Common Trees of Virgin Islands National Park

Seashore Trees Fruit Trees Mangrove National Park Service Sugar Apple Rhizophora mangle U.S. Department of the Interior Black, white and red Annona squamosa mangroves are common A small deciduous tree attaining 10-20 ft. in Virgin Islands National Park species along our tropi height with irregular cal shores. The red spreading branches. Well shown here, extends shorelines or creates is known for its sweet edi Common Trees of lands with it's arching ble fruit, resembling hand Virgin Islands National Park stilt roots. grenades in appearance. Ginger Thomas* Seagrape Tecoma stans Cocoloba uvifera Mango* This familiar shoreline Mangifera indica tree is easy to identify by An excellent hardy its large round leathery shade tree with lance leaves. It bears clusters shaped leaves and bear of green, ripening to ing one of the finest purple, fruits that are tropical fruits. One of edible. many introduced spe cies. Its sap may cause dermatitis. Maho* Thespesia populnea This coastal tree, for Genip* which Maho Bay was Melicoccus bijugatus named, is characterized This large deciduous by large bell-shaped tree has gray blotchy flowers that turn from bark and dark green pale yellow to purple. It leaves . The clustered has heart shaped leaves edible fruits are quarter and green seed pods that sized with green leath Ginger Thomas (also yellow cedar or turn brown. ery skin, a single large yellow elder) is a nonnative tree or seed and tart pulpy Manchineel fruit. shrub, that produces the official Hippomane mancine/la flower of the US Virgin Islands. It is This is a very poisonous found along roadsides with bright tree with shiny , small Some common trees within the Park are non yellow, trumpet shaped flowers, and oval leaves. It can grow native or naturalized (exotic*), and may be dis to 40 ft. in height, and long, narrow seed pods. Ginger placing native (indigenous) flora and fauna. Thomas usually blooms during bears small crabapple Virgin Islands National Park is implementing a sized fruits that are management program to control the invasive extended rainy periods. highly toxic. The tree's exotics, in order to protect the native trees. white sap is also very harmful. Flamboyant * Bay Rum This is a guide to the most commonly found Delonix regia Pimenta racemosa trees in Virgin Islands National Park The Also: Royal Poinciana A smooth barked tree with A large tree with 2 foot long dark green, shiny fragrant majority of these trees can be seen at popular "feathery" leaves and a brilliant leaves. The leaves are used sitesinthepark suchasTrunkBay, Annaberg, spreading crown ofblood medicinally and the oil from or alonghiking trails. The Park is home to orange flowers , blooming twice the leaves for aftershave. a year. Its long woody "shak Easily seen around the Cinna over 400 tree species. Many of these have shak" seed pods used in calypso mon Bay ruins, it is still lo several names due to the complex cultural and local scratchband music. cally used for cooking, how heritage of the island. ever it should not be con fused with the more widely used laurel bay leaf. Teyer Palm Coccothrinax a/ta The only remaining native Gumbo Limbo Frangipani palm. Used in traditional Bursera Simaruba Plumeria alba basketry, fish traps, Also: Turpentine or Tourist This attractive native tree ' brooms and roof thatching. Tree. Identify this dry for with milky sap, is easily dis These trees prefer moist iilili~l'll~~ est tree by its peeling red tinguished by its Jong narrow habitats and grow with tall bark (or skin!). The leaves lance-shaped leaves and clus slender trunks. and sap smell like turpen ters of fragrant waxy, white tine and have many medici flowers. It grows in dry areas, nal properties. and is often deleafed by a moth caterpillar. Calabash Crescentia cujete A distinctive tree with Lignum Vitae Tamarind* leaves growing directly off Guaiacum officinale Tamarindus indica the main branches. The A slow growing evergreen Large trees with feathery fruit can grow to basketball with small orange seedpods ' leaves are often found in road size, and when dried , used It blooms twice a year with ways and trails. They bear as gourds, rattles or orna pale blue flowers. It has an pulpy bean shaped seed pods. extremely dense wood that The fruit is used to make mental bowls. will sink in water and was can-dies, juices or eaten raw. used for ball bearings. It is a tasty ingredient in Worcester-shire sauce. Noni I starvation fruit Marinda citrifolia Kapok* Monkey No Climb* Ceiba pentandra Also: Painkiller plant Hura crepitans It can be seen at the en Also: Silk Cotton Tree. Can Easily identifiable by its bark, trance to Trunk Bay. Iden- be found on the Reef bay which is covered with dense . tifiable by large, oval leaves trail with huge buttressing sharp thorns. Miniature pump ~ and irregularly shaped, roots. Its seed pods release kin shaped seed pods were whitish fruit, palatable to fluffy silky material used once used as receptacles for animals and birds only, also for stuffing mattress cush sand used to blot ink on a ._'2~·~•used in modern, alternative ions and life jackets. In writing quill, hence the nick medicine . digenous people carved ca name Sandbox tree. noes and drums from the trunk. .

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