Trigonia eriosperma (Lam.) Fromm & E.Santos

  • Authority

    Lleras, Eduardo. 1978. Trigoniaceae. Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 19: 1-73. (Published by NYBG Press)

  • Family

    Trigoniaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Trigonia eriosperma (Lam.) Fromm & E.Santos

  • Type

    Type. Commerson sn Brazil, Rio de Janeiro, fr (holotype P -Herb. Lamarck; isotype P).

  • Synonyms

    Croton eriospermum Lam., Mainea racemosa Vell., Trigonia crotonoides Cambess., Trigonia crotonoides var. incana Cambess., Trigonia crotonoides var. oblongifolia Cambess., Trigonia micrantha Mart., Trigonia crotonoides var. elliptica Warm., Trigonia racemosa (Vell.) Hoehne

  • Discussion

    Shrubs or scandent shrubs, sometimes treelets, the branches terete, lenticellate, strigose, becoming glabrous with age. Stipules linear, 1.54.0 mm long, strigose to almost glabrous, caducous; petioles 2.0-5.0 mm long, 0.3-0.5 mm thick, strigose; lamina oblong-ovate to oblong-elliptic, 1.5-9.0 cm long, 1.0-3.5 cm wide, membranaceous to chartaceous, the margins entire, the apex acuminate, the base obtuse; venation eucamptodromous to brochidodromous, strigose to very densely strigose on both surfaces, the midrib plane above, prominent beneath, secondary veins 4-7 pairs, impressed on both surfaces. Inflorescences terminal panicles, thyrses or racemes, 1.5-10.0 cm long. Flowers in cymules of 1-3; peduncles 1.0-6.0 mm long, ca 0.2 mm thick, tomentellous or strigose, the bracts linear, 0.7-4.0 mm long, strigose; pedicels 1.0-3.0 mm long, ca 0.2 mm thick, tomentellous or strigose, the bracteoles deltoid to linear, 0.2-1.0 mm long; sepals ovate to oblong, 2.0-3.0 mm long, 0.8-1.0 mm wide, membranaceous, tomentellous or strigose; standard 4.0-5.0 mm long, ca 1.5 mm wide, the pouch extending along ¼ of the length, spurred, barbate at the throat, the wings spathulate, 2.5-3.5 mm long, 0.8-1.0 mm wide, barbate at the base, the keel petals 2.8-3.5 mm long, ca 1.0 mm wide, the pouch centered on the petal, nasiform; stamens 9-10, 6 fertile, 34 staminodes, the filaments 0.9-1.2 mm long, connate for 4/5 of the length, the staminodes with a small, knob-like terminal appendage, the anthers subglobose, 0.2-0.3 mm in diameter; glands 2, 2-lobed, irregular, ca 0.3 mm per side, villous; style glabrous, 0.9-1.2 mm long, the stigma trilobate, ca 0.1 mm in diameter; ovary subglobose, ca 0.6 mm in diameter, densely villous, the ovules ca 4 per locule. Fruit oblong, 0.8-2.5 cm long, the valves ca 0.7 cm per side, exocarp velutinous when immature, becoming glabrous with maturity; endocarp woody, glabrous. Seeds subglobose, ca 1.0 mm in diameter, villous, the trichomes ca 6 mm long.

    This species is separated into 3 subspecies.

    Key to the Subspecies of Trigonia eriosperma 1. Inflorescences usually longer than 4.0 cm, in panicles or thyrses; cymes usually 2-3-flowered.

    2. Inflorescences panicles; cymules usually 3-flowered (sometimes 1); leaves

    villous or lanate; from S. Brazil. a. subsp eriosperma.

    2. Inflorescences thyrses; cymules 2-floWered; leaves glabrous or nearly so; from

    Central & N South America. c. subsp membranacea.

    1. Inflorescences shorter than 3.5 cm, racemes; cymules 1-flowered; from S. Brazil.

    b. subsp simplex.