212 MELIACEAE. 



epicarp splitting into 2 or 3 coriaceous valves, the bony stone enclosed in fleshy 

 pulp. [Greek, light, the wood is light in weight.] About 80 species, of trop- 

 ical and subtropical America. Type species: ElapJirium tomentosum Jacq. 



I^eaflets narrow, oblong to oblanceolate ; angles of seed 4, keeled. 1. E. inagucnse. 

 Leaflets broad, oval to obovate, acute ; angels of seed 1-3, acute. 2. E. Simaruha. 



1. Elaphrium inaguense (Britton) Eose, N. A Fl. 25: 245. 1911. 



Bursera inaguensis Britton, Bull. N. Y. Bot. Gard. 3: 443. 1905. 

 Terehinthus inaguensis Britton, Bull. Ton. Club 35: 342. 1908. 



A shrub or small tree, 3.3 m. high or less, the twigs gray, the foliage 

 glabrous. Petiole slender, terete, 2-5 cm. long; leaflets 3-7, thin but firm, light 

 green on both sides, not strongly veined, oblong to oblanceolate or obovate, 

 acute or obtuse at the mucronate apex, narrowed or cuneate at the base, 6 cm. 

 long or less, 1-2 cm. wide, the upper surface faintly shining, the under side 

 dull; lateral leaflets sessile or with petiolules 1-2 mm. long, the terminal one 

 with a petiolule 3-8 mm. long; panicles several, axillary, as long as the leaves 

 or shorter, the slender peduncles 1-6 cm. long; pedicels 2-3 mm. long; calyx- 

 lobes broadly triangular, acute; petals oblong-lanceolate, acute, 2.5 mm. long; 

 fruit 6-8 mm. long, only one cavity seed-bearing; seed 4-6 mm. long, acute, 

 short-stipitate. 



Scrub-lands, Eleuthera, Great Guana Cay, Great Exuma, Long Island, Am- 

 bergris Cay, Inagua and Little Inagua :■ — nortliern Cuban Cays. Referred by Hitch- 

 cock to Bursera angustata C. Wright. Bahama Elapheium. 



2. Elaphrium Simaruba (L.) Eose, N. A. Fl. 25: 246. 1911. 



Pistacia Simaruba L. Sp. PL 1026. 1753. 

 Bursera gummifera L. Sp. PI. ed. 2, 471. 1762. 

 Bursera gummifera glabrata Griseb. Fl. Br. W. I. 173. 1859. 

 Bursera gummifera pubescens Engler, in DC. Mon. Phan. 4: 40. 1883. 

 Bursera Simaruba Sarg. Gard. & For. 3: 260. 1890. 



Terebuithus Simaruba W. F. Wight; Eose, Contr. U. S. Nat. Herb. 10: 

 122. 1906. 



A tree, reaching a maximum height of about 20 m. with a trunk up to 1 m. 

 in diameter, usually much smaller, the branches spreading, the thick red-brown, 

 smooth and shining bark peeling off in thin layers. Leaves glabrous or some- 

 times pubescent, petioled, 1-2 dm. long; leaflets 3-7, ovate to obovate, firm in 

 texture, 3-8 cm. long, acute or acuminate; racemes glabrous or pubescent, 5-10 

 cm. long; pedicels 4-8 mm. long; calyx-lobes about 1 mm. long; petals green- 

 ish, 2-2.5 mm. long, ovate to oblong-lanceolate; drupes oblong, 3-angled, 5-10 

 mm. long, splitting into 3 valves; seed white. 



Coppices, throughout the archipelago from Abaco and Great Bahama to Turk's 

 Islands, Anguilla Isles and Cay Sal : — Florida : West Indies ; Mexico and tropical 

 continental America. Gumbo-limbo, West Ixdiax Birch, Gum-elemi. Catesby, 1 : 

 pi. 30. 



Eediuigia balsamifera Sw., reported by Dolley, has not be^n found in the 

 Bahamas by any of our collectors; the record is probably erroneous. 



Family 10. MELIACEAE Vent. 

 Mahogaxy Family. 



Shrubs, trees, or sometimes shrubby herbs. Leaves alternate, without 

 stipules, pinnately compound, sometimes thrice pinnate. Inflorescence 



