Tabebuia heterophylla (DC.) Britton

• Title

  Tabebuia heterophylla (DC.) Britton

• Author(s)

  Nathaniel Lord Britton, Frances W. Horne

• Scientific Name

  Tabebuia heterophylla (DC.) Britton

• Description

  Flora Borinqueña Tabebuia heterophylla Roble prieto Smaller White Cedar Family Bignoniaceae Trumpet-creeper Family Raputia heterophylla De Candolle, Memoires de Museum d'Histoire Naturelle 9: 153. 1822 Tabebuia triphylla De Candolle, Prodromus 9: 214. 1845. Tabebuia heterophylla Britton, Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden 2: 48. 1915. Tecoma Eggersii Kraenzlin, Repertorium Species Novarum 17: 219. 1921. Whether this tree, which inhabits the dry southern and eastern parts of Porto Rico mostly at low elevations near the coasts, is specifically distinct from Tabebuia pallida, the Roble blanco, or that the two are only conditions of one species, is a question which has aroused differences of opinion; they often resemble each other closely and some individual trees are difficult to classify as one or the other; this tree of the dry districts is usually smaller than the other one, has leaves with rarely more than 3, smaller leaflets, smaller, and often few, or solitary flowers, and shorter pods. It inhabits also the islands Mona, Culebra and Vieques, the Virgin Islands, St. Barts, Jamaica and the Cayman Islands. Tabebuia heterophylla is a tree from 5 to 10 meters high, sometimes smaller and shrub-like, with densely, minutely scaly leaves borne on stalks about 3 centimeters long, or shorter; the usually 1 to 3, oblong to obovate, blunt or pointed leaflets are mostly from 3 to 7 centimeters long, and firm in texture. The flowers are borne solitary, few together, or sometimes many; the calyx is 10 or 12 millimeters long, the pink, or white corolla mostly 3 to 6 centimeters long. The capsule is from 5 to 11 centimeters long. For an account of the genus we refer to our description of Tabebuia haemantha.