Randia dioica H.Karst.

  • Authority

    Maguire, Bassett. 1972. The botany of the Guayana Highland--part IX. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 23: 1-832.

  • Family

    Rubiaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Randia dioica H.Karst.

  • Description

    Distribution and Ecology - Distribution. Northern Venezuela and adjacent Colombia (Magdalena). VENEZUELA. D. F.: Bosque de Catuche, above Caracas, alt 1200-1800 m, 1 Jun 1913, Pittier 6296 (type of Randia caracasana Standi.); arriba del Country Club, Caracas, 5 Jun 1956, Trujillo 1176; Colinas del Jardin Botanico, Caracas, 10 Jul 1961, Lasser 4326; Curucutí cerca de Maiquetía, 1 Jun 1922, Pittier 10348; between Caracas and Puerto Cabello, 19 Oct 1921, E. Pittier 50; Los Chorros, Caracas and vicinity, 27 Dec 1920, L. H. & E. Z. Bailey 491; Hacienda Sosa, El Valle, 15 May 1950, Fernandez 194; Colinas de El Pinar (El Paraiso), Caracas, Aristeguieta & Morillo 7678; Jardin Botanico, Caracas, 14 Jun 1960, Steyermark 86294; entre Sabana Grande y Baruta, alt 1000 m, Nov 1938, Williams 10852; arriba de Caracas, 25 Mar 1917, Pittier 7063; bosque de Catuche, cerca de Caracas, 28 Oct 1917, Pittier 7549; Catuche woods, Caracas, 26 Jan 1935, Archer 2980; El Pinar, Caracas, 5 Oct 1947, Curran 284; Cerros arriba de Punta de Mulatos, alt 1300 m, 7 Jun 1950, Trujillo 1239. Miranda: between Sabana Grande and Baruta, alt 1000 m, 8 Dec 1938, Williams & Alston 248. Aragua: prope Colonia Tovar, Fendler 551; near Aragua-Miranda border, S- to SW-facing slopes of Cerro Zamuro, S of La Fila Maestra of Interior Coastal Cordillera, NE of San Casimiro, bordering quebrada along Río Negrito, 2-3 km NE of Hacienda Negrita, 29 km S of Cua, alt 1100 m, 26 Oct 1963, Steyermark 91781; terrenos de Facultad de Agronomia, Maracay, 13 Nov 1960, Trujillo 5061. Carabobo: between El Palito and Moron, road from Puerto Cabello to San Felipe, near sea level, 5 Jun 1920, Pittier 8869; Guatara, alt 400 m, 27 Jul 1938, Williams 10277. Lara: alrededores de Barquisimeto, Jul 1925, Saer 266. Guarico: cerca Quebrada Las Tinajas, selvas de Tamanaco, 11-12 Jun 1966, Aristeguieta 6129. Falcon: Sierra de San Luis, selva tropófila con peñascos calcáreos cerca del Puente de Jobo, entre Curimagua y San Luis, alt 800-900 m, 20 Jul 1967, Steyermark 99265. Zulia: La Trompito, Río Guasare, Distrito Mara, 22 Aug 1957, Medina 739. Bolívar: 7 km E of Peru, 17 km E of El Callao, alt 300 m, 3 Jul 1960, Little 17558. COLOMBIA. Magdalena: Hoya del Río Cesar, Hoya del Río Azucarbuena, region El Callao, Hacienda Santa Marta (Globe de Maldonado abajo y Potosi), alt 200 m, 30 Oct 1959, Cuatrecasas & Castaneda 24951.

  • Discussion

    Basanacantha spinosa var pubescens (H.B.K.) Schum., Mart. Fl. Bras. 6(6): 378. 1889, as to specimens cited “prope Caracas.”

    Basanacantha dioica (Karst.) Hook. f. ex Ind. Kew. 277. 1895.

    Randia armata var pubescens (Schum.) Kunth, Init. Fl. Venez. 666. 1928.

    Randia caracasana Standi., Field Mus. Publ. Bot. 8: 57. 1930.

    Type. La Guaira, Distrito Federal, Venezuela, Karsten s n.

    Karsten’s plate 167, fig. I and description are matched by Standleyi Randia caracasana. Knuth correctly cites the type locality of Randia dioica as La Guayra in Venezuela, whereas Standley erroneously gives the type locality (Field Mus. Publ. Bot. 7: 60. 1930) as Colombia for Karsten’s collection. The densely pilose, small fruits, small flowers, densely pubescent calyx lobes on both sides, and leaf blades densely softly pilose beneath distinguish this taxon. The rounded or obtuse corolla lobes distinguish it from R. armata (Sw.) DC., under which taxon Schumann treated it as Basanacantha spinosa var pubescens Schum.

    The calyx lobes in fruit are persistent or deciduous, eventually falling. They may vary in shape from obovate or spathulate and abruptly cuspidate to more narrowly linear-lanceolate with a tapering acuminate apex, and from broadest above the middle with a width of 2-2.5 mm to broadest below the middle with a width of only 0.8-1 mm (Lasser 4326, Aristeguieta 6129, and Trujillo 1176). The leaf blades vary from densely to sparingly pilose (in fruit) on the upper surface, and usually densely soft pilose beneath, and from acute to acuminate to obtuse or rounded.

  • Distribution

    Distribution. Northern Venezuela and adjacent Colombia (Magdalena).

    Venezuela South America| Colombia South America|