Monographs Details:
Authority:
Maas, Paulus J. M. 1977. Renealmia (Zingiberaceae--Zingiberoideae), Costoideae (Additions) (Zingiberaceae). Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 18: 1-218. (Published by NYBG Press)
Maas, Paulus J. M. 1977. Renealmia (Zingiberaceae--Zingiberoideae), Costoideae (Additions) (Zingiberaceae). Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 18: 1-218. (Published by NYBG Press)
Family:
Zingiberaceae
Zingiberaceae
Description:
Description - Plants 1.5-3.5 m tall. Rhizomes 20-25 mm thick. Sheaths reddish brown to dark red (in living plants), more or less shining when dry, slightly reticulate, 8-25 mm wide, densely covered in the grooves with simple, furcate and stellate prickles (less than 0.1 mm long) and towards the reticulations with needle-like, simple hairs (0.5-1 mm long). Ligule l-2(-5) mm long, hairy like the sheaths. Petiole absent. Lamina narrowly elliptic, acuminate at the apex (acumen 10-15 mm long), cuneate at the base, 40-100 cm long, 6-20 cm wide, upper side glabrous, lower side sparsely to densely covered with furcate hairs (less than 0.1 mm long), the midrib densely to sparsely covered with simple hairs (0.1-1 mm long). Scape prostrate, (5-) 15-70 cm tall, up to 6 mm wide, beset with sheaths up to 5-10 cm long and 1-1.5 cm wide. Inflorescence a basal thyrse (10-)20-80 (-130) cm long and (3-)9-13 cm wide, with (l-)6-10(-15)-flowered cincinni, rhachis red (2.5 R 3/10-4/10). Indument of inflorescence: sheaths, rhachis, bracts, peduncles, braceteoles , pedicels, calyx, ovary, and capsule densely covered with a grayish tomentum of simple, furcate, and plurifurcate hairs (0.2-0.5 mm long), corolla glabrous. Bracts red (2.5 R 3/10-4/10), soon deciduous, narrowly triangular-ovate to triangular-ovate, 20-40 (-75) mm long, 10-15 mm wide. Peduncles (5-) 10-40 mm long. Bracteole 13-27 mm long. Pedicels 10-50(-60) mm long. Calyx red (2.5 R 4/10), tubular to slightly turbinate, 5-10 mm long, 3-4 mm wide, the lobes subobsolete, shallowly triangular, ca 1 mm long, 2 mm wide. Corolla white, 13-14 mm long, the tube 7-8 mm long, the lobes ca 6 mm long, 5-7 mm wide. Labellum white with purple venation, dark yellow in the middle, 10 mm long and 12 mm wide when spread out, basal part opposite anther densely hairy, the limb horizontally spreading, 6 mm long, 12 mm wide, the lateral lobes rounded, 6 mm long, 5 mm wide, middle lobe bilobulate, the lobules triangular, ca 2 mm long, 1-1.5 mm wide, basal claw ca 4 mm long, 2 mm wide, lateral staminodes ca 1 mm long. Anther red-purple, 2-4 mm long, 2 mm wide, glabrous. Style 8 mm long. Nectarial glands partly surrounding the style base, 1-2 mm long. Ovary brownish to green, ellipsoid. Capsule glossy red (5.0 R 4/4), finally black (? according to Sandwith), ellipsoid (to globose), (5-)8-17 X (5-)8-13 mm, its wall 0.1-0.2 thick when dry (ca 1 mm in living material), 7-30-seeded, seeds 3-4 X 3.5-4 mm, aril orange-yellow.
Description - Plants 1.5-3.5 m tall. Rhizomes 20-25 mm thick. Sheaths reddish brown to dark red (in living plants), more or less shining when dry, slightly reticulate, 8-25 mm wide, densely covered in the grooves with simple, furcate and stellate prickles (less than 0.1 mm long) and towards the reticulations with needle-like, simple hairs (0.5-1 mm long). Ligule l-2(-5) mm long, hairy like the sheaths. Petiole absent. Lamina narrowly elliptic, acuminate at the apex (acumen 10-15 mm long), cuneate at the base, 40-100 cm long, 6-20 cm wide, upper side glabrous, lower side sparsely to densely covered with furcate hairs (less than 0.1 mm long), the midrib densely to sparsely covered with simple hairs (0.1-1 mm long). Scape prostrate, (5-) 15-70 cm tall, up to 6 mm wide, beset with sheaths up to 5-10 cm long and 1-1.5 cm wide. Inflorescence a basal thyrse (10-)20-80 (-130) cm long and (3-)9-13 cm wide, with (l-)6-10(-15)-flowered cincinni, rhachis red (2.5 R 3/10-4/10). Indument of inflorescence: sheaths, rhachis, bracts, peduncles, braceteoles , pedicels, calyx, ovary, and capsule densely covered with a grayish tomentum of simple, furcate, and plurifurcate hairs (0.2-0.5 mm long), corolla glabrous. Bracts red (2.5 R 3/10-4/10), soon deciduous, narrowly triangular-ovate to triangular-ovate, 20-40 (-75) mm long, 10-15 mm wide. Peduncles (5-) 10-40 mm long. Bracteole 13-27 mm long. Pedicels 10-50(-60) mm long. Calyx red (2.5 R 4/10), tubular to slightly turbinate, 5-10 mm long, 3-4 mm wide, the lobes subobsolete, shallowly triangular, ca 1 mm long, 2 mm wide. Corolla white, 13-14 mm long, the tube 7-8 mm long, the lobes ca 6 mm long, 5-7 mm wide. Labellum white with purple venation, dark yellow in the middle, 10 mm long and 12 mm wide when spread out, basal part opposite anther densely hairy, the limb horizontally spreading, 6 mm long, 12 mm wide, the lateral lobes rounded, 6 mm long, 5 mm wide, middle lobe bilobulate, the lobules triangular, ca 2 mm long, 1-1.5 mm wide, basal claw ca 4 mm long, 2 mm wide, lateral staminodes ca 1 mm long. Anther red-purple, 2-4 mm long, 2 mm wide, glabrous. Style 8 mm long. Nectarial glands partly surrounding the style base, 1-2 mm long. Ovary brownish to green, ellipsoid. Capsule glossy red (5.0 R 4/4), finally black (? according to Sandwith), ellipsoid (to globose), (5-)8-17 X (5-)8-13 mm, its wall 0.1-0.2 thick when dry (ca 1 mm in living material), 7-30-seeded, seeds 3-4 X 3.5-4 mm, aril orange-yellow.
Discussion:
This species is a relative of R. guianensis and R. floribunda, from both of which it can readily be distinguished by its much larger leaves and its longer peduncles and pedicels.
This species is a relative of R. guianensis and R. floribunda, from both of which it can readily be distinguished by its much larger leaves and its longer peduncles and pedicels.
Distribution:
Venezuela South America| Bolívar Venezuela South America| Guyana South America| Suriname South America| French Guiana South America|
Venezuela South America| Bolívar Venezuela South America| Guyana South America| Suriname South America| French Guiana South America|