Duroia genipoides Hook.f. & K.Schum.

  • Authority

    Maguire, Bassett. 1965. The Botany of the Guayana Highland. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 12 (3): 1-285.

  • Family

    Rubiaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Duroia genipoides Hook.f. & K.Schum.

  • Type

    Type. In camporum marginibus, INlaipures, Amazonas, Venezuela, Jun 1854, R. Spruce 3634 (K, photo NY).

  • Discussion

    Many collections identified as D. genipoides prove to be D. fusifera, D. sprucei, or other taxa. A recent collection by Maguire, Wurdack & Bunting 36173 near the type locality is the first pistillate collection since the type, and, with the 3-4 mature fruits on long fruiting pedicels, is an excellent match for the type of D. genipoides. The species is rarely collected, and is characterized by the 3-4 long-pedicellate fruits, glabrous pistillate pedicels, ovary, and calyx-tube, and ternate leaves with the upper leaf surface conspicuously transversely veined. Standley confused this species with D. sprucei Rusby. In his Rubiaceae of Venezuela (Bot. Ser. Field Mus. 7 395. 1931) he states that Spruce 3624 is "The same number is the type of D. sprucei." This is misleading because Rusby cites Rusby & Squires 171 and 172 from Sacupana, lower Orinoco, as constituting the type of D. sprucei. Although Rusby made the statement in his publication (Descr. N. Sp. S. Amer. PI. 133) that "The same as Spruce 3624," this implied that his D. sprucei was identical with the taxon represented by Spruce 3624, namely D. genipoides. As brought out in the current treatment of Duroia, I regard the two taxa as different species, D. genipoides having prominently long-pedicellate fruits and D. sprucei sessile fruits (as described by Rusby under D. sprucei). Incidentally, it should be noted that Spruce 3634 (not 3624) is the correct number that should be cited for the type of D. genipoides. On the photo of the type from Kew the upper specimen with the label marked "Type collection of Duroia genipoides Hook. f. ex Schum. and of Duroia sprucei Rusby" bears the number 3634, whereas the lower specimen has the label also marked with thenumber 3634. Both specimens show 3 stipitate long-pedicellate fruits.

  • Distribution

    Distribution. VENEZUELA. Maipures, Spruce 3634 (holotype K, photo-NY); Orinoco, Puerto Zamuro, Gaillard 19; Puerto Ayacueho, Holt d Blake 809; Isla Carestia at Saltos Carestia y Gallo, 5 km N of Sanariapo, Maguire, Wurdack & Bunting 36173. BRAZIL. Boca del Rio Castanho, raudales Uayanari, Rio Padauari, Brazil-Venezuela border, Cardona 1262.

    Venezuela South America| Brazil South America|