Monographs Details:
Authority:

Cowan, Richard S. 1967. Swartzia (Leguminosae, Caesalpinioideae Swartzieae). Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 1: 3-228. (Published by NYBG Press)
Family:

Fabaceae
Synonyms:

Tounatea caribaea (Griseb.) Taub., Tunatea caribaea (Griseb.) Kuntze
Description:

Description - Tree 10-18 m tall, the bark mottled gray-brown, smooth, horizontally lenticellate, the branchlets sparingly strigulose minutely, soon glabrescent; stipules caducous; petioles terete, (10-) 15-25(-40) mm long, minutely strigulose sparingly at first but glabrescent, the rachis (2-)5.5-7(-9) cm long, terete, glabrous or sparingly strigulose and glabrescent; leaflets (1-) 2- or 3-jugate, the petiolules 2-5 mm long, minutely strigulose but soon glabrescent, the blades (7-) 10-14(-20.5) cm long, (2.5-)3.5-5(-6.5) cm wide, elliptic, obovate, lanceolate-elliptic or elliptic-oblong, the base cuneate to acute, the apex acute to acuminate, glabrous or minutely strigulose sparingly on the costa on the upper surface, minutely strigulose beneath, the venation prominulous, the costa plane to slightly impressed above, the primary veins plane above, somewhat salient beneath; inflorescence racemose, 7-20 cm long, axillary or ramuligerous, the axis minutely strigulose, the bracts persistent, 0.6-1 mm long and wide, triangular, minutely strigulose externally, glabrous within, the bracteoles lacking; pedicels (7-)9-15(-18) mm long, minutely strigulose; buds globose, 4.5-6 mm diameter, minutely strigulose; calyx segments 3-4, persistent, at least in part, minutely strigulose externally and glabrous within; corolla lacking; larger stamens 2 (?), glabrous, the filaments 6.5 mm long, the anthers ca 2 mm long and 1 mm wide, oblong, the smaller ones glabrous, the filaments 9 mm long, the anthers orbicular, 0.8 mm diameter; stigma punctiform, the style 0.6-0.7 mm long, glabrous; ovary oval to elliptic-oblong, 3-4.5 mm long, 2-2.5 mm wide, minutely strigulose, the gynophore 3-5.5 mm long, minutely strigulose; fruit oval in outline, 4-6 cm long, 2-3 cm wide, orange-colored, sparingly strigulose minutely to glabrous, the stipe 4-7 mm long, sparingly strigulose minutely to glabrous, 1-seeded, or occasionally 2 seeds in one fruit but these half the size of those in 1-seeded fruits; seeds 20-30 mm long, 20-22 mm wide, oval in outline, darkly black-brown, the seed coat thinly crustose, the aril white, enclosing about one-fourth of the seed.

Discussion:

S. caribaea differs from what is probably its nearest relative, S. bannia, a Guyana species, by its chartaceous, concolorous leaflets; those of S. bannia are strongly discolorous and rigid. From the other West Indian species with apetalous flowers this species differs in its naked leaf rachis.
Distribution:

Guadeloupe South America| Dominica South America| Saint Lucia South America|

Common Names:

Acouquois, bois maler, bois du bras de sable, bois olivier, coco negre hebrew, graine agouti, olivier, yoranger