Plinia costata Amshoff

  • Authority

    Maguire, Bassett. 1969. The botany of the Guayana Highland-part VIII. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 18: 1-290.

  • Family

    Myrtaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Plinia costata Amshoff

  • Description

    Distribution and Ecology - SURINAME. Coppename River near Raleighfalls, 10 Sep 1933 (fl), Lanjouw724 (U, type); Marowijne River between Kabelstation and Gansee, 14 Apr 1915 (fl),B. W . [Stahel] 496 ( U ) ; Distr. Brokopondo, banks of Suriname River, 1 k m S ofGansee, 14 M a y 1964 (fl), van Donselaar 1327 (U); Watramiri, tree no. 1627, 6Jun 1916 (sterile), B. W 1888 (U), 25 Mar 1919 (bud), B. W 4290 (U); ZuidRivier, Kayser Airstrip, 45 k m above confluence with Lucie Rivier, elev 270 m, 29Sep 1963 (fl, fr), Irwin et al 57694 ( M I C H ) ; Zuid Rivier, 2 k m above confluencewith Lucie Rivier, elev 220 m, 15 Sep 1963 (fl), h-win et al 55732 ( M I C H ).

  • Discussion

    For description see Amshoff (Fl. Suriname 3(2): 99. 1951). The leaves are unlike those of any other known species of this genus, with long acute points, rounded or subcordate bases, and impressed, strong, lateral and marginal veins. The midvein is impressed in a deep and often nearly closed furrow. The flowers are in sessile and conspicuously bracteate clusters like those of most other species, but the clusters are more crowded, often with as many as 10 flowers in each; the bracts thtis are more or less interspersed among the flowers, not compressed into an involucre-like group at the base of the flower-cluster; the bracts and bracteoles are often pointed, ovate, 3 m m long and 2.5 m m wide or the bracts a httle longer and relatively narrower, silky on the outer surface. The ovary is described by Amshoff as "2-3-celled, . . . cells 2-ovulate," but in all the flowers I have examined (in the type, in Stahel 496, and in Irwin et al 57694), the ovary is bilocular, with 4 (rarely 3) ovules in each locule. The fruit, unknown until recently, was collected by Irwin et al {57694); described as "violet," it is apparently smooth and without longitudinal ridges, juicy, subglobose, about 1.5 cm in diam, with a bean-shaped seed 9 m m long; the cotyledons are large and plano-convex, distinct except for the united edges.

  • Distribution

    S U R I N A M E . Coppename River near Raleighfalls, 10 Sep 1933 (fl), Lanjouw724 (U, type); Marowijne River between Kabelstation and Gansee, 14 Apr 1915 (fl),B. W . [Stahel] 496 ( U ) ; Distr. Brokopondo, banks of Suriname River, 1 k m S ofGansee, 14 M a y 1964 (fl), van Donselaar 1327 (U); Watramiri, tree no. 1627, 6Jun 1916 (sterile), B. W 1888 (U), 25 Mar 1919 (bud), B. W 4290 (U); ZuidRivier, Kayser Airstrip, 45 k m above confluence with Lucie Rivier, elev 270 m, 29Sep 1963 (fl, fr), Irwin

    Suriname South America|