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:
Cleomaceae
Cleomaceae
Description:
Species Description - Herb or subshrub to 1 m, with many lateral branches; stem finely striate, sparsely to densely covered with slender, glandular hairs; stipules minute, spiny, often deciduous. Leaves palmately compound with 3 or 5 leaflets, membranous to chartaceous; leaflets elliptic or lanceolate, 3-8 1-1.8 cm, acuminate at apex, attenuate, obtuse, or rounded at base, both surfaces glabrous or more or less covered with white, glandular hairs; petiolules and petioles densely covered with glandular hairs, petioles as long or longer than the leaflets. Flowers borne in terminal racemes, showing a transition of leaves to simple bracts; pedicels ca. 2 cm long, densely covered with white, glandular, erect hairs. Calyx of 4, free, awl-shaped, reflexed sepals, ca. 8 mm long, densely covered with same type of hairs as pedicel; petals white, glabrous, ca. 2 cm long, oval to nearly rounded, tapering into elongate (1-1.2 cm long) narrow base; stamens 6, the filaments glabrous, purple, ca. 5 cm long, the anthers purple, ca. 3 mm long; ovary cylindrical, purple, 5-6 mm long, densely covered with minute papillae, not projecting beyond the petals (short gynophore). Fruit turning from green to straw-colored, cylindrical, with slightly wavy outline, to 10 cm long, with obtuse apex; stipe purple, shorter than the fruit. Seeds beige, kidney-shaped, smooth or warty, ca. 2 mm long, numerous.
Species Description - Herb or subshrub to 1 m, with many lateral branches; stem finely striate, sparsely to densely covered with slender, glandular hairs; stipules minute, spiny, often deciduous. Leaves palmately compound with 3 or 5 leaflets, membranous to chartaceous; leaflets elliptic or lanceolate, 3-8 1-1.8 cm, acuminate at apex, attenuate, obtuse, or rounded at base, both surfaces glabrous or more or less covered with white, glandular hairs; petiolules and petioles densely covered with glandular hairs, petioles as long or longer than the leaflets. Flowers borne in terminal racemes, showing a transition of leaves to simple bracts; pedicels ca. 2 cm long, densely covered with white, glandular, erect hairs. Calyx of 4, free, awl-shaped, reflexed sepals, ca. 8 mm long, densely covered with same type of hairs as pedicel; petals white, glabrous, ca. 2 cm long, oval to nearly rounded, tapering into elongate (1-1.2 cm long) narrow base; stamens 6, the filaments glabrous, purple, ca. 5 cm long, the anthers purple, ca. 3 mm long; ovary cylindrical, purple, 5-6 mm long, densely covered with minute papillae, not projecting beyond the petals (short gynophore). Fruit turning from green to straw-colored, cylindrical, with slightly wavy outline, to 10 cm long, with obtuse apex; stipe purple, shorter than the fruit. Seeds beige, kidney-shaped, smooth or warty, ca. 2 mm long, numerous.
Discussion:
Cleomepungens Willd., Hort. Berol. t. 18. 1804.
Common names: spider flower, wild massambee. Note: This is not the cultivated C. spinosa of authors (Cleome hassleriana Chodat.) that has pink petals and glabrous ovaries.
Distribution:
Saint John Virgin Islands of the United States South America| Saint Thomas Virgin Islands of the United States South America| Saint Croix Virgin Islands of the United States South America|
Saint John Virgin Islands of the United States South America| Saint Thomas Virgin Islands of the United States South America| Saint Croix Virgin Islands of the United States South America|