44 



l.ll inm. long, with very thick -.valla and almost obliterated 

 cell cavities; pit snail and hardly visible under high power 

 magnification. The wood-parenohyma fibers have few, round, 

 simple pits, and occupy about one- third of the wood nass; 

 this tissue is arranged in nomercus tar^ential \»ands or lines, 

 which alternate with si;nilar lines of wood fibers. Pith 

 rays numerous, minute, barely visible under hand lens, u- 

 sually only one row of cells wide, someti.aes 2 or rarely 3. 



Distribution, common names and uses 



The Panaman Swartzia is knovm only from the western part 

 of Panama, where it is more frequent in the lower belt of 

 the Caribbean watershed. On account of the shape and appea- 

 rance of its pods it is called by the natives cutaro . from 

 CTJta ra , a sandal; the name cornud o, i.e., horr^\ is also used 

 for the same species and refers to the hardness of the wood, 

 which is such that the axes and other tools used to work it 

 are quickly dulled, r'cr this reason the v/ood, which is in 

 other respects very useful, is net in favor among the local 

 joiners and cabinet-makers. 



The Panaman Sweetia 

 Sweetia ^.anamensis Jenth. Jcurn. Linn. 3cc. 8:263. 1865. 



Description of the tree 



A tree about 15 meters high, and up to 40 cm. in diameter, 

 lev/ branched, the bark rugose and grayish, the limbs divari-' 

 oate. Leaves imps rip inna te , the rachis stiff, glabrous, obs- 

 curely canaliculate or flattened above, 6 to 12 cm. long, 

 the leaflets 5 to 13, coriaceous; ^etiolules 3 to 5 mm. long, 

 pubescent or glabrescent; leaflet blades ovate ;ir oblong, 

 broadly rounded at the base, emarginate at the tip, 4 to 

 7,5 cm. long, 2 to 4,5 cm. broad, glabrous, dark green and 

 lustrous above, paler beneath. Inflorescences racemose and 

 terminal, the rachis ^'U-bescent, 8 to 14 cm. long, ^'lowers 

 white, very numerous; pedicels pubescent, slender, 2 to 3 

 mm, long; calyx campanulate, pubescent, the lobes 5, ovate- 

 laneeclate, acute; petals 5, almost equal, spa tula te with 



