Randia aculeata var. aculeata f. aculeata

  • 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 aculeata var. aculeata f. aculeata

  • Description

    Distribution and Ecology - Distribution. Southern United States (Florida), West Indies (Greater and Lesser Antilles), Mexico, Central America, Tobago, Trinidad, Venezuela, and Colombia. TRINIDAD. Biscayne Bay, Monos Island, Britton & Hazen 1741. VENEZUELA. Falcon: Sierra de San Luis, entre Curimagua y San Luis, alt 800-900 m, Steyermark 99279. COLOMBIA. Magdalena: near Mamatoca, alt 33 m, H. H. Smith 1867; 3 mi SE of Bonda, alt 120 m, H. H. Smith 2400.

  • Discussion

    Randia aculeata L., Sp. Pl. 1192. 1753.

    Randia latifolia Lam., Encycl. 3: 24. 1789; 111. pi. 156, f. 1. 1789.

    The microfilm of the Linnaean specimen of Randia aculeata (214.1) shows a spiny-twigged plant with 2 terminal spines on several of the branches and broadly elliptic or obovate leaves rounded at the apex and cuneately narrowed at the base into a petiolate portion. The size of the leaves on the Linnaean specimen falls within the 11-60 × 10-35-mm proportion. Proctor 9554 from Jamaica (Hellshire Hills east of Salt Island Pond, St. Catherine Parish) is a good match for the Linnaean type, with 2 slender terminal spines on the lateral spurs of both leafy and fruiting branches, broadly obovate leaves with rounded apices and bases abruptly cuneate into a petiolar portion 3-9 mm long. The spines of the Proctor specimen are 7-10 mm long, the leaves 30-47 × 13-30 mm with mainly 3 pairs of faint lateral nerves. The fruit, 7-8 × 7-8 mm, is subglobose, glabrate, 6-8-seeded, and both axillary and terminal. Another Jamaican specimen (Britton 2679 from Grierfield, near Moneague, St. Ann Parish) has both terminal and axillary paired spines with elliptic to narrowly oblong-subspathulate leaves 25-58 × 12-21 mm, and ovoid fruit longer than broad, 15-16 × 11-12 mm, glabrous and up to 23-seeded. Fruits of other Jamaican specimens have 11-13 seeds. Leaf variation of this taxon range from proportions in which the breadth is nearly as long as the length to those 2-3 times longer than broad. The corolla varies from 5.5-10 mm long with the lobes about equaling the tube, but sometimes slightly shorter than the tube. The seeds average 6-14 within a fruit, but may be 16-24.

  • Distribution

    Distribution. Southern United States (Florida), West Indies (Greater and Lesser Antilles), Mexico, Central America, Tobago, Trinidad, Venezuela, and Colombia. TRINIDAD. Biscayne Bay, Monos Island, Britton & Hazen 1741. VENEZUELA. Falcon: Sierra de San Luis, entre Curimagua y San Luis, alt 800-900 m, Steyermark 99279. COLOMBIA. Magdalena: near Mamatoca, alt 33 m, H. H. Smith 1867; 3 mi SE of Bonda, alt 120 m, H. H. Smith 2400.

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