Gaita

Trichilia pallida Sw. Prodr. 67. 1788
Guarea oblusifolia Lam. Encyc. 3: 6. 1789.
Porlesia orate. Cav. Diss. 369. 1789.
^Trichilia portoricensis Spreng. Syst. 3: 68. 1826.
Pholacilia diversifolia Stahl. Est. 2: 166. 1884. Not P. diversifolia Griseb. 1859.
Trichilia diversifolia Cook & Coll. Contr. U. S. Nat. Herb. 8: 257. 1903. Not T. diversifolia A.
Juss. 1830. Trichilia simplicifolia Cook & Coll. Contr. U. S. Nat. Herb. 8: 258. 1903. Not T. simplicifolia
Spreng. 1826.
A shrub or small tree 3-5 m. tall, or tree sometimes attaining a height of 15 m., the young growth hirsutulous; bark of the twigs brown, often conspicuously scarred with elevated, elliptic or oval lenticils; leaves odd-pinnate, 10-25 cm. long, the petioles channeled above, hirsutulous when young, glabrate in age; leaflets 3-7, opposite or nearly so, oblong-elliptic to elliptic, oblanceolate or obovate, the lateral leaflets 3.5-15 cm. long, 2-6 cm. broad, the terminal leaflet often longer and broader, all acute or sometimes rounded at the apex, acute or cuneate at the base, glabrous on both surfaces; midrib and lateral veins prominent beneath; inflorescence umbel-like, lateral, axillary, the branches hirsutulous; flowers long-pedicelled, the pedicels dilated at the apex and jointed with the base of the calyx; calyx gamosepalous, commonly with 4 triangular, acute lobes, hirsutulous on the outside; petals usually 4, oblong-elliptic to elliptic, 4.5-6.5 mm. long, 2.5-3 mm. broad, acute at the apex, greenishor yellowish-white, clothed on the back with short, appressed hairs; staminal tube lobed to the middle or below, the lobes oblong, villous above within and on the back, the lobes shortly 2-toothed; anthers oblong, sparingly villous; ovary 2or 3-celled, hirsutulous, adherent to the staminal tube; capsule ovoid, 1-1.5 cm. long, 7-9 mm. broad, hirsutulous; seeds ellipsoid or ovoid, 5.5-7 mm. long, 4-6 mm. broad, more or less flattened on one side.
Type locality: Hispaniola.
Distribution: Cuba, Hispaniola, and Porto Rico.

Trichilia simplicifolia Spreng. Syst. 3: 69. 1826
Hcdwigia simplicifolia Spreng. Neue Entd. 3: 24. 1822. Trichilia diversifolia A. Juss. Mem. Mus. Paris 19: 278. 1830. Pholacilia diversifolia Griseb. Fl. Brit. W. Ind. 130. 1859.
A small or medium-sized tree; petioles and rachis often more or less grooved, clothed, especially on the petioles, with small appressed hairs; leaves 1.5-2.8 dm. long; leaflets 3 or 5, rarely only 1, elliptic to oval, or broadly obovate, 9-24 cm. long, 4-13 cm. broad, acuminate at the apex, inequilateral and acutish or somewhat rounded at the base, petioluled, membranous, minutely pellucid-dotted, glabrous; midveins impressed above, prominent beneath; inflorescence axillary; flowers long-pedicelled, the pedicels jointed at the top; calyx puberulent, the lobes triangular, acute; petals elliptic to oval, 4.5-5 mm. long, 2-3 mm. broad, obtuse at the apex, puberulent on the outside with mostly appressed hairs; filaments oblong, distinct to the base, hirsute above especially within; anthers more or less hirsute; ovary hirsute, sessile in a shallow disk; capsule 1-1.4 cm. long, velutinous to nearly glabrous; seeds more or less ovoid, often somewhat flattened.
Type locality: Martinique. Distribution: Martinique and Guadeloupe.

Trichilia montana H.B.K. Nov. Gen. & Sp. 7: 226. 1825
Trichilia montana acutivalvis C. DC. Bull. Herb. Boiss. II. 5: 422. 1905.
A tree, with grayish-brown strigulose-tomentulose twigs, glabrous in age; leaves alternate, 23-29 cm. long, the petioles and rachis grooved above, more or less tomentulose with mostly appressed hairs when young; leaflets 3 or 5, firm, opposite, the lateral ones oblong-elliptic to elliptic-ovate, 9-16 cm. long, 4-7 cm. broad, the terminal leaflet usually larger, all abruptly short-acuminate at the apex, the tip obtuse or somewhat acutish, acute at the base, petioluled, minutely pellucid-dotted, reticulate-veined, glabrous above, the midvein impressed, glabrous or puberulent on the veins beneath, the midvein and lateral veins prominent; inflorescence axillary, the branches puberulent; bracts ovate, acute; flowers short-pedicelled; calyx cupshaped, 4toothed, sericeous-puberulent, the teeth acute; petals ovate-oblong, acute, appressedpuberulent on the back; staminal tube lobed, the lobes pilose above; anthers ovate-oblong, pilose; ovary ovoid, hirsute; capsulevalves lanceolate or lanceolate-ovate, 11-14 cm. long, about 6 mm. broad, acute, strigose-hirsute; seeds ovoid, 8 mm. long, 6 mm. broad.
Type locality: Quindio mountains, Colombia. Distribution: Central America; also in South America.