ABSTRACT
Inexplicably, in the Virgin Islands G. scabra is called greenheart. That common name elsewhere is given to Chlorocardium rodiaei (also called Nectandra rodiaei and Ocotea rodiaei, Lauraceae) of Guyana, sometimes called Demerara greenheart (Gérard et al. 1996). That species is a large rainforest giant that provides one of the main timbers exported from that country. It is a heavy timber, resistant to termites and borers. It is a mystery how the people in the Virgin Islands came to use the same name for G. scabra, which is a small tree of moist coastal woodlands on limestone, reaching a height of only 10 to 15 feet and only about 4 inches in diameter. Maybe it also has green heartwood?
