COOK AND COLLINS—ECUNOMIC PLANTS OF PORTO RICO. 1638 
Captain Hansard calls this ‘‘ bois immortelle’”’ and says that it is good for 
coffee and cacao shades; specific gravity given at 1.07. 
Huear blanco. See Bucida buceras. 
A tree from all parts of the island: height, 80 to 85 feet (24 to 25 meters); 
diameter, 45 to 80 inches (112 to 200 centimeters). Wood white, very hard; 
specific gravity, 1.0938; used in boat building. (Exp. 1897.) 
Huear colorado. 
Bois immortelle, good for coffee and cacao shades. Specific gravity, 0.93. (Cap- 
tain Hansard.) 
Hucar prieto. 
A tree from all parts of the island; height, 70 to 75 feet (21 to 23 meters); 
diameter, 40 to 45 inches (100 to 112 centimeters). Wood dark, very hard; 
specific gravity, 1.073; used in boat building. (Exp. 1857.) 
Grosourdy (2: 390) says this is a variety of ‘‘hucar blanco”’ (Bucida buceras) 
differing only in having the wood dark gray in color. 
Huearillo. ; 
A tree from the eastern part of the island;. height, 40 to 45 feet (12 to 14 
meters); diameter, 20 to 24 inches (50 to 60 centimeters). Wood white, hard; 
specific gravity, 0.943; used in building houses. (Exp. 1857.) 
Captain Hansard gives a specific gravity of 0.80 for wood of this tree. 
Huesillo. See Mayepea domingensis. 
Hueso blaneo. See Mayepea domingensis. 
Hueso prieto. See Jlex nitida. 
Huevo de gato. See Helicteres jamaicensis. 
Hura crepitans. Havi.ua. 
This or a related species is not unfrequently planted as a shade tree along roads, 
particularly between San German and Mayaguez. It reaches a rather large size 
(24 feet—75 centimeters—in diameter) and has a spreading habit, but the wood 
is soft and brittle sothat it suffered much damage from the hurricane. The trunk 
suggests that of the Ceiba, having prominent roots, large stout spines, and a sim- 
ilar light gray color. The habit of the branches is different, however, and the 
leaves are simple and cordate instead of palmately compound. They are also 
peculiar in having unusually numerous white veins. Hura belongs to the Euphor- 
biaceae, but differs from most of the family in having a seed capsule of numerous 
divisions, somewhat resembling, exteriorly, the fruit of Malva on a large scale. 
The flowers are also peculiar, the staminate being on a spike suggesting the 
Piperaceae or aroids; the pistillate flower is naked, with a large spreading trumpet- 
_ shaped, lacerate stigma. The seeds are loosened and rattle in their separate 
compartments, perhaps suggesting the name ‘‘ sand-box tree,’”’ used in the Eng- 
lish colonies. The name ‘‘monkey’s dinner-bell’’ is also applied in allusion to 
the fact that the ripe fruit splits with a loud report. 
The slightly milky juice is acrid and irritant, while the seeds are sometimes 
used as a purgative. An oil expressed from them is said to be less nauseous than 
castor oil and to be effective in smaller doses. The fruits of the Porto Rican 
trees were much less prominently ribbed than those figured in botanical works; 
possibly it represents a distinct species. 
Grosourdy says of the wood that it is rather light and soft, fibrous in texture, 
and resistant to the action of water. It is nearly white with stripes of light brown 
of the same color as the heart. There is a variety, light brown in color, that is 
highly valued because canoes made of it are much stronger and last much longer 
than those made of the other varieties. Specific gravity, 0.465. It is used also 
23227—VOL VIII, PT 2—03——_8 
