﻿324 
  ANNUAL 
  KEPORT 
  SMITHSONIAN 
  INSTITUTION, 
  1922. 
  

  

  The 
  flowers 
  of 
  the 
  ceiba 
  are 
  small 
  and 
  inconspicuous 
  and 
  the 
  tree 
  

   has 
  the 
  disadvantage 
  of 
  shedding 
  its 
  leaves 
  during 
  the 
  dry 
  season. 
  

   The 
  fruit 
  is 
  a 
  capsule 
  whose 
  seeds 
  are 
  surrounded 
  by 
  a 
  beautiful 
  

   lustrous 
  silklike 
  fiber 
  that 
  is 
  useful 
  for 
  stuffing 
  pillows. 
  The 
  wood 
  

   of 
  both 
  the 
  ceiba 
  and 
  amate 
  is 
  useless 
  except 
  for 
  fuel, 
  and 
  even 
  for 
  

   this 
  it 
  is 
  unsatisfactory 
  ; 
  and 
  I 
  suspect 
  that 
  to 
  this 
  fact 
  these 
  trees 
  owe 
  

   their 
  great 
  abundance. 
  

  

  The 
  trees 
  that 
  excel 
  all 
  others 
  in 
  the 
  matter 
  of 
  showy 
  flowers 
  are 
  

   two 
  species 
  of 
  Tabebuia, 
  a 
  group 
  of 
  plants 
  closely 
  related 
  to 
  our 
  

   catalpas, 
  with 
  flowers 
  of 
  about 
  the 
  same 
  size 
  and 
  form, 
  but 
  with 
  

   quite 
  different 
  leaves. 
  Both 
  these 
  trees 
  have 
  the 
  defect 
  of 
  producing 
  

   their 
  flowers 
  when 
  leafless, 
  but 
  they 
  bear 
  their 
  blossoms 
  in 
  such 
  

   profusion 
  that 
  even 
  if 
  the 
  leaves 
  were 
  present 
  they 
  would 
  scarcely 
  

   be 
  noticeable. 
  One 
  of 
  the 
  Tabebuias 
  (T. 
  chrysantha), 
  known 
  by 
  

   the 
  name 
  of 
  cortez, 
  bears 
  large 
  bunches 
  of 
  bright 
  yellow 
  flowers. 
  

   The 
  cortez 
  is 
  found 
  mostly 
  at 
  low 
  altitudes, 
  and, 
  while 
  it 
  is 
  extremely 
  

   showy 
  when 
  in 
  flower 
  and 
  is 
  not 
  rare, 
  I 
  have 
  not 
  seen 
  any 
  particu- 
  

   larly 
  noteworthy 
  displays 
  of 
  it. 
  The 
  other 
  tree 
  {Tabebuia 
  penta- 
  

   phylla), 
  which 
  is 
  known 
  by 
  the 
  name 
  maquiligua, 
  is 
  in 
  a 
  class 
  by 
  

   itself 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  display 
  of 
  color 
  is 
  concerned. 
  The 
  trees 
  are 
  often 
  

   large, 
  and 
  in 
  spring, 
  near 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  dry 
  season, 
  become 
  giant 
  

   bouquets 
  of 
  pink 
  blossoms. 
  They 
  are 
  found 
  throughout 
  the 
  country, 
  

   dotting 
  the 
  landscape 
  or 
  occurring 
  in 
  groves 
  as 
  far 
  as 
  the 
  eye 
  can 
  

   reach. 
  In 
  color 
  effect 
  they 
  simulate 
  Japanese 
  cherries, 
  for 
  they 
  

   exhibit 
  the 
  same 
  variation 
  in 
  tints, 
  from 
  nearly 
  white 
  to 
  a 
  deep 
  

   rose-pink. 
  Aside 
  from 
  their 
  esthetic 
  value, 
  both 
  the 
  maquiligua 
  and 
  

   cortez 
  are 
  of 
  economic 
  importance, 
  since 
  they 
  furnish 
  excellent 
  cabi- 
  

   net 
  woods 
  that 
  are 
  much 
  used 
  locally. 
  

  

  There 
  is 
  another 
  tree 
  that 
  in 
  some 
  localities 
  is 
  almost 
  as 
  showy 
  as 
  

   the 
  Tabebuias, 
  although 
  far 
  inferior 
  in 
  beauty 
  of 
  color. 
  This 
  is 
  the 
  

   palo 
  mulato 
  (Triplaris 
  americana) 
  , 
  also 
  a 
  valuable 
  timber 
  tree, 
  

   which, 
  strangely 
  enough, 
  belongs 
  to 
  the 
  same 
  family 
  as 
  buckwheat 
  

   and 
  smartweed, 
  a 
  group 
  of 
  plants 
  which, 
  as 
  they 
  occur 
  in 
  the 
  United 
  

   States, 
  have 
  few 
  claims 
  to 
  beauty 
  and 
  do 
  not 
  with 
  us 
  attain 
  the 
  size 
  

   of 
  trees. 
  

  

  The 
  palo 
  mulato 
  is 
  particularly 
  abundant 
  about 
  Santa 
  Ana, 
  where 
  

   it 
  is 
  planted 
  extensively 
  in 
  the 
  fincas, 
  and 
  in 
  February 
  the 
  whole 
  

   valley, 
  as 
  viewed 
  from 
  a 
  hillside 
  above, 
  is 
  colored 
  crimson 
  and 
  pink 
  

   with 
  it. 
  The 
  trees 
  are 
  of 
  two 
  sexes, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  only 
  the 
  female 
  or 
  

   pistillate 
  ones 
  that 
  are 
  showy. 
  In 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  these, 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  the 
  flow- 
  

   ers 
  but 
  the 
  fruits, 
  with 
  their 
  envelopes, 
  which 
  produce 
  the 
  vivid 
  

   color 
  effects. 
  The 
  palo 
  mulato 
  maintains 
  its 
  color 
  display 
  much 
  

   longer 
  than 
  the 
  maquiligua, 
  until 
  the 
  fruits 
  fall. 
  These 
  are 
  curious 
  

   structures, 
  the 
  seed 
  being 
  overtopped 
  by 
  three 
  paddle-sha'ped 
  ap- 
  

  

  