Calliandra Species Pages

Calliandra glyphoxylon

Rupert C. Barneby

70. Calliandra glyphoxylon Spruce ex Bentham, Trans. Linn. Soc. London 30: 539. 1875 (var. exclus.). — "Pallatanga in Ecuador . . . Spruce, n. 5571." — Holotypus, K (hb. Benth.)! = NY Neg. 7992; isotypi, C = F Neg. 21804!, K (hb. Hook.)!, NY!. — Feuilleea glyphoxylon O. Kuntze, Revis. Gen. Pl. 1: 188. 1891.

C. pallatangensis Harms, Repert. Sp. Nov. Regni Veg. 17: 87. 1921. — "Ecuador: Pallatanga, 2000 m (A. D. Sodiro no. 393.—Aug. 1891)."— Holotypus, = FNeg. 7252!.

Macrophyll arborescent shrubs 1.5-4 m with densely foliate, pallid branches, the new stems and lf-axes and the dorsal face and margin of lfts pilosulous with fine straight erect hairs to 0.4-0.8 mm, the chartaceous low-convex lfts lustrous olivaceous above, glabrous and a little paler beneath, the dense hemispherical capitula arising singly from the first node of efoliate brachyblasts axillary to coeval lvs of hornotinous branches, nestled in foliage. Stipules deltate-ovate to lance-acuminate 3-10 x 1-2.4 mm, striate-nerved, tardily deciduous. Lf-formula i/2, the smaller proximal pair alternate; lf-stks 1.5-8 x 0.8-1.5 mm, distended at apex into 2 cupules, the ventral groove continuous; pinna-rachises of larger lvs 1—2.5(—3) cm, the proximal pair of lfts inserted far below middle; lft-pulvinules in dorsal view 0.7-1.2 mm, the lfts in ventral view appearing sessile; lfts inequilaterally or subdimidiately elliptic or ovate from shallowly semicordate base, shortly obtusely acuminate, the larger ones 5-9.5 x (1.8-)2-4.5 cm, 1.45-2.7 times as long as wide; venation of 3-4 nerves from pulvinule, the straight or more often gently incurved midrib forwardly displaced to divide blade ±1:1.5-2, pinnately few-branched on each side, the strong inner posterior primary nerve incurved-ascending through ±? of blade, the outer posterior ones much shorter, all these together with tertiary venules and sinuous reticulum prominulous on both faces of blade. Peduncles 8-25 mm, at least sometimes bracteate above middle, the bract sometimes caducous or perhaps obsolete, capitula ±30-45-fld, the floral receptacle 2 mm or less, the fl-buds prior to anthesis compressed into a ball; floral bracts subulate ±1 mm, tardily deciduous; fls homomorphic as to perianth, the stamen-tube of upper ones sometimes longer; perianth either 4- or 5-mer- ous, submembranous, glabrous except for microciliolate calyx-teeth and occasionally minutely puberulent corolla-lobes, the calyx weakly striate-nerved, the corolla not so, both fuscous-nigrescent when dry; pedicels scarcely differentiated externally, 0.3-0.5 x 0.5-0.6 mm; calyx campanulate 2-2.3 x 1.3-1.6 mm, the teeth 0.3-0.6 mm; corolla 8-9.5 mm, the lobes 2-2.6 mm; androecium 16-18-merous, 23-34 mm, the stemonozone ±0.8 mm, the tube 8-13.5 mm, as long as corolla or well-exserted, the tassel at first white or pale pink, becoming crimson in age; intrastaminal nectary of outer, mostly staminate fls ±0.6 mm. Pods (few seen) 9.5-11 x 1.2-1.4 cm, either glabrous or minutely remotely puberulent, the stout sutural keels in dorsal view 3-4 mm wide, the recessed valves densely transverse-venulose.

In thickets on steep slopes of quebradas between 600 and 2100 m, known only from the basins of ríos Chanchan and Chimbo on the slope of the Ecuadorean Andes, near 1°±50'-2°20'S in prov. Chimborazo. — Map 33. — Fl. V-IX. — Palo de las siete vueltas, "the branches traversed under the bark by seven or more, slightly spiral striae."

Calliandra glyphoxylon so closely resembles the widespread polymorphic C. trinervia (sens. lat.) that its status as an independent species is precarious. In practice, however, its copious loose indumentum, relatively large coarse stipules, relatively short petioles, and densely many-flowered capitula (all described in Key IV) in the context of a narrow discrete dispersal on the Pacific slope of the Andes distinguish it handily.

References: [Article] Barneby, Rupert C. 1998. Silk tree, guanacaste, monkey's earring: A generic system for the synandrous Mimosaceae of the Americas. Part III. Calliandra. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 74: 1-223.