PEBKINS- THE LEGUMINOSAE OF PORTO RICO. 203 



'1. Erythrina corallodendron L. 

 (Urban, 302.) 



Shnil) 3 i" 1 meters high, climbing, or tree 3 to 6 meters bigh, armed ; Leaflets broad 1) 

 ovate-rhomboid, I to L.5 cm. wide, 5 to I L5 cm. long; flowers in axillary racemee L2 

 in :;.") cm. Long, coral-colored; standard 5 to 6.5 cm. Long; calyx 8.5 to M) mm. Long, 

 a little exceeded by the wings; pod L0 cm. Long, I cm. wide 



Near Bayamon, in calcareous mountains; Dear Sabana Grande, in thickets on the 

 rocky banks of Estero River near the cataract; nearAnasco; aear EUncon, in thickets 

 on the shore ai Cabo San Francisco. Bermuda (introduced, Eemsle) I, Cuba, .Ian mica 

 (in the form grandiflora), Cayman (Hitchcock), St. Thomas (Eggers), St. < roix (do.), 

 St. John, St. Bartholomew (Wikstrom), St. ECitts (Euphrasen), Antigua (Grisebach . 

 Guadeloupe, Martinique, St. Vincent, Grenada, Tobago (in the form grandiflora . 

 Mexico. Tropical America, 



Erythrina corallodi ndron on account of the size of its lowers is a very noticeable tree. 

 It differs from E. mieropteryx in having a short keel and red -eeds. The tine. 

 thrina species of Porto Rico are al first armed, later they become glabrous. 



From the soft, corky wood of E. corallodendron, coral wood, arbol madre of the Mexi- 

 cans, are manufactured corks. Light ladders, etc. 



Local name, bucare. 



3. Erythrina mieropteryx Poepp. 



(Urban, 301.) 



Tree L5 to 20 meters high, armed; leaflets 1 1 to Jii cm. long, 7 to L2 cm. wide, orbicular- 

 oval, obtuse or abruptly acuminate; flowers in racemes, brighl red; calyx 6 mm. 

 deep; standard elliptical or narrowly oval, 3.5 to 4.2 cm. long; wings twice as long as 

 the calyx, obovate or oval-elliptical; keel a little shorter than the standard, bidentate; 

 pod 7 to 13 cm. long, chartaceous; seeds dark brown. 



Cultivated for shading coffee plantations and seemingly wild near Bayamon; near 

 Cayey, at Quebrada Arriba; uear Adjuntas, on Mount Capaes; near (Jtuado, at Salto 

 Arriba; near Lares, at Mirasol and at Espino; near Quebradillas and near Toa Alta. 

 Cuba. Jamaica, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Trinidad. Indigenous in Peru. 



The long keel of E. mieropteryx makes it easy to distinguish from the other Porto 

 Rican species; the l)rown seeds, from E. corallodendron. 



Local names, bucare, palo de boyo; Cuba, penon de Cuba (Eggers); Guadeloupe, 

 immortel jaune (Duss); Martinique, erythrine a\ cayenne (Hahn); Peru, a'masisa 

 (Spruce). 



56. RTJDOLPHIA Willd. 



Rudolphia Willd. Ges. Naturf. Fr. Berlin Neue Schrift 3 : 151. L801. 



Calyx tubuliform, the 2 upper segments connate or subconnate, the 2 lateral much 

 smaller, the lowest one cuspidate and slightly arcuate; standard oblong, plicate; the 

 wings and the free petals of the keel narrow and much shorter than the standard; 

 upper stamen free; ovary Stipitate or sessile; style more or less dilated in the middle; 

 Btigma terminal, subcapitate; pod elongated, flat, tipped with the persistenl base of 

 the style, 2-valved; valves finally tort nose, pulpy within; seeds flat, obovate. Twin- 

 ing undershrubs or herbs; leaves with one leaflet; flowers elongated, purple, red. or 

 flesh-colored, in axillary racemes or fasciculate on the rachis; bracts and bracteoles 

 small and caducous. 



