162 



Distribution, common names end uses 



Tecoma pentaphylla is distributed along the northern 

 coast of South America, and on some of the smaller Antilles, 

 reaching west as far as Nicaragua following the Apen plains 

 of the Pacific coast, in Panama, it does not seem to occur 

 on the Atlantic slope, except in the middle Ghagres basin. 

 In the French island of ..lartinique, this tree is kno'.vn as 

 poirier , or poirier du pays , i.e., pear-tree or native pear- 

 tree, on account of a remote likeness of the leaflets with 

 the leaves of the real pear-tree. In Venezuela it is called 

 apamate. i'or the Panamanians it is the r oble , roble de sa - 

 bana , or black oak, names which in Costa Hica ap|>ly also to 

 Gouralla rosea , and recall the firmness of the wood. It is 

 used locally in the building of piers, boats, railroads, as 

 well as in joiner and cart work. 



Hubiaceae 



ilack' s Alsels 



Alseis blaokiana Hemsley, Diag. PI. IJov. pars. alt. 30. 1879 



Sescriptlon of the tree 



A tree up to 15 m. hi^h and 25 cm. in diameter, the trunk 

 more or less straight, covered with a gray, smooth bark, the 

 cro'Ana elongate, the branchlets terete and glabrous, T Leaves 

 opposite, submembranous , the petioles 1,5 to 2 cm. long, the 

 blades obovate-oblong, 8 to 12 cm. long, 2,5 to 3 cm. broad, 

 long cuneate at the base, acute at the apex, the costa and 

 veins prominent on both sides and sparsely puberulious beneath; 

 stipules acutely lanceolate, 8,5 to 11 mm. long, caducous. 

 Inflorescence racemose, terminal^ flowers numerous; bracts 

 narrow lanceolate, acute, caducous; calyx cup-like, 5-toothed; 

 corolla white, tubular, shortly 5-lobulate, the lobes obtuse; 

 stamens 5, long exserted, the filaments barbate at the base, 

 the anthers dorsifixed; ovary Inferior, elongate, puberulous, 

 many ovulate; style a little longer than the corolla tube, 

 bifid. Capsule small, dehiscent, 4-valvate; seeds ovate-de- 

 pressed, very small. 



