Monographs Details:
Authority:
Acevedo-RodrÃguez, Pedro & collaborators. 1996. Flora of St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 78: 1-581.
Acevedo-RodrÃguez, Pedro & collaborators. 1996. Flora of St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 78: 1-581.
Family:
Rutaceae
Rutaceae
Description:
Species Description - Armed shrub or small tree to 7 m tall; bark dark brown or gray, with numerous spines; twigs papillate, becoming cylindrical and lenticellate at age, with numerous, slightly recurved prickles. Leaves unifoliolate; blade 3.8-11 x 1.6-5 cm, chartaceous, elliptic, glabrous, the apex obtuse to shortly acuminate, the base obtuse, the margins entire to crenulate, revolute; petioles 0.5-1.8 cm long. Flowers 5-merous, in axillary or terminal panicles. Calyx of triangular lobes, 0.5-0.6 mm long; petals white, ca. 2 mm long, elliptic; stamens 5, the filaments much shorter than the petals; gynophore tubular, ca. 0.5 mm high, glabrous; ovary 3- carpellate, covered with minute rounded scales, the carpels united. Follicles 1 or less often 2, stipitate, nearly globose, 6-7 mm long. Seeds nearly ovoid, shiny black, 5 mm long.
Distribution and Ecology - A common tree of dry forests. Carolina (A4673), Lameshur (A2744), Pen Point (A2012). Also on Jost van Dyke and St. Thomas; Puerto Rico, Hispaniola, the Lesser Antilles, Central America, and northern South America.
Species Description - Armed shrub or small tree to 7 m tall; bark dark brown or gray, with numerous spines; twigs papillate, becoming cylindrical and lenticellate at age, with numerous, slightly recurved prickles. Leaves unifoliolate; blade 3.8-11 x 1.6-5 cm, chartaceous, elliptic, glabrous, the apex obtuse to shortly acuminate, the base obtuse, the margins entire to crenulate, revolute; petioles 0.5-1.8 cm long. Flowers 5-merous, in axillary or terminal panicles. Calyx of triangular lobes, 0.5-0.6 mm long; petals white, ca. 2 mm long, elliptic; stamens 5, the filaments much shorter than the petals; gynophore tubular, ca. 0.5 mm high, glabrous; ovary 3- carpellate, covered with minute rounded scales, the carpels united. Follicles 1 or less often 2, stipitate, nearly globose, 6-7 mm long. Seeds nearly ovoid, shiny black, 5 mm long.
Distribution and Ecology - A common tree of dry forests. Carolina (A4673), Lameshur (A2744), Pen Point (A2012). Also on Jost van Dyke and St. Thomas; Puerto Rico, Hispaniola, the Lesser Antilles, Central America, and northern South America.
Discussion:
Common name: yellow prickle.