89 



mm. in diameter( , rovind, open or ocoasionally closed with 

 dark reddish tyloses in the heartwood, and arranged singly 

 or in short radial rows of from a few to 4 to 6. Vessel 

 wall (longitudinal section) with both simple and bordered 

 pits; usually large bordered pits in places where two ves- 

 sels abut upon each other, iiind walls of vessel segments 

 often oblique or horizontal end invariably wholly absorbed. 

 Wood fibers with relatively thin walls, moderately large 

 cell cavities and few small simple or slightly bordered 

 pits; they are not so distinctly radially arranged, but 

 numerous, v/ith smaller fibers wedged in betweeii the larger 

 onei. '.Vood-parenchyma fibers very highly develoijea, 

 ooGuring in aomerous tangential lines and grouped around 

 vessels. Pith rays numerous, barely visible under the hand 

 lens, usually from 1 to 4 cells wide and 4 to 6 times as 

 high. 



Distribution, common names and uses 



This tree is iinown only from the v/estern part of the 

 republic of Panama, in Veraguas and Chiriqui, on the Pacific 

 watersed. It grows on the extensive forests of the coast 

 hills and does not seem to ascend the slopes above 15C me- 

 ters. It is a remarkable tree en account of the thick 

 veins or cavities filled with an oily liquid, which run from 

 the one ti.) the other extre,nity of the trunk in old trees. 

 This liquid is one of the various copaivas of com;:ieroe, well- 

 known as a medicinal drug. There is no record that it has 

 ever oeen exported from Panama, but the natives used it 

 fcr.-aerly in its crude state as a paint, beside a^jplying it 

 to the curation of certain diseases. They call the tree 

 as well as the drug, camibar, camiba and caniva, which 

 names are all variations of some indigenous word. It is 

 claimed that the veins thus filled with the liquid balsam 

 sometimes burst with s sharp report. The pods always con- 

 tain drops pf a transparent yellowish gum or resin. The 

 wood, which is said to be excellent and hard, is not used 

 to any extent. 



