Guettarda elliptica Sw.

  • Authority

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

  • Family

    Rubiaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Guettarda elliptica Sw.

  • Description

    Distribution and Ecology - Distribution. West Indies (Greater Antilles), Florida, and Mexico. WEST INDIES. Cuba, Jamaica, Bahamas, Hayti, Puerto Rico.

  • Discussion

    Type. Jamaica.

    This is the taxon commonly represented in the Greater Antilles of the group involving G. elliptica and G. odorata (G. parviflora). As compared with G. odorata, the pubescence is much more marked and conspicuous on the leaves and peduncles, and the flowers are commonly 4-merous with commonly 4-celled fruits. Although Swartz described the flowers as tetrandrous, and Grisebach describes the corolla lobes as four in a March collection from Jamaica, my examination of the March collection at NY shows five stamens, five corolla lobes, and five cells of the ovary. De Candolle and later authors describe the flowers of G. elliptica as 4-merous with 4-seeded fruits, those of G. parviflora—G. odorata as 5-6-merous. However, dissection of numerous specimens from Jamaica, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Hayti, and the Bahamas shows variation with respect to the numbers of stamens, corolla lobes, and cells of the ovary. While most of the collections show tetramerous flowers with commonly 4-celled ovaries, many of them vary in having 5-6-merous flowers and 5-6-celled ovaries.

  • Distribution

    Distribution. West Indies (Greater Antilles), Florida, and Mexico. WEST INDIES. Cuba, Jamaica, Bahamas, Hayti, Puerto Rico.

    West Indies| United States of America North America| Mexico North America| Cuba South America| Jamaica South America| Bahamas South America| Haiti South America| Puerto Rico South America|