FOREST TREES AND FOREST REGIONS OF THE IT. S. 



49 



In the order of their relative importance or abundance the principal 

 trees are as follows: 



Wet forest: 



Roble (Tabebuia several species). 

 Moca (cabbage bark) (Andira 



inermis) . 

 Guaraguao (muskwood) (Guarea 



guar a) . 

 Guava (Inga inga) . 

 Guama {Inga laurina) . 

 Tabonuco (incense tree) (Dacry- 



odes excelsa). 

 Palma de Sierra (mountain palm) 



(Euterpe globosa) . 



Wet forest — Continued. 



Granadillo (Buchenavia capitata) . 

 Laurel sabino (laurel) (Magnolia 



splendens) . 

 Capa bianco (Petitia domingensis) . 

 Capa prieto (Spanish elm) (Cer- 



dana allio dora). 

 Algarrobo (Hymenaea courbaril) . 

 Ausubo (bullet wood) (Manilkara 



nitida) . 



MILES 

 10 20 



30 



MANGR OVE ^ WET FOREST 

 SWAMP f\\^ DRY FOREST 



Figure 9. — The natural forest regions of Puerto Rico are the wet forest, dry forest, and mangrove swamps. 



Dry forest: 



Ucar (Bucida buceras). 



Almacigo (West Indian birch) 



(Bursera simaruba) . 

 Moca (cabbage bark) (Andira 



inermis) . 

 Guacima (West Indian elm) (Gua- 



zuraa ulmifolia). 

 Tea (candlewood) (Amyris elemi- 



fera) . 



Dry forest — Continued 



Albarillo (wild quinine) (Exostema 



caribeum) . 

 Jobo (hog plum) (Spondias mom- 

 bin) . 

 Mangrove swamps: 



Mangle (mangrove): 



(Rhizophora mangle). 

 (Conocarpus erectus). 

 (Avicennia nitida) . 

 (Laguncularia racemosa) . 



FORESTS OF HAWAII 



The native forests of Hawaii are tropical in character and consist 

 of wet and dry types (fig. 10). They are found mostly between ele- 

 vations of 1,500 and 6,000 feet above sea level. The timber forests 

 grow on the coastal plain and lower mountain slopes in districts of 

 very heavy rainfall, and are naturally dense and junglelike. Above 

 them, and extending far up the mountain slopes (to 8,000 feet), is a 

 forest cover of low trees or shrubs of little value for timber, but of 

 high importance for protection against soil erosion and rapid run-off 

 of rain water. No Temperate Zone trees occur naturally, which 

 results in large areas at high elevations without trees of any kind. 

 Below 1,500 feet elevation, where the rainfall is light, the tree growth 

 consists mostly of mesquite (known as "algaraba") which was intro- 

 duced from southwestern United States as far back as 1828 and 



