80 



Descrij^tioii of the .-/ood 



Sapwood thin, very ^^ale ^jinic; heartwuod slightly darker, 

 with a shade of yellov;, rese;nbling yellow poplar when 

 freshly cat, soon turning darlcer, .7ood hard, heavy, strong, 

 brittle, cress- and close grained, taking a good polish, 

 but not durable in contact with the soil. Annual rings pf 

 growth not visible under the high power microscope. 



Pores numerous, small (.16 mm. in diameter), round, open 

 in the sapwood, or sometimes closed in the heartv/coa, and 

 arranged singly, in pairs, or very short radial rows. Vessel 

 walls with numerous, small, slightly bordered pits, with 

 transitions to large simple pits. Perforations simple. 

 ;Vood fibers about .38 mm. long with thick walls, small lu- 

 mina , and fev/ small simple pits. /ood piarenchyma s^jaringly 

 developed. Hays numerous, i:iarrow, from 1 to 2 rows of cells 

 wide, and from 3 to 5 times as high. 



Distribution, comncn ^la.nes and uses 



Besides Jamaica, where it was first discovered, the tree 

 is known only from the Loraa de la Gloria, a hill dominating 

 the site of the old Spanish town of llorabre de Dios, on the 

 coast of San 31as. 'Jhe inhabitants of the neighboring town 

 of i'atd call it jobillo and use it as heavy timber in the 

 construction of their houses. It is said, however, t;hat it 

 does not resist the humidity when in touch .vith the ground. 

 The larger specimens in the forest are seldom sound. In 

 Jamaica, the tree is knov/n as Uosquito-.Vood. 



The Ohagres-Tapirira 



Tapirira ehagrensis Pittier, Gontrib. U.S. Hat. Herb. 18; 



158. 191G. 



Description of the tree 



About 20 meters high, the trunk 45 to 40 cm. in diameter 

 at the base, straight, 8 to 10 meters to the first limbs; ra- 



