578 TREES OF NORTH AMERICA 



The genus is represented by a single species distributed from southern Florida 

 through the West Indies to southern Mexico. 



The generic name, from Ix^vs and fiedy, indicates the Carib use of the tree. 



1. Icthyomethia Piscipula, A. S. Hitch. Jamaica Dogwood. 



Leaves 4'-9' long, with stout petioles, and leaflets 3'-4' long and 1 '-2^' wide, their 

 petiolules thick, ' long, appearing after the flowers and deciduous in early spring. 

 Flowers opening in May, f ' long, on slender pedicels sometimes 1^' long, in clus- 

 ters frequently 10'-12' in length, with long few-flowered branches, or compact, 

 densely-flowered, and 2'-4' long. Fruit ripening in July and August, light brown, 

 3'-4' long, !'-!' across the thin papery wings. 



A tree, 40-50 high, with a trunk often 2-3 in diameter, stout erect sometimes 

 contorted branches forming an irregular head. Bark of the trunk about ^' thick, 



with a light red-brown surface covered with small square scales. Wood very heavy, 

 hard, close-grained, clear yellow-brown, with thick lighter colored sapwood, very 

 durable in contact with the ground ; largely used in Florida for boatbuilding, for 

 firewood and charcoal. All parts of the tree, but especially the bark of the roots, 

 contain an active principle, Piscidin, which is said to be effective in producing sleep. 

 In the West Indies the bark of the roots, young branches, and powdered leaves were 

 used by the Caribs to stupefy fish and facilitate their capture. 



Distribution. One of the commonest of the tropical trees of Florida from the 

 shores of Bay Biscayne and the southern keys, and on the west coast from the 

 neighborhood of Peace Creek to Cape Sable; in many of the Antilles and in south- 

 ern Mexico. 



XXIII. ZYGOFHYLLACE-SJ. 



Trees or shrubs, with hard resinous wood, and opposite pinnate leaves with 

 stipules. Flowers perfect, regular ; calyx 5-lobed, the lobes imbricated in the 

 bud; petals as many as the calyx-lobes, imbricated in the bud, hypogy- 

 nous ; stamens twice as many as the petals, hypogynous ; filaments distinct ; 

 anthers introrse, 2-celled, the cells opening longitudinally ; ovary 5-celled ; 

 styles united, terminating in a minute 5-lobed or entire stigma ; ovules nu- 

 merous, suspended, anatropous ; raphe ventral. Fruit capsular, angled or 



