Bourreria succulenta Jacq.

• Authority

  Britton, Nathaniel L. Flora Borinqueña.

• Family

  Boraginaceae

• Scientific Name

  Bourreria succulenta Jacq.

• Description

  Species Description - A tree or shrub, of interest as having smooth leaves, twigs, and flower-clusters in regions of high rainfall, these often, densely hairy or velvety in dry districts. It is frequent at lower elevations in Porto Rico, ascending, as observed by us, to only about 150 meters elevation, and grows also on the small islands Mona, Desecheo, Vieques, Cayo Icacos, and Culebra, and is distributed nearly throughout the West Indies, except the Bahama Islands. The clustered, rather large white flowers, and orange or red, small fruits, are attractive. Palo de vaca is another Spanish name associated with this tree. Bourreria, commemorating J. A. Beurer, an apothecary of Nuremberg, was proposed as a genus by Patrick Browne, and botanically published by Jacquin in 1760, with the species here illustrated typical. About 25 species are known, natives of tropical America. Their leaves are alternate, stalked, and untoothed, their flowers in broad, terminal clusters. The bell-shaped calyx is from 2-lobed to 5-lobed, the salver-form corolla 5-lobed; there are 5 stamens, with slender filaments, borne on the corolla-tube; the ovary is 2-celled, or incompletely 4-celled, the 2 styles united, or nearly separate. The small, round fruits have a thin flesh enclosing 4, bony, ridged nutlets. Bourreria succulenta (succulent) is a tree, sometimes about 10 meters high, usually lower, or shrubby, with smooth gray bark, the twigs smooth, or hairy, the branches spreading, or drooping. The thin, elliptic to obovate, or nearly orbicular leaves are from 5 to 12 centimeters long, smooth, variously hairy, or sometimes velvety, pointed or blunt, their stalks from 5 to 20 millimeters long. The flowers are from few to many in the clusters, the individual ones on stalks from 2 to 12 millimeters long; the calyx is from 5 to 7 millimeters long, with, pointed lobes, the corolla from 7 to 15, rarely 20, millimeters broad, with rounded lobes; the style-branches are united. The globose, orange or red fruits are from 8 to 11 millimeters in diameter.

• Discussion

  Roble guayo Spoon-tree Ehretia Family Bourreria succulenta Jacquin, Enumeratio Systematica Plantarum 14. 1760.