Hedyosmum domingense Urb.
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Authority
Todzia, Carol A. 1988. Chloranthaceae: Hedyosmum. Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 48: 1-138. (Published by NYBG Press)
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Family
Chloranthaceae
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Scientific Name
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Type
Type. Dominican Republic. Barahona: Inter brachis rivulorum Cañada maluca, 1600 m, Apr 1912 (stam), Fuertes 1469 [lectotype (designated by Todzia & Wood (1988)), S; isolectotypes, A, BM, F, G, GH, K, L NY, P, US].
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Description
Species Description - Dioecious, sprawling shrubs or small trees 1.5-5 m tall; branches ascending; young stems quadrate, fragile, with the four edges ciliate; older stems terete, with leaf bases persisting for some time but eventually disintegrating and leaving encircling scars; internodes 1.6-3(-7) cm long; nodes slightly swollen. Leaves lanceolate to narrowly elliptic, 3.8-6.3(-7.8) x 1-1.5 cm, round to oblique at base, at margins serrate with teeth 3-4.5 mm distant, smooth, glabrous, drying subcoriaceous to coriaceous, light grayish brown above, reddish brown beneath; midveins impressed above, raised beneath; lateral veins 7-9, ca. 4.5 mm distant, narrow, obscure above, obscure to slightly raised beneath, with or without local clusters of basally fused, brown trichomes ca. half-way to margin; intersecondary and tertiary veins obscure; free portion of petioles 0.1-0.4 cm long; petiolar sheaths 0.6-1 x 0.4-0.7 cm, flared or straight, not inflated, persisting for a short time but disintegrating with age, at their distal margins with two fimbriate processes 2-4 mm long, these extending down sheath forming two distinct longitudinal ciliate to fimbriate raised lines; not extended beyond free portion of petioles. Staminate inflorescences either axillary solitary spikes or 1-3 terminal spikes, 1.2-4.4 cm long, light green; mature spikes 1.2-3.2 cm long; subtending bracts 0.4-1 cm long, entire or dentate, acute at tip; stamens 100-160, congested but becoming ca. 1 mm distant on rachis; rachis 0.5-1 mm wide, persisting or caducous after stamens have fallen; anthers 1-2 x ca. 0.5 mm; connective projecting upwards 0.5 mm beyond thecae, acute at tip. Pistillate inflorescences axillary or terminal, solitary or basally branched spikes 0.7-1.4 cm long with 5-12 sessile flowers, borne opposite to subopposite along inflorescence axes 0.5-1.5 mm distant; basal inflorescence bracts leaf-like, 1-3.5 x 3-8 mm, dentate; subtending floral bracts ovate, 2-3 mm long, ciliate along margin, with acuminate tips 1-6 mm long. Pistillate flowers globose, ellipsoidal to slightly trigonous, 2-3 x 1.5-2 mm, with a small, ciliate, pustulate pore in perianth tissue on each face of ovary; perianth lobes triangular, 0.2-0.5 mm long, acute at tip, free at base; stigmas lanceolate to oblanceolate in outline, 1-2.5 mm long, caducous, papillose. Fruits yellow to orange, globose to ellipsoidal, 3-4 x 2-3 mm. Seeds ca. 3 mm long, smooth, slightly trigonous.