148 



Blgnoniaceae 

 The Panama Guayacan or Spurlons Lignum Vitae 

 Tecoma Guayaoan Seemann» Bot. Yoy. Herald; 181 - 1854. 



Description of the tree 



A deciduous tree 12 to 30 m. high and up to 1.20 m. 

 in diameter, the main roots running near the surface of the 

 ground, the trunk erect, with buttresses at the base, co- 

 vered with a reddish or grayish, almost smooth bark, the 

 limbs ascendent and forming a rounded crown. 3ranchlets 

 subtetragonous, clothed as are the young leaves and the pe- 

 duncles, with a dense, rufous, stellate indument. Leaves 

 digitate; peduncles thick, 12 to 15 cm. long, canaliculate; 

 leaflets usually 5, seldom 6 or 7, the petiolules 1 to 2.5 

 cm. long, the blades ovate-lanceolate, rounded at the base, 

 acuminate, 8 to 12 cm. long, 2 to 4 cm. broad, dark green 

 and more or less hairy above, grayish tomentose and reti- 

 culate, with the costa and veins very prominent beneath; 

 margin entire. Inflorescences terminal, corymbose- trichotom, 

 developing before the appearance of the leaves. Flov/ers 

 numerous; pedicels 0.8 to 1.6 cm, long, slender; calyx tu- 

 bulous- campanula te, irregularly 5- toothed (the teeth rounded 

 or obtuse), 11 mm, long, sparsely stellate hairy; corolla 

 bright yellow, barbate within, campanulate-infundibuliform, 

 the tube about 5 cm, long, glabrous without, barbate within, 

 the lobes broad, rounded, glabrous, sinuate on the margin; 

 stamens 4, inserted on the corolla about 7 mm, from its 

 base, the fifth one reduced to a filiform appendix, filaments 

 glabrous, 1.5 to 2 cm, long; pistil glabrous, 3,5 cm. long, 

 the 2 stigmas ovate-obtuse. Capsule not known. 



Description of the wood 



Sapwood thick, very light yellow; heartwood dark brown 

 tinged with red. s/ood very hard, heavy, strong and tough, 

 cross and fine-grained, taking a beautiful polish, and excee- 

 dingly durable in contact with the soil. Annual rings of 



