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Naked Stopper 



11. NAKED STOPPER 



GENUS ANAMOMIS GRISEBACH 



Species Anamomis dicrana (Berg) Britton 



Eugenia dicrana Berg. Anamomis dichotoma Sargent, 



not Myrtiis dichotoma Poiret 



HIS evergreen tree is also known as Nakedwood. It is a low, aro- 

 matic tree or shnib of sandy or rocky soil of peninsular Florida, 

 and the Keys, attaining a maximum height of 8 meters, with a trunk 

 diameter of 1.5 dm. 

 The bark is about 3 mm. thick, close, peehng off in thin scales of a red or red- 

 dish brown color. The twigs are round and slender, hairy and reddish at first, 



soon becoming smooth and brown. 

 The leaves are opposite, quite 

 leathery, oblong or obovate, 2 to 4 

 cm. long, blunt or rarely sharp- 

 pointed, tapering at the wedge- 

 shaped base to the short petiole, 

 entire, revolute and somewhat 

 thickened on the margin, hairy 

 when unfolding, soon becoming 

 smooth and bright green, with 

 small dark dots and impressed 

 midrib above, paler and punctate 

 beneath. The flowers appear in 

 spring in the leaf-axils, in hairy 

 peduncled cymes of usually 3 

 flowers, the terminal flower sessile, 

 the 2 to 6 lateral flowers on pedi- 

 cels 5 to 12 mm. long; the flowers 

 are about 8 mm. across, perfect, 

 white; the calyx obovoid, hairy, its 4 lobes ovate and rounded; petals inserted 

 under the thick disk, about twice the length of the calyx-lobes, ovate and glan- 

 dular; stamens inserted with the petals, numerous, their filaments thread-like; 

 anthers versatile; ovary mostly 4-celled; ovules numerous; style fihform, exsertcd. 

 The fruit is berry-like, oval or subglobose, 6 to 7 mm. long, red, the calyx-lobes 

 persistent; the flesh is thin and dr)'ish; seed usually i, rarely 2, kidney-shaped, 

 brown. 



The wood is hard, close-grained, light brown or reddish; its specific gravity is 

 about 0.90. 



The genus is a West Indian one, containing in all about 5 species of woody 

 plants of probably no economic value, although it is stated that an edible fruit is 



Fig. 668. Naked Stopper. 



