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Calophyllum antillanum

(Antilles Calophyllum)

Overview

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The leaves were once used as a diuretic in Grenada, but it is said in Dominica to be poisonous (Politi, 1996). Famous hard wood . Very long lasting hut construction.

Common Names

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Click on the language to view common names.

Common Names in English:

Alexandrian Laurel, Antilles Calophyllum, Beauty Leaf, Calaba, Calaba Tree, Galba, Mast Wood, Santa Maria, Santa Maria-Tree, West Indian-Laurel

Common Names in French:

Bois De Charromage

Description

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Family Clusiaceae

Trees , shrubs , or sometimes herbs containing resin or oil in schizogenous spaces or canals and sometimes black or red glands containing hypericin or pseudohypericin. Leaves simple , entire or rarely gland-fringed, opposite or sometimes whorled , nearly always estipulate. Flowers bisexual or unisexual , regular, hypogynous, solitary or in cymes or thyrses ; bracteoles often inserted just beneath calyx and then not always easily distinguishable from sepals. Sepals (2-) 4 or 5(or 6), imbricate or decussate or rarely wholly united in bud, inner ones sometimes petaloid . Petals [3 or]4 or 5[or 6], free , imbricate or contorted in bud. Stamens many to rarely few (9), in [3 or]4 or 5 bundles (fascicles) that are free and antipetalous or variously connate , with filaments variously united or apparently free and then sometimes sterile (staminodes) ; anther dehiscence longitudinal . Staminode bundles (fasciclodes) 3-5, free and antisepalous or variously connate or absent. Ovary superior, with 2-5(-12) connate carpels, 1-12-loculed, with axile to parietal or basal placentation ; ovules 1 to many on each placenta, erect to pendulous; styles 1-5[-12], free or ± united or absent; stigmas 1-12, punctiform to peltate or, when sessile, radiate , surface papillate or smooth . Fruit a septicidal or septifragal, rarely loculicidal, capsule, berry, or drupe; seeds 1 to many, without or almost without endosperm [sometimes arillate ].

About 40 genera and 1200 species: mainly in tropical regions , except Hypericum and Triadenum, which are both mainly temperate in distribution; eight genera (one endemic) and 95 species (48 endemic, one introduced ) in China.

The Clusiaceae are a rather economically important family . Many species, such as Mesua ferrea and Garcinia paucinervis, have hard wood . Numerous species in Calophyllum, Clusia Linnaeus, and Garcinia produce valuable commercial resin or gum. Gamboge is produced from Garcinia morella Desrousseaux and other species. Garcinia mangostana and Mammea americana Linnaeus produce well-known edible fruits. Other species, such as Calophyllum inophyllum and Garcinia indica Choisy, have oily seeds. Hypericum is important in horticulture and medicine.

[1]

Genus Calophyllum

Trees or shrubs , with clear [or milky or yellow] latex. Apical buds rarely abortive ; buds lacking (or with) scales . Leaves opposite, petiolate [or rarely sessile], leathery, usually glabrous ; secondary veins many, almost perpendicular to midvein , ± prominent above; tertiary venation absent; translucent glandular canals present between veins. Inflorescence cymose or thyrsiform, terminal or axillary . Flowers bisexual [or rarely unisexual ]. Sepals and petals together 4-12 (usually 4 + 4 in Chinese species), 2- or 3-whorled, not always differentiated, outer (sepals) decussate, inner (petals) imbricate. Stamens many, not obviously fascicled; filaments scarcely united or all free , slender; anthers erect , basifixed ; fasciclodes absent. Ovary 1-loculed, glabrous [tomentose ], with a single erect ovule; style elongate , slender; stigma often peltate. Drupelike berry with thin exocarp ("skin"), thin fleshy mesocarp and thin endocarp sometimes adherent to seed. Seed 1, large, with thin [or thick] testa ("stone") ; embryo with broad fleshy cotyledons.

About 187 species: tropical regions , mainly in Asia, but also in E Africa, tropical America, Madagascar, the Mascarenes, and Australasia; four species in China.[2]

Physical Description

Habit: Tree , Shrub

Flowers: Flower Color: near white, white

Size/Age/Growth

Size: 6-8' tall.

Biology

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Reproduction

Duration: Perennial

Growth

Soil: Minimum pH: 5.6 • Maximum pH: 8.5

Sunlight: Sun Exposure: Full Sun .

Temperature: Cold Hardiness: 9b, 10a, 10b, 11. (map)

Taxonomy

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Unambiguous Synonyms

  1. Calophyllum brasiliense auct. non Camb.
  2. Calophyllum brasiliense var. antillanum (Britt.) Standl.
  3. Calophyllum calaba Jacq. , Non L.

Notes

Publishing author : Standl. Publication : Trop. Woods 30: 7 1932 Publishing author: L. Publication: Sp. Pl. 514.An accepted name in the RHS Horticultural Database.

Name Status: Accepted Name. Latest taxonomic scrutiny: 15-Mar-2000

Place of publication: N. L. Britton & P. Wilson, Bot. Porto Rico 5:584. 1924 (Sci. Surv. Porto Rico & Virgin Isl.)

Name verified on 08-Aug-1996 by ARS Systematic Botanists. Last updated: 02-Feb-2006

Similar Species

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Members of the genus Calophyllum

ZipcodeZoo has pages for 267 species, subspecies, varieties, forms, and cultivars in this genus. Here are just 100 of them:

C. acidus · C. acuminatum · C. acutiputamen · C. aerarium · C. akara · C. alboramulum · C. amalloides · C. amblyphyllum · C. amoenum · C. amplexicaule · C. andersonii · C. angulare · C. angustifolium · C. angustum · C. antillanum (Antilles Calophyllum) · C. apetalum · C. archipelagi · C. ardens · C. arestanosans · C. articulatum · C. augia · C. aurantiacum · C. auriculatum · C. australianum · C. austrocoriaceum · C. austroindicum · C. balansae · C. bancanum · C. banyengii · C. benjamina · C. bicolor · C. biflorum · C. bifurcatum · C. bingator · C. blancoi · C. blumei · C. bonii · C. borneense · C. brachyphyllum · C. bracteatum · C. brasiliense · C. brasiliense var. rekoi · C. brasiliensis · C. brasilinse · C. brassii · C. burmanni · C. bursiculum · C. calaba · C. calabra · C. calcicola · C. caledonicum · C. canum · C. carrii · C. carrii var. carrii · C. carrii var. longigemmatum · C. castaneum · C. caudatum · C. celebicum · C. cerasiferum · C. ceriferum · C. changii · C. chapelieri · C. chiapense · C. chinense · C. cholobtaches (Calophyllum) · C. clemensorum · C. collinum · C. comorense · C. complanatum · C. confertum · C. confusum · C. congestiflorum · C. cordato-oblongum · C. coriaceum · C. costatum · C. costulatum · C. cucullatum · C. cumingii · C. cuneatum · C. cuneifolium · C. cupi · C. curtisii · C. cussi · C. cymosum · C. decipiens · C. depressinervosum · C. dioscurii · C. dispar · C. dongnaiense · C. drouhardi · C. drouhardii · C. dryobalanoides · C. dubium · C. dunkani · C. echinatum · C. edule · C. elatum · C. elegans · C. ellipticum · C. enervosum

More Info

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Further Reading

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Notes

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Contributors

Data Sources

Accessed through GBIF Data Portal November 12, 2007:

Identifiers

Footnotes

  1. Xi-wen Li, Jie Li, Norman K. B. Robson & Peter Stevens "Clusiaceae". in Flora of China Vol. 13 Page 1. Published by Science Press (Beijing) and Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
  2. Xi-wen Li, Jie Li & Peter Stevens "Calophyllum". in Flora of China Vol. 13 Page 1, 38. Published by Science Press (Beijing) and Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
Last Revised: 7/1/2009