TILIACE.E 



669 



The generic name is from coluber, a serpent, probably on account of the peculiar 

 twisting of the deep furrows on the stems of some of the species. 



1. Colubrina reclinata, Brong. Naked Wood. 



Leaves persistent, elliptical, ovate or lanceolate, usually contracted at the apex 

 into a blunt point, entire, wedge-shaped or somewhat rounded and furnished with 

 2 conspicuous marginal glands at the base, when they unfold in early summer thin 

 and membranaceous, glabrous or finely puberulent on the lower surface and along 

 the principal veins, and at maturity yellow-green, 2^'-3' long, 1^' to nearly 2' wide, 

 with stout midribs and arcuate primary veins, persistent until their second year; 

 their petioles slender, \' long. Flowers in clusters rather shorter than the petioles, 

 on shoots of the year, pubescent, soon becoming glabrate. Fruit ^' in diameter and 

 dark orange-red, ripening late in the autumn, on pedicels \' long; seeds light red- 

 brown, \' long. 



A tree, 50-60 high, with a trunk 3 -4 in diameter, divided by numerous irregu- 

 lar deep furrows multiplying and spreading in all directions, and branchlets at first 



slightly angled, puberulent and reddish brown, soon becoming glabrate, and in their 

 second season nearly terete, gray or light brown, and marked by numerous small 

 light-colored lenticels. Bark of the trunk thin, orange-brown, exfoliating in large 

 papery scales. Wood heavy, hard, very strong, dark brown tinged with yellow, with 

 thin light yellow sapwood of 8-10 layers of annual growth. 



Distribution. Florida on Umbrella Key, the north end of Key Largo, and on 

 some of the small keys south of Elliott's Key; of its largest size and forming a forest 

 of considerable extent on Umbrella Key; also on the Bahama Islands and many of 

 the Antilles. 



XXXVII. TILIACE-5J. 



Trees, shrubs, or herbs, with alternate simple leaves, and free stipules. 

 Flowers regular, perfect; sepals valvate in the bud, deciduous; corolla hypo- 

 gynous ; stamens numerous, with 2-celled anthers, the cells opening longitudi- 

 nally ; pistil compound ; styles united into 1 ; stigma capitate. Fruit capsular 

 or nut-like. Seeds with albumen ; embryo with broad foliaceous cotyledons. 



