120 



visible under hand magnifier on a smooth transverse section, 

 one to twc- cells wide, and fro., a fev/ to 3 cells high,] 



^distribution, commcn names snd uses 



sl^ ( Psidiom G^uajava L. grows naturally all over tropical Ame- 

 riGa and is also freq.aently cultivated on account cf its 

 fruits. It is not a forest tree, its natural habitat being 

 on the alluvial gravelly and Oxjon flats along the ritjers, from 

 sea-level u^) to an altitude of about 1400 meters. Cattle 

 are very fond uf the fruit and act as ^iro^agating agents, 

 i'hrough them the ^jastures soon become infested with the 

 plant, the eraaication of which then becomes a real problem, 

 the abandonment of the land being often the only practical 

 solution. The guayabal , or natural guayabo bush, is one of 

 the typical plant associations of the American tropics.^ 



This Psidium is known all over its geographical area in 

 Spanish America under the name of Suayabo , the fruit being 

 a gxiayaba . In the English ./est Indies, this word has become 

 2_uava, which again is the Spanish name for several Sijecies 

 of Inga . The Portuguese name is Araga . The wood of the 

 Guayabo is very hard and fine-grained, but is of little use 

 on account of the small dimensions of the tree. It is an 

 excellent fuel. The fruits give delicious preserves and 

 jelliers, which in some parts are commercially valuable. 



The Grasparillo-Tree 



Aulacocarpus completena Pittier, Smithson. Misc. Coll. 63: 



n. 4-1914 



Description of the tree 



A tree entirely glabrous, up to 18 m. high and 85 cm. 

 diam. at the base, the trunic more or less straight, covered 



