Monographs Details:
Authority:
Elias, Thomas S. 1976. A monograph of the genus Hamelia (Rubiaceae). Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 26: 81-144.
Elias, Thomas S. 1976. A monograph of the genus Hamelia (Rubiaceae). Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 26: 81-144.
Family:
Rubiaceae
Rubiaceae
Description:
Species Description - Shrubs or small trees to 5 m tall; bark usually gray, thin; branches terete, with small, inconspicuous lenticels, glabrous, the branchlets terete to subangulate, slightly swollen at the nodes, sparsely to densely scabrous. Leaves opposite below, ternate above; petioles terete, scabrous, 0.6-2.1 cm long; lamina broadly elliptic, long-attenuate into the petiole, acuminate at apex, 4.6-12.8 cm long, 2.3-6.1 cm broad, chartaceous to subcoriaceous, sparsely scabrous above, densely so beneath, especially on the costa and veins, without raphides, the lateral veins 5 or 6 pairs, arcuate to ca. 50°, anastomosing, conspicuously so beneath; stipules triangular, long-acute at apex, ±scabrous; caducous, 2.2-3 mm long, 1.5 mm broad at base. Inflorescences of reduced or scorpioid cymes, 2-4-fascicled, terminal, usually compact and few-flowered; peduncles terete to subangulate, 1.8-5.7 cm long, glabrescent to densely scabrous; floral axes 1-3.2(-5) cm long, sparsely to densely scabrous, each axis 3- or 4(-9)-flowered; bracts triangular, 0.6-0.8 mm long, scabrous, early caducous. Flowers secund, 2.2-3.6 cm long, sessile to short-pedicellate, the pedicel to 3 mm long; floral tube broadly campanulate to globose, 2.5-4.5 mm long, scabrous, with obvious raphides, calyx lobes transversely ovate to ovate, acute at apex, margins scabrous, 0.2-0.8 mm long, 0.6-0.8 mm broad at base; corolla infundibular, slightly constricted at base, yehow, 1.8-3.1 cm long, dilated to 1.2-1.6 cm broad at apex, sparsely scabrous, often with an inconspicuous puberulent band running from each lobe to the base of the coroha, raphides sparse or absent, lobes ovate, 3.5-6 mm long, 2-4 mm broad at base, acute at apex; stamens included, filaments 3-7 mm long, anthers 6-11 mm long, the connective extending apically into a rounded appendage 0.5-1 mm long; gynoecium 1.4-2.5 cm long, included, stigma 6-7 mm long, oblong ±flattened, style subcylindrical, 8-16 mm long, ovary 5-locular. Berries globose, 12-16 mm long, 8-12 mm in diameter, green, turning red then black with maturity, the ovarian disc often persisting as a truncated cone 2 m long; seeds irregular, lustrous, finely foveolate, 1-1.2 mm long.
Species Description - Shrubs or small trees to 5 m tall; bark usually gray, thin; branches terete, with small, inconspicuous lenticels, glabrous, the branchlets terete to subangulate, slightly swollen at the nodes, sparsely to densely scabrous. Leaves opposite below, ternate above; petioles terete, scabrous, 0.6-2.1 cm long; lamina broadly elliptic, long-attenuate into the petiole, acuminate at apex, 4.6-12.8 cm long, 2.3-6.1 cm broad, chartaceous to subcoriaceous, sparsely scabrous above, densely so beneath, especially on the costa and veins, without raphides, the lateral veins 5 or 6 pairs, arcuate to ca. 50°, anastomosing, conspicuously so beneath; stipules triangular, long-acute at apex, ±scabrous; caducous, 2.2-3 mm long, 1.5 mm broad at base. Inflorescences of reduced or scorpioid cymes, 2-4-fascicled, terminal, usually compact and few-flowered; peduncles terete to subangulate, 1.8-5.7 cm long, glabrescent to densely scabrous; floral axes 1-3.2(-5) cm long, sparsely to densely scabrous, each axis 3- or 4(-9)-flowered; bracts triangular, 0.6-0.8 mm long, scabrous, early caducous. Flowers secund, 2.2-3.6 cm long, sessile to short-pedicellate, the pedicel to 3 mm long; floral tube broadly campanulate to globose, 2.5-4.5 mm long, scabrous, with obvious raphides, calyx lobes transversely ovate to ovate, acute at apex, margins scabrous, 0.2-0.8 mm long, 0.6-0.8 mm broad at base; corolla infundibular, slightly constricted at base, yehow, 1.8-3.1 cm long, dilated to 1.2-1.6 cm broad at apex, sparsely scabrous, often with an inconspicuous puberulent band running from each lobe to the base of the coroha, raphides sparse or absent, lobes ovate, 3.5-6 mm long, 2-4 mm broad at base, acute at apex; stamens included, filaments 3-7 mm long, anthers 6-11 mm long, the connective extending apically into a rounded appendage 0.5-1 mm long; gynoecium 1.4-2.5 cm long, included, stigma 6-7 mm long, oblong ±flattened, style subcylindrical, 8-16 mm long, ovary 5-locular. Berries globose, 12-16 mm long, 8-12 mm in diameter, green, turning red then black with maturity, the ovarian disc often persisting as a truncated cone 2 m long; seeds irregular, lustrous, finely foveolate, 1-1.2 mm long.
Discussion:
H. scabrida Britton, Torreya 12: 31. 1912 (holotype, Britton 3147, NY!). Type. Jamaica. Trelawny: near Troy, 660 m, Harris 8747 (lectotype, NY!, isolectotype, F!). Locally comonon limestone hihs in Jamaica, Hamelia papillosa is easily identifiable by the scabrous foliage and flowers. No other species of Hamelia has this type of indumentum. Hamelia papillosa is closely related to H. ventricosa and H. cuprea, both of which occur in Jamaica. Britton (1912) described H. scabrida on the basis of smaller flowers and larger fruits (over 1 c m in diameter), than H. papillosa, but in studying the collections of this species, I found that H. scabrida falls well within the normal range of variation for H. papillosa and the two should be considered conspecific.
H. scabrida Britton, Torreya 12: 31. 1912 (holotype, Britton 3147, NY!). Type. Jamaica. Trelawny: near Troy, 660 m, Harris 8747 (lectotype, NY!, isolectotype, F!). Locally comonon limestone hihs in Jamaica, Hamelia papillosa is easily identifiable by the scabrous foliage and flowers. No other species of Hamelia has this type of indumentum. Hamelia papillosa is closely related to H. ventricosa and H. cuprea, both of which occur in Jamaica. Britton (1912) described H. scabrida on the basis of smaller flowers and larger fruits (over 1 c m in diameter), than H. papillosa, but in studying the collections of this species, I found that H. scabrida falls well within the normal range of variation for H. papillosa and the two should be considered conspecific.
Distribution:
Jamaica South America| Jamaica South America|
Jamaica South America| Jamaica South America|