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, rarely climbing, or small trees to 10 m tall; bark thin, light brown; branches terete, glabrous, lenticels sparse and inconspicuous, the branchlets terete to ±angulate, slightly swollen at the nodes, villous, often densely so, the trichomes to 1 mm long, septate, translucent, except for the darkened junctions of the cells. Leaves ternate, rarely opposite; petioles terete, villous to densely villous, 3-15(-20) mm long; lamina elliptic to ovate, acuminate at apex, short- to long-attenuate at base, 4.8-15.6 cm long, 1.8-6.8 cm broad, membranous, glabrous to sparsely villous above, sparsely to densely villous beneath, especially along the costa and in the axils of the secondary veins, raphides not observed, lateral veins 3-5 pairs, arcuate 40° to 50°, anastomosing, ±inconspicuous; stipules linear to linear-triangular, 5-8 mm long, villous, caducous. Inflorescences dichasial, often helicoid, borne singly or 3-5-fascicled, terminal, 10-40 (-56)-flowered; peduncles terete, 0.8-3 cm long, villous, often densely so; floral axes 1.5-3.6 cm long, spreading to ascending, each axis 3-8-flowered; bracts ovate, to 0.5 mm long, densely villous, early caducous. Flowers secund, 2.1-2.6 cm long, sessile to short-pedicellate, the pedicel 1-2 mm long; floral tube campanulate, densely villous, raphides present or absent, 3-4.5 mm long, calyx lobes narrowly oblong to triangular, (1-)2.5-4 mm long, acute to obtuse at apex, villous to densely villous externally, glabrous within, persisting in fruit; corolla tubular, reddish-orange to scarlet, 1.8-2.2 cm long, the tube 2-3 mm broad, villous, often in parallel bands from each lobe, raphides not observed, lobes ovate, 1-1.8 mm long, 1-1.5 mm broad at base, acute, erect, villous externally; stamens exserted, filaments 7-9 mm long, anthers 10-12 mm long, connective forming an ovate apical appendage 0.5 mm long; gynoecium exserted, 1.8-2.2 mm long, stigmas 5, often appearing fused, oblong, 2-3 mm long, style cylindrical, ovary 5-locular. Berries cylindrical, 0.8-1.2 cm long, 5-8 mm in diameter, inconspicuously rostrate by the ovarian disc, green turning red and ultimately black; seeds ±irregular, lustrous, foveolate, 1-1.2 mm long.
Species Description - Shrubs, rarely climbing, or small trees to 10 m tall; bark thin, light brown; branches terete, glabrous, lenticels sparse and inconspicuous, the branchlets terete to ±angulate, slightly swollen at the nodes, villous, often densely so, the trichomes to 1 mm long, septate, translucent, except for the darkened junctions of the cells. Leaves ternate, rarely opposite; petioles terete, villous to densely villous, 3-15(-20) mm long; lamina elliptic to ovate, acuminate at apex, short- to long-attenuate at base, 4.8-15.6 cm long, 1.8-6.8 cm broad, membranous, glabrous to sparsely villous above, sparsely to densely villous beneath, especially along the costa and in the axils of the secondary veins, raphides not observed, lateral veins 3-5 pairs, arcuate 40° to 50°, anastomosing, ±inconspicuous; stipules linear to linear-triangular, 5-8 mm long, villous, caducous. Inflorescences dichasial, often helicoid, borne singly or 3-5-fascicled, terminal, 10-40 (-56)-flowered; peduncles terete, 0.8-3 cm long, villous, often densely so; floral axes 1.5-3.6 cm long, spreading to ascending, each axis 3-8-flowered; bracts ovate, to 0.5 mm long, densely villous, early caducous. Flowers secund, 2.1-2.6 cm long, sessile to short-pedicellate, the pedicel 1-2 mm long; floral tube campanulate, densely villous, raphides present or absent, 3-4.5 mm long, calyx lobes narrowly oblong to triangular, (1-)2.5-4 mm long, acute to obtuse at apex, villous to densely villous externally, glabrous within, persisting in fruit; corolla tubular, reddish-orange to scarlet, 1.8-2.2 cm long, the tube 2-3 mm broad, villous, often in parallel bands from each lobe, raphides not observed, lobes ovate, 1-1.8 mm long, 1-1.5 mm broad at base, acute, erect, villous externally; stamens exserted, filaments 7-9 mm long, anthers 10-12 mm long, connective forming an ovate apical appendage 0.5 mm long; gynoecium exserted, 1.8-2.2 mm long, stigmas 5, often appearing fused, oblong, 2-3 mm long, style cylindrical, ovary 5-locular. Berries cylindrical, 0.8-1.2 cm long, 5-8 mm in diameter, inconspicuously rostrate by the ovarian disc, green turning red and ultimately black; seeds ±irregular, lustrous, foveolate, 1-1.2 mm long.
Discussion:
5. Hamelia rovirosae Wernham, Jour. Bot. London 49: 211. 1911. Fig. 3. H. patens var. coronata J. D. Smith, Bot. Gaz. 40: 4. 1905 (holotype, Turckheim 8532, (US!; isotypes, F!, GH!, NY!). H purpurascens Blake, Contr. Gray Herb. II. 52: 105. 1917 (holotype, Peck 104, GH!). Type. Mexico. Tabasco: marshes on banks of Rib Sebastian, 11 June 1889, Rovirosa 499 (holotype, K, isotypes, N Y ! US!). The conspicuous Hamelia rovirosae is easily recognized by the villous inflorescence and flowers and the long, oblong to triangular calyx lobes which persist in fruit. Other characters which aid in the identification of this species are the cylindrical berries, linear to linear-triangular stipules, and generally ternate leaves. This species occurs mainly along the Caribbean coast from Mexico to Panama except for the coastal regions of eastern Honduras and northern Nicaragua. This disjunction may be due to edaphic factors found in the ecologically interesting tropical savanna of the Mosquito Coast. Despite an annual average rainfall of nearly 100 inches, the vegetation is open pine forest.
5. Hamelia rovirosae Wernham, Jour. Bot. London 49: 211. 1911. Fig. 3. H. patens var. coronata J. D. Smith, Bot. Gaz. 40: 4. 1905 (holotype, Turckheim 8532, (US!; isotypes, F!, GH!, NY!). H purpurascens Blake, Contr. Gray Herb. II. 52: 105. 1917 (holotype, Peck 104, GH!). Type. Mexico. Tabasco: marshes on banks of Rib Sebastian, 11 June 1889, Rovirosa 499 (holotype, K, isotypes, N Y ! US!). The conspicuous Hamelia rovirosae is easily recognized by the villous inflorescence and flowers and the long, oblong to triangular calyx lobes which persist in fruit. Other characters which aid in the identification of this species are the cylindrical berries, linear to linear-triangular stipules, and generally ternate leaves. This species occurs mainly along the Caribbean coast from Mexico to Panama except for the coastal regions of eastern Honduras and northern Nicaragua. This disjunction may be due to edaphic factors found in the ecologically interesting tropical savanna of the Mosquito Coast. Despite an annual average rainfall of nearly 100 inches, the vegetation is open pine forest.
Distribution:
Central America|
Central America|