Guettarda tournefortiopsis var. crassifolia (Standl. ex Steyerm.) Steyerm.

  • 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 tournefortiopsis var. crassifolia (Standl. ex Steyerm.) Steyerm.

  • Description

    Distribution and Ecology - Distribution. Colombia and Venezuela. COLOMBIA. El Valle: Los Farallones, vertiente NW, lomas parameras entre las minas de El Socorro y El Diamante, alt 3100-3200 m, 31 Jul, 2 Aug 1946, Cuatrecasas 21859; Hoya del Rio Digua, Rio San Juan, abajo de Queremal a la derecha del río entre km 52 y 53, vertiente occidental, Cordillera Occidental, alt 1300-1500 m, 19, 24, 27 Mar 1947, Cuatrecasas 23950. VENEZUELA. Mérida: Tabay, Mucunután, camino para El Toro, selva humeda, alt 2500-2800 m, 20 Oct 1930, Gehriger 581; camino a Sierra Nevada, 10 km E of Merida, alt 2700 m, 30 Aug 1953, Little 15494.

  • Discussion

    The Colombian and Venezuelan variation of G. tournefortiopsis generally shows longer peduncles with fewer-flowered branches of the inflorescence, and longer fruits. The Venezuelan material has proportionately longer and narrower leaves with the pubescence on the lower leaf surface more softly lanulose-arachnoid than the Colombian specimens, and matches the Bolivian type collection of Tournefortiopsis reticulata vegetatively. In view of the relatively few collections available, however, it is at present advisable to maintain the Colombian and Venezuelan collections together and noting the variability of their pubescence on the lower leaf surface.

    The Peruvian collection of Matthews 1938 has a 5-celled ovary as in G. tournefortiopsis, but the pubescence on the lower and upper midrib and leaf shape resembles more closely that of G. hirsuta or G. dependens, especially of G. hirsuta, since the peduncles and upper portion of the stems have a spreading pubescence.

    Rusby attempted to establish a new genus for the taxon, Guettarda tournefortiopsis, when he published Tournefortiopsis (Bull. N. Y. Bot. Gard. 4: 369. 1913). He believed that the characters of persistent calyx, valvate appendaged corolla lobes, and dilated style were criteria distinguishable to separate it from Guettarda. Wernham, in the same year, described a second species, T. minor, based on a collection from Quichara, Bolivia, by Pearce, supposedly differentiated by its smaller stipules, fruits, and subentire calyx limb, and two years later, a third species, T. major, collected by Poeppig 1300. The generic characters suggested by Rusby do not support the separation of his taxon from Guettarda, a number of species of which have persistent calyces and appendaged corolla lobes. All the species of the genus possess valvate corolla lobes.

  • Distribution

    Distribution. Colombia and Venezuela.

    Colombia South America| Venezuela South America|