei>t ^permanently under 

 sea water. Large (juantities of alcornoque wood could be ob- 



tained in i:'anama 



The Cativo or Prioria-tree 



Prioria copaifera 3risebach, ?1. 3rit. '.Vest Ind. 215,1864 



Description of the tree I 



A tree up to 50 meters high and 1.2 ia« thick near the 

 base, the crov/n bread and elongate, the bark grayish and 

 smooth. Leaves jjari^jimiate, glabrous, the rachis smooth cr 

 verruculose; leaflets 2-Jugate, oblique, coriaceous, oppo- I 

 site, the petiolules thickish, about 7 mm. long, the blades 

 elliptic-lanceolate, rounded at the base, subobtuse at the 

 apex, 6 to 13 cm. long, 3 to 7 cm. broad, transparent dotted, 

 the venation slightly prominent on both faces. Inflores- 

 cences terminal, paniculate, glabrous, the spikes alter- 

 nate, 4 to 10 cm. long; flowers small, v/hite, sessile, so- 

 litary or clustered, each provided with a minute involu- 

 cral bract; calyx turbinate, 5-lobed, the tube about 1 mm. 

 long and the segments rounded, 2,5 mm. long; no corolla-, 

 stamens 10, the filaments hairy; ovary sessile, 1-ovulate, 

 hairy; style filiform, ending in aminute stigma. Pod obo- 

 vate-orbiculate, flat, brownish, 3 to 12 cm, long, 6 to 7 I 

 cm, broad, 1-seeded; seed flat, exalbuminous, j 



Description of the wood 



Sapwood thick, very light yellow tinged with red; heart- 

 wood darker often stained dark brown by a copious diffusion 

 of resin, which oozes from resin-bearing canals. V/ood mo- 

 derately hard, heavy, not strong, fine-grained, and not 

 subject to good polish, Annual rings of growth not visible | 

 even under high power microscope. ^ 



I 



