85 



rado, and said to have been largely used in Colon for the 

 under structure of the old docks. '2he Jamaican Sijeeies, as 

 well as ours, are known for their hard wood, to v/hich they 

 owe their names of breakax and iron«ood trees. 



"Jiliaceae 



The appendioulate Eeliocarpus 

 Heliocarpus append iculatus Turcz., 3ull. 3og. Ilat. IIosc. 



1: 226. 1858. 



Description of the tree 



A shrub or a middle-sized tree, the trunk erect, covered 

 v/ith a grayish smooth bark, the branching radiate, the crov/n 

 elongate or pyramidate. Leaves membranous, the petioles 5 

 to 6 cm. long, the blades ovate, emarginate or cordate at 

 the base, acumin^t-e, shallov/ 3-lobed in the lov/er leaves, 

 about 20 cm. long, stellate-dotted above, mere or leas dense- 

 ly pubescent or tomentose beneath, crenate-toothed, the teeth 

 glandulous, the basal sinus provided at the insertion with 

 the petiole v/ith a reniform, foliaceous appendage. Inflores- 

 cences xjanniculate, ramified, the rachis pubescent. Flowers 

 clustered, polygamous, pedicelled, the calyx and corolla 

 tetramercus; sepals linear- oblong, tomentose without; petals 

 wanting; stamens 10 to 13, sterile in the female flowers; 

 ovary 2-celled, abortive in the male flowers; style 1, 

 bearing 2 long, toothed, divergent stigmas. ?ruit ovate, 

 stipitate, comj..ressed laterally, with long bristles on the 

 margin, the stipe ^^ubescent. 



Description of the woo d 



Sapwood thick and almost white; heartwcod slightly darker. 

 Wood exceedingly soft and light in weight, very brittle, 

 weak, coarse and straight-grained, easily v/orked and does 



