JAMAICA. 



BULLETIN 



OF THE 



BOTANICAL DEPARTMENT- 



Vol. IV. 



New Series.] APRIL, MAY, JUNE, 1897. Parts 4, 5, 6 



SATIN WOOD. 



Fagara flava, Kr. & Urb. 



For some long time attempts have been made through, various 

 correspondents to obtain specimens of the flowers and seeds of Satin 

 Wood, in order to determine exactly what the commercial Satin Wood 

 of Jamaica is. 



Satin Wood in squared logs of good quality is worth £6 to £7 a ton 

 in the London market, and numerous have been the enquiries from 

 all parts of the island about the appearance of the tree, and how the 

 wood may be recognised. 



At last Mr. Cecil Isaacs, introduced Mr. E. G. Nixon, who was well 

 acquainted with the Satin Wood exported from Milk River. He very 

 kindly sent specimens of the wood, and of the seed-vessels attached to the 

 leafy branch. The flowers have not come to hand yet, but the material 

 was sufficient to identify the tree, with Fagara flava Kr. & Urb. It is 

 only mentioned by Grisebach in his " Flora" as a native of Guadeloupe 

 under the name of Zanthoxylum Sumach, but is described and 

 figured by Mr. C. S. Sargent, in his magnificent work, the " Silva of 

 N. America," as a native of certain keys off the coast of Florida. 



Description. 



The Tree is said to be from 12 to 35 feet high, with a trunk 6 to 

 18 inches in diameter. It has no spines like most of the " yellow 

 woods." 



The Wood may be described as follows : — 



Bark.— Of a light grey colour, surface somewhat smooth with longi- 

 tundinal furrows and transverse cracks. 

 Pith. — Scarcely any. 



Heart Wood. — No distinct heart wood, but the colour gradually 

 deepens from a light yellow at the bark inwards to a light orange at the 

 centre. 



Medullar;/ rays. — These lines in the cross section proceeding from the 

 pith towards the bark, are not continous from pith to bark, but gradually 

 die out in either direction, and are replaced by others. There are about 

 30 in a breath of \ inch. 



Annual rings. — Marked off by circles of denser tissue which are of 



