Pavonia restiaria Bertoni

  • Authority

    Fryxell, Paul A. 1999. Cavanilles (Malvaceae). Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 76: 1-284. (Published by NYBG Press)

  • Family

    Malvaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Pavonia restiaria Bertoni

  • Type

    Type. Paraguay. In open areas on the shores of the Alto Paraná River, Puerto Bertoni, Bertoni 6104 (specimen unknown); neotype, here designated: 40 km E of Iguaçú, Krapovickas & Cristóbal 40993 (neotype, TEX; isoneotypes, ASU, CTES, F, HAS, K, LIL, NY, SPF, USM, WIS).

  • Synonyms

    Pavonia restiaria f. sublobata Urb.

  • Description

    Species Description - Shrubs 1-2 m tall, the stems with narrow longitudinal lines of recurved simple hairs and with scattered coarse stellate (sometimes simple) hairs (0.5-1.5 mm long), the hairs erect or appressed. Leaf blades ovate (sometimes angulate to weakly 3-lobed), up to 16 x 19 cm (usually smaller, and reduced upward), basally cordate to subtruncate, serrate, acute or acuminate, palmately 7-11-nerved, stellate-pubescent (the hairs 3-6-armed, very variable in size), the upper surface also with short (0.3 mm) simple hairs; petioles 2-9(-19) cm long, much shorter than blade to equaling blade, densely and coarsely pubescent; stipules asymmetrically falcate, ca. 10 x 2-3 mm, recurved, sparsely pubescent. Flowers usually in a terminal panicle, more or less above the leaves; pedicels 1-2 cm long, slender, densely stellate-pubescent and often distally setose (hairs 1-2 mm long); involucellar bracts 8-9, densely setose, 10-15 mm long; calyx 6-7 mm long, prominently setose on margins and nerves; petals 1.5-2 cm long, yellow; densely bearded on claw; staminal column ca. 3 mm long, declined (?), the filaments 4-6 mm long; styles emergent from the column by ca. 1 cm, declined, free distally for ca. 2 mm. Fruits 8-9 mm diam., glabrous; mericarps 5-6 mm tall, narrowed basally, reticulate-angulate.

  • Discussion

    Local names and uses. Bertoni (1911) proposed the domestication of this species for the production of bast fibers and of cellulose pulp for the paper industry.

    Although Bertoni provided no illustration, and the location of the type specimen is unknown, his detailed description indicates a distinct species, closely allied to Pavonia paniculata to be sure, but evidently distinguished from it geographically, ecologically, and morphologically. Its involucel is longer than that of P. paniculata and its fruits are larger. It also occurs in a distinctive riverine habitat.

  • Distribution

    In S Brazil (Paraná), Paraguay, and NE Argentina (Corrientes, Misiones), in the drainage of the Río Paraná, growing directly on the banks of the Río Paraná or its tributaries (Krapovickas, pers. comm.). The type locality is at 26°20'S, 56°25'W.

    Brazil South America| Paraná Brazil South America| Paraguay South America| Alto Paraná Paraguay South America| Caaguazú Paraguay South America| Itapúa Paraguay South America| Misiones Paraguay South America| Argentina South America| Corrientes Argentina South America| Misiones Argentina South America| Buenos Aires Argentina South America|