Trask's Mountain Mahogany 423 



fruit it is spindle-shaped, slightly hairy, deeply cleft at the apex, and about 2 cm. 

 long; the nutlet is grooved on the back, covered with dense, long hairs, its plume 6 

 to 8 cm. long. 



The wood is close-grained, bright red-brown, and heavy; specific gravity about 

 0.93. It is sometimes used for tool-handles and turned articles, also much valued 

 for fuel. 



2. TRASK'S MOUNTAIN MAHOGANY — OercocarpusTraskiae Eastwood 



This rare and very local tree has been found only on Santa Catalina island, 

 off the coast of southern California, where but a small number of individuals, 

 associated with several other trees of wide relationship, but equal rarity, occur. 

 Its maximum height is 7.5 meters, with a trunk diameter of 3 dm. 



The trunk is short and crooked; the branches are stout, irregularly out- 

 spreading, forming a pictu- 

 resque tree; the bark is thin, 

 smooth, light gray to brown, 

 sometimes becoming trans- 

 versely fissured. The twigs 

 are stout, very hairy and red- 

 brown, soon becoming 

 roughened by leaf scars. The 

 leaves are thick and leathery, 

 oval to nearly orbicular, 4 to 

 6 cm. long, rounded, or seldom 

 sharp-pointed at the apex, 

 wedge-shaped, or sometimes 

 rounded at the base, toothed 

 by slender, gland-tipped teeth 

 above the middle; they are 

 densely woolly when young, 



becoming dark green, shining, 



, ... . , . Fig. 370. — Trask's Mountain Mahogany. 



and with impressed veins 



above, silky-white hairy, and prominently marked by the thick, obhque veins be- 

 neath; the hairy leaf-stalks are about 8 mm. long. The axillary flowers appear 

 in March, in nearly sessile several-flowered clusters, which are very hairy through- 

 out; the calyx- tube is smooth on the inner side; anthers short, oblong and hairy; 

 in fruit the calyx is spindle-shaped, about 12 mm. long, deeply cleft at the top, 

 light brown and long silky-hairy. The nutlet is somewhat ridged, about 10 mm. 

 long, covered by white silky hairs, the plumose style about 5 cm. long. 



The wood of Trask's mountain mahogany is hard, close-grained, light brown, 

 and heavy. 



