Swartzia cubensis (Britton & P.Wilson) Standl.

  • Family

    Fabaceae (Magnoliophyta)

  • Scientific Name

    Swartzia cubensis (Britton & P.Wilson) Standl.

  • Primary Citation

    Publ. Carnegie Inst. Wash. 461: 61. 1935

  • Description

    Author: Benjamin M. Torke

    Type: Cuba. Pinar del Río: Valle de San Juan, Pinar del Río, 5 Apr 1824 (st), J. T. Roig 3162 (holotype: NY; isotype: US).

    Description: Tree, to ca. 35 m; trunk muscular in large individuals, often somewhat buttressed, bark scaly, exfoliating in irregular flakes; cambium with red-oxidizing exudate; young branchlets pilulose to tomentulose. Leaves imparipinnate, with 4-8 (-9) pairs of lateral leaflets; stipules ovate to elliptic-lanceolate, often falcate, 5-17 mm, densely strigulose abaxially; petioles often marginate or winged toward apex adaxially, 0.9-2.5 (-3.4) cm, pilulose to tomentulose; rachis adaxially marginate or winged, stipellate at leaflets, (3.6-) 6-15 (-19.7) cm, pilulose to tomentulose, wings narrowly obtriangular, to 3.5 (4.5) mm wide; stipels 0.2-0.7 (-1) mm; petiolules 1-2.4 mm, pilulose to tomentulose; leaflet blades chartaceous, elliptic-lanceolate, the terminal one often somewhat obovate, the distal ones (3.5-) 5-10.5 (-12.5) x (1.2-) 1.5-3.5 (-4) cm, the basalmost 1.9-6.5 mm x 0.9-2.6 (-3.2) cm, base acute to obtuse, apex narrowly acute to obtuse, upper surface mostly glabrous, pilulose on midrib, lower surface pilulose to strigulose, sometimes glabrescent, midrib and other veins impressed above, salient below, secondary veins ascending at ca. 25-45 degrees, the intersecondary and tertiary veins less strongly ascending. Inflorescences simple racemes, borne on defoliate portion of branches, often 2-several-fasciculate, to ca. 50-flowered; axes 2.5-10 cm, strigulose or pilulose; bracts broadly triangular, 0.6-1.1 mm, abaxially pilulose, estipulate; pedicels 1.2-3.6 mm, pilulose; bracteoles lacking; flower buds ellipsoid, umbonate, 4.2-6 x 2.8-3.5. Calyx glabrous adaxially, thinly strigulose-pilulose abaxially; segments (2-) 3-4, 2.5-5.5 x 1.8-5 mm. Corolla lacking. Stamens 15-30, arranged in a single group, the outermost larger than the others, filaments 3-7 mm, mostly grabrous, the largest sometimes thinly strigulose, anthers ovate, elliptic or oblong in outline, 1-1.6 x 0.6-1.4 mm. Gynoecium glabrous; stipe 0.8-2 mm; ovary narrowly arcuate-elliptic in outline, laterally compressed, 4.1-5.6 x 1-1.5 mm; style oblique-terminal, 1.3-3 mm; stigma obliquely truncate to capitellate. Fruits maturing yellow to orange, glabrous; stipe 1.6-3.5 (-4.5) mm; body ellipsoid around seed, oblong in outline when bi-seeded, often constricted between seeds, (2.4-) 3-5.5 (-7.5) x 1-1.7 cm, base and apex usually strongly attenuate. Seeds 1-2, ellipsoid to obovoid, ca. 1.3-1.8 x 0.8-1.2 cm; aril bright red, completely enclosing seed.

    Common Names: Katalox, variant spellings: catalox, x-katalox, cataox, katalosh (Mayan); geographic location: Mexico; sources: e.g., Jiménez 106, Lanuza 73, Mejia 2, Martínez et al. 27069, 27266, Chavelas et al. ES-2949, Ucan 2448. Palo de sange, palo sangre (Spanish); geographical location: Guatemala; source: Mutchnick et al. 61, Contreras 6981. Llora sangre (Spanish); geographical location: Belize; source: Walker & Romero 175, Arnason & Lambert 17064. Bastard rosewood (English); geographic location: Costa Rica; sources: Leyland et al. 43, Whitefoord & Howe 9514, Brown I. Sangre de toro (Spanish); geographical location: Belize; source: Arvigo et al. 544. Pico de gallo (Spanish): geographical location: Cuba; source: Roig 3162. Corázon azul (Spanish): geographical location: Meixico; source: Martínez & Alvaro 27069, 30352. Crying blood (English); geographical location: Belize; source: Walker and Romero 175. Bitterwood (English); geographical location: Belize; source : Arvigo et al. 544. Northern rosewood (English); geographical location: Belize; source: Heyder & Kinloch XXXII?

    Distribution: Caribbean lowlands of western Cuba (Cienfuegos and Pinar del Río) and the greater Yucatán Peninsula of Mexico (Yucatán, Quintana Roo, including Isla Cozumel, Campeche, extreme western Tabasco, and northwestern Chiapas), Belize and northern Guatemala (Petén), at less than 600 m elevation. The species appears to be absent or rare in the driest northwestern portion of the Yucatán Peninsula in northern Campeche and western Yucatán. The distribution in Cuba has been poorly sampled.

    Ecology: Within its range, Swartzia cubensis is a common component of humid perennial and semi-deciduous tropical forest on both well-drained and somewhat poorly drained organic, clay, and sandy soils over limestone or mixed with limestone. The habitat in Cuba, thin soil over limestone karst, is similar to that of mainland populations. Pollinators are unknown. The bright red aril probably functions in seed dispersal by birds and other vertebrates. The fruits are reportedly consumed by chachalacas, ocellated turkeys, and deer (E. Gutíerrez 114).

    Phenology: Flowering January through May, fruits maturing April to July.

    Taxonomic notes: Swartzia cubensis belongs to the Central American apetalous clade of Swartzia section Terminales, within which it is distinct in the combination of its small flowers, typically winged leaf rachis, relatively numerous leaflets, fairly dense, relatively erect pubescence, and large stipules. Cowan's (1968) treatment of S. nicaraguensis as a variety of S. cubensis is at odds with a large geographical disjunction and consistent morphological and genetic differences between the two species (See discussion under S. nicaraguensis). In an unpublished phylogeographical study of mainland populations of S. cubensis, populations in the southwestern portion of the greater Yucatán Peninsula, particularly in Chiapas, are dominated by highly divergent alleles that do not occur in the remainder of the range. These alleles are not associated with similarly divergent morphology, and the molecular data do not suggest that populations in Chiapas are reproductively isolated from other populations, since heterozygotes that combine the "Chiapas type" alleles with more widespread alleles are sometimes encountered. Based on limited sampling, Cuban populations cluster with those of the northern and eastern Yucatán and appear to be morphologically indistinguishable from those of the mainland. Most of the collections of S. cubensis are of fruiting material; flowers have been collected infrequently.

    Uses: Swartzia cubensis is used for firewood (Gutíerrez 114), and the timber is occasionally harvested (e.g., Flores 9856) for minor miscellaneous uses, including making tables (Souza 11057). In Belize, a tea prepared with the bark is used to treat snakebite (Arvigo et al. 544), and in Yucatán, the charred bark is used to treat injuries (Ucan et al. 3796).

    Etymology: The specific epithet refers to the origin of the type collection in Cuba.

    Conservation: Swartzia cubensis is not currently threatened. The species is common throughout much of its mainland range and grows well in secondary forest. It probably occurs in a number of the protected areas in the region. Genetically divergent populations in Chiapas are poorly known and deserve greater attention. The status of the species in Cuba is unknown.

  • Floras and Monographs

    Swartzia cubensis (Britton & P.Wilson) Standl.: [Article] Cowan, Richard S. 1967. Swartzia (Leguminosae, Caesalpinioideae Swartzieae). Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 1: 3-228.