2O HOUGH'S AMERICAN WOODS. 



A genus of 10 or n species of evergreen trees and shrubs of 

 tropical America having thick milky juice, two of which are found as 

 trees in southern Florida. The name is a Greek word descriptive of 

 the resemblance of the fruit to ithat of the olive in appearance. 



311. DRYPETES KEYENSIS URB. 



FLORIDA WHITEWOOD. FLORIDA PLUM. 



Ger., Pflaume von Florida. Fr., Prune de Florida. 



Sp., Hue so (Sp. W. I.), Varital (Porto Rico). 



SPECIFIC CHARACTERS : Leaves ovate to oblong and usually more or less 

 falcate, 3-5 in. long, acuminate to rounded at apex, cuneate to rounded at base, 

 with thickened entire margin, dark green above, paler beneath, lustrous and prom- 

 inently reticulate veined both sides ; petioles about l /z in. long, stout and grooved 

 above. Flowers appearing in early spring in the axils of the leaves of the pre- 

 vious year ; calyx yellowish green with 5 lobes about T"S in. long and finally 

 deciduous; stamens 8 with filaments of unequal length and somewhat longer 

 than the calyx-lobes; anthers about as broad as long, extrorse and with broad 

 connectives ; pistil with hairy ovary and flattened broad stigma somewhat oblique. 

 Fruit oblong, bright white, about i in. long on steins about l /z in. long, with dry 

 mealy flesh and obovoid pit pointed at the base and containing a seed rounded 

 at the ends and covered with light brown coat conspicuously marked with lines 

 radiating from the hilum. 



A tree rarely more than 30 or 40 ft..(i2m.) in height or with trunk 

 more than i ft. (0.30111.) in diameter. Its upright and spreading 

 white-barked branches form a rounded top with glossy clean foliage 

 and conspicuous among this in its season is the singular ivory-white 

 fruit. The bark of the trunk is about T /2 in. thick, smooth and white, 

 mottled with distinct irregular gray and yellowish brown patches. lit 

 is probably the white bark of this tree that has caused it to be called 

 White-wood. 



HABITAT. Southern Keys of Florida and the Bahamas, .growing 

 in dry rocky and sandy soil, but nowhere in great abundance. 



PHYSICAL PROPERTIES. Wood rather soft, not strong, brittle, of 

 very close grain, with indistinct annual rings, very thin medullary rays 

 and small, quite uniformly distributed open ducts. It is light yellow 

 but soon assumes a light bluish brown color. Specific Gravity, 0.9346 ; 

 Percentage of Ash, 8.29 ; Relative Approximate Fuel Value, 0.8571 ; 

 Coefficient of Elasticity, 83619; Modulus of Rupture, 707; Resistance 



