Ryania speciosa var. speciosa

  • Authority

    Sleumer, Hermann O. 1980. Flacourtiaceae. Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 22: 1-499. (Published by NYBG Press)

  • Family

    Salicaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Ryania speciosa var. speciosa

  • Type

    Type. Ryan sn, Trinidad, fl (holotype, C; isotypes, B-Willd 10130, BM, phot NY, C, P-Juss 12592 A).

  • Description

    Variety Description - Shrub or small tree up to 13.0 m tall; trunk up to 15.0 cm diam. Branches pendent. Branchlets smoothly rusty-tomentose, the stellae with short appressed rays. Leaves lanceolate to elliptic or oblong, apex up to 2.5 cm subcaudate-acuminate, base often slightly oblique, obtusely attenuate or rounded, chartaceous to subcoriacerous, dull and essentially glabrous above, beneath closely to sparsely stellate-pubescent with short, mostly appressed hairs on midrib and nerves, sparsely so on intercostal face, entire or practically so, II. 0-22.0 cm long, 3.0-8.0 cm broad, lateral nerves 10-13 pairs prominent beneath, reticulation of veins and veinlets hardly so beneath; petiole densely rusty-tomentulose, 5.0-8.0(-10.0) mm long, stipules subulate, 3.0-11.0 mm long, caducous. Inflorescence 1- or 2-flowered, all over rusty-stellate-tomentu-lose; pedicels articulate at base, 3.0-7.0 mm long. Sepals persistent, lanceolate, smoothly rusty-tomentose outside, tomentellous inside, pale green maybe with pinkish hue, 2.0-4.0 cm long, (0.4-)0.5-1.2 cm broad. Anthers linear, mucronate at apex, 5.0-7.0 mm long. Disk 2.0 mm high, or less. Ovary (sub)sessile, ovoid or ellipsoid, tomentose; style pubescent at base only, up to 2.0 cm long. Fruit subglobular, roughly spongeous, reddish, rusty-tomentose, 2.0-2.5 cm diam; exocarp suberose, hardly 1.0 mm thick; endocarp crustaceous, ca 5.0 mm thick; seeds ovoid, bluntly angular; testa with scattered partly stellate hairs, 3.0-5.0 mm long.

    Distribution and Ecology - Trinidad and Venezuela (Sucre: Penísola de Paria, 600-1000 m). On Trinidad in the lowest storey of evergreen rain and semi-monsoon forest, on sandy soil, up to 600 m, locally gregarious, showing a remarkable homogeneity which speaks for treating it as a proper variety within the wide range of distribution and variability of Ryania speciosa sensu lato.

  • Distribution

    Venezuela South America| Sucre Venezuela South America| Trinidad and Tobago South America|