81 



mifiGation ascendent, forming an elongate crovm, nors or 

 less de^.ressed at the top; baric grayish and rimose on the 

 trunk and larger limbs, light brown and dotted with lenti- 

 cels on the young branchlets. Leaves glabrous, 9-foliolate, 

 the rachis 12 to 25 cm. long-, the petiole 6 to 10 cm. 

 broadly flattened and expanded at the base; leaflets oppo- 

 site, the petiolules sulcate, 1 to 3 cm. long, the terminal 

 one longest, the blades uoriaceous, oblique, ovate or obo- 

 vate to elliptic, obtusely acuminate, 9 to 17 cm. long, 3 tc 

 6.5 cm. broad, the margin entire. Pannicles axillary, sub- 

 terminal, f ew-flov/ered, 12 to 15 cm. long, the rachis little 

 ram.fied, mere cr less xjubescent. L^ale flowers sessile; 

 calyx about 1,5 mm. long, 3_t.arsely ^^ubescent, the 5 lobes 

 more or less acute; corolla v/hite, the 5 petals naviculif orm, 

 erect, about 3 mm. long, acute; stamens 10, abcut equal to 

 the corolla; rudimentary j^-'istil stiffly haix-y. 



Description of the v/ood 



Sapwood thin, light brown; heartv/ooct dark or mahogany 

 colored, ,/ood moderately hard and heavy, strong, tough, 

 slightly cross and fine-grained, taking a splendid polish. 

 Annual rings of growth scarcely visible. 



Pores numerous, small (.1 mra. in diameter), roxmd or 

 radially flattened when in groups, open or sometimes closed 

 with dark brown tyloses in the heartwood, and arranged 

 singly or in short radial rows of from 3 to 6. Vessel walls 

 with numerous, small bv^rdered jjits. Perforations sim^^le. 

 ,;ood fibers arranged in radial rows and about .85 mm. long, 

 with rather thin walls, large lumina and small, transver- 

 sely, slit-like simj.jle pits; fioers frequently septate. 

 .Vood-parenchyma fibers found only occasionally in contact 

 with vessels, itays not very numerous, fairly conspicuous 

 under the hand lens, usually from 1 to 3 or 4 cells wide and 

 from 3 to 5 times as high. 



Distribution, common names and uses 



This tree was discovered in 1911, grov/ing on the dry lime- 

 stone hills around ^Ihajuela in the Middle Chagres valley. 

 It seems to occur frequently in the forests of that district, 

 but no common name couj.d oe obtained -and the wood, hard and 

 strong, is indifferently used as opportunity of:^ers itself. 



