ANACARDIACEJE 659 



nate flower; style terminal, short, undivided; stigma 3-lobed. Fruit ovoid, compressed, 

 smooth and glabrous, crowned with the remnants of the style; outer coat thick and resin- 

 ous; stone crustaceous. Seed nearly quadrangular, compressed; seed-coat smooth, dark 

 brown and opaque, the broad funicle covering its margin. 



Metopium with two species is confined to southern Florida and the West Indies. 



The generic name, from foros, was the classical name of an African tree now unknown. 



1 . Metopium toxiferum Kr. & Urb. Poison Wood. Hog Gum. 

 Metopium Metopium Small. 



Leaves clustered near the end of the branches, 9'-10' long, with stout petioles swollen 

 and enlarged at base, and 5-7 leaflets, or often 3-foliolate; unfolding in March and per- 

 sistent until the following spring; leaflets ovate, rounded or usually contracted toward 



Fig. 5% 



the acute or sometimes slightly emarginate apex, rounded or sometimes cordate or cuneate 

 at base, 3'-4' long, 2'-S' broad, with thickened slightly re volute margins, a prominent mid- 

 rib, primary veins spreading at right angles, and numerous reticulate veinlets; petiolules 

 stout, !'-!' long, that of the terminal leaflet often twice as long as the others. Flowers 

 about I' in diameter, in clusters as long or rather longer than the leaves; petals yellow- 

 green, marked on the inner surface by dark longitudinal lines; stamens rather shorter than 

 the petals. Fruit ripening in November and December, pendent in long graceful clusters, 

 orange-colored, rather lustrous, f in length; seed about j' long. 



A tree, frequently 35-40 high, with a short trunk sometimes 2 in diameter, stout spread- 

 ing often pendulous branches* forming a low broad head, and reddish brown branchlets 

 marked by prominent leaf-scars and numerous orange-colored lenticels. Winter-buds 

 %'-%' in length, with acuminate scales ciliate on the margin with rufous hairs. Bark 

 of the trunk about \' thick, light reddish brown tinged with orange, often marked by dark 

 spots caused by the exuding of the resinous gum, and separating into large thin plate-like 

 scales displaying the bright orange color of the inner bark. Wood heavy, hard, not strong, 

 rich dark brown streaked with red, with thick light brown or yellow sapwood of 25-30 

 layers of annual growth. The resinous gum obtained from incisions made in the bark is 

 emetic, purgative, and 'diuretic. 



Distribution. Florida, shores of Bay Biscayne, on the Everglade Keys, and on Coot 

 Bay in the rear of Cape Sable, Dade County, and on the southern keys; very abundant; 

 in the Bahamas, Cuba, Jamaica, and Honduras. 



