Ouratea littoralis Urb.

• Title

  Ouratea littoralis Urb.

• Authors

  Nathaniel Lord Britton, Frances W. Horne

• Scientific Name

  Ouratea littoralis Urb.

• Description

  Flora Borinqueña Ouratea littoralis Sand Ouratea Family Ochnaceae Ochna Family Ouratea littoralis Urban, Symbolae Antillanae 1: 365. 1899. Local in distribution, and at least relatively rare, this yellow-flowered shrub, or small tree, grows only in sandy or rocky soils, in so far as our observations go, and is restricted to the northern coastal plain, to coastal thickets in eastern and western parts of Porto Rico, and to the Virgin Islands, St. Thomas and Virgin Gorda. Salinity of soil is evidently unnecessary, for it has been seen growing luxuriantly near the southern side of Laguna Tortuguero. The clusters of large, fragrant, bright yellow flowers are conspicuous and attractive, but we have not seen the plant in cultivation, nor found either Spanish or English popular names recorded. Ouratea (derived from the aboriginal name) is a genus established by the French botanist Aublet in 1775, based upon a tree of French Guiana; over 100 species are now known, only the one here illustrated growing in Porto Rico. They all have alternate, simple leaves and clustered, regular and perfect flowers. There are 5 sepals, 5 petals, and 10, separate stamens with anthers opening by terminal pores; the ovary is 5-lobed, or 6-lobed, each lobe 1-celled and containing 1 ovule; the styles are united into a column, topped by a small stigma. In fruiting, the fleshy disk of the flowers enlarges, and bears the ripening lobes of the ovary as small stone-fruits (drupes), an unusual and characteristic structure. Ouratea littorails (coastal) is a shrub or a small tree about 6 meters high, or lower. Its smooth, shining leaves are short-stalked, elliptic, or ovate, from 5 to 12 centimeters long, short-pointed, or blunt, their margins with or without small, indistinct teeth, the midvein prominent, the lateral veins many and slender. The clusters of flowers are from 5 to 10 centimeters long; the sepals are oblong to elliptic, 5 or 6 millimeters long; the fan-shaped petals are from 7 to 10 millimeters long; the nearly stalkless anthers 5 millimeters long. The fruiting disk is nearly globular, and bears from 1 to 5, obovoid, dark blue or nearly black drupes from 7 to 10 millimeters long. Another species of Ouratea inhabits the forest on Mt. El Yunque.