Monographs Details:
Authority:
Britton, Nathaniel L. Flora Borinqueña.
Britton, Nathaniel L. Flora Borinqueña.
Family:
Rubiaceae
Rubiaceae
Description:
Species Description - An interesting, endemic shrub, or small tree, various in the size and shape of leaves, apparently consisting of several races, and distributed in nearly all parts of Porto Rico at lower and middle elevations. The broad-leaved races [illustrated herewith] mainly inhabit wet or moist districts, and are less hairy than the narrow-leaved types, which, for the most part occur in the dry southern areas, and have also been observed on the small island Cayo Muertos. The extreme forms of this plant are quite different from each other, and might be taken for distinct species, but study of a large number of specimens indicates that they are connected by intermediate forms. Long-time, biological experiments, by growing, from seed, broad-leaved plants from a wet locality at a dry one, and conversely, might determine whether the differences are inherent, or induced by environment. No English name has been recorded. Rondeletia was dedicated by Linnaeus to G. Rondelet, professor at Montpellier, who lived from 1507 to 1566. The genus includes about 75 species, natives of tropical America, shrubs and trees, with opposite, rarely ternate leaves, and clustered, or rarely solitary flowers. The calyx-tube, attached to the ovary, has 4 or 5, persistent lobes; the funnel form, or salverform corolla has a slender tube and a 4-lobed, or 5-lobed limb; the 4, or 5, short stamens are borne on the throat of the corolla; the 2-celled ovary contains many ovules, and the style is slender. The 2-celled capsule is 2-valved. Rondeletia inermis (unarmed), is a shrub from 1 to 3 meters high, or sometimes a small tree with maximum height of about 5 meters, its twigs appressed-hairy, or smooth. The very various, leaves are linear, oblong, elliptic, or obovate, pointed, or blunt, from 1 to 10 centimeters long, and 0.5 to 5 centimeters wide, short-stalked, and netted-veined, more or less hairy, or smooth. The flowers are 2 to 5 together, or solitary, on axillary stalks from 0.5 to 3 centimeters long; the hairy, or velvety calyx is usually 4-lobed, the pointed, or blunt lobes about 4 millimeters long, or shorter; the yellow; to nearly white, or purple corolla is from 7 to 12 millimeters long, with usually 4, rounded lobes. The globose capsule is 3 or 4 millimeters in diameter. There are 2 other species of Rondeletia in the Porto Rico Flora.
Species Description - An interesting, endemic shrub, or small tree, various in the size and shape of leaves, apparently consisting of several races, and distributed in nearly all parts of Porto Rico at lower and middle elevations. The broad-leaved races [illustrated herewith] mainly inhabit wet or moist districts, and are less hairy than the narrow-leaved types, which, for the most part occur in the dry southern areas, and have also been observed on the small island Cayo Muertos. The extreme forms of this plant are quite different from each other, and might be taken for distinct species, but study of a large number of specimens indicates that they are connected by intermediate forms. Long-time, biological experiments, by growing, from seed, broad-leaved plants from a wet locality at a dry one, and conversely, might determine whether the differences are inherent, or induced by environment. No English name has been recorded. Rondeletia was dedicated by Linnaeus to G. Rondelet, professor at Montpellier, who lived from 1507 to 1566. The genus includes about 75 species, natives of tropical America, shrubs and trees, with opposite, rarely ternate leaves, and clustered, or rarely solitary flowers. The calyx-tube, attached to the ovary, has 4 or 5, persistent lobes; the funnel form, or salverform corolla has a slender tube and a 4-lobed, or 5-lobed limb; the 4, or 5, short stamens are borne on the throat of the corolla; the 2-celled ovary contains many ovules, and the style is slender. The 2-celled capsule is 2-valved. Rondeletia inermis (unarmed), is a shrub from 1 to 3 meters high, or sometimes a small tree with maximum height of about 5 meters, its twigs appressed-hairy, or smooth. The very various, leaves are linear, oblong, elliptic, or obovate, pointed, or blunt, from 1 to 10 centimeters long, and 0.5 to 5 centimeters wide, short-stalked, and netted-veined, more or less hairy, or smooth. The flowers are 2 to 5 together, or solitary, on axillary stalks from 0.5 to 3 centimeters long; the hairy, or velvety calyx is usually 4-lobed, the pointed, or blunt lobes about 4 millimeters long, or shorter; the yellow; to nearly white, or purple corolla is from 7 to 12 millimeters long, with usually 4, rounded lobes. The globose capsule is 3 or 4 millimeters in diameter. There are 2 other species of Rondeletia in the Porto Rico Flora.
Discussion:
Cordobancillo Madder Family Catesbaea inermis Sprengel, Systems Vegetabilium 1: 416. 1825. Rondeletia inermis Krug and Urban; Urban, Symbolae Antillanae 1: 416. 1899.
Cordobancillo Madder Family Catesbaea inermis Sprengel, Systems Vegetabilium 1: 416. 1825. Rondeletia inermis Krug and Urban; Urban, Symbolae Antillanae 1: 416. 1899.
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