Monographs Details:
Authority:
Maguire, Bassett. 1978. The botany of the Guayana Highland--part XI. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 32: 1-391.
Maguire, Bassett. 1978. The botany of the Guayana Highland--part XI. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 32: 1-391.
Family:
Malpighiaceae
Malpighiaceae
Description:
Species Description - Trees 3-25 m tall; stems tightly sericeous, glabrate in age. Lamina ofthe leaves narrowly elliptical or obovate, acute or attenuate at the base, acute or acuminate at the apex, 6.5-11(-13) cm long, 1.7-4(-5.5) cm wide, sericeous above at first, at maturity ± glabrate except often sericeous on the midrib, tightly sericeous to belatedly glabrate below, the hairs nearly or quite sessile, straight, to 0.5 mm long; lateral veins 15-20 or more pairs, fine; petiole 5-10 mm long, sericeous; stipules 1-3 mm long, connate, abaxially sericeous. Inflorescence 4-10 cm long, sericeous; bracts 1-2.5 mm long, narrowly triangular, spreading to revolute, deciduous; peduncle 0-1 mm long, 1(-2)-flowered; bracteoles like the bracts, but 0.5-1 mm long. Pedicel 7-8 mm long, sericeous, circinate in very young buds, mostly decurved in fruit. Sepals biglandular, broadly triangular, exceeding the glands up to 1.5 mm, loosely sericeous on both sides; glands yellow. Petals yellow, glabrous, the posterior petal bearing 2 or more glands at apex of claw or on base of limb, the limb corrugated. Anthers 2-2.5 mm long, sericeous, especiaHy between the locules, the connective equaling or slightly exceeding the apex of the locules, the locules narrowly linear and often free and slightly flared at apex. Ovary sericeous. Fruit yellow-orange, globose, 10-12 mm in diameter (dried), sericeous to glabrate.
Phenology - Collected in flower and fruit most often from August to January.
Species Description - Trees 3-25 m tall; stems tightly sericeous, glabrate in age. Lamina ofthe leaves narrowly elliptical or obovate, acute or attenuate at the base, acute or acuminate at the apex, 6.5-11(-13) cm long, 1.7-4(-5.5) cm wide, sericeous above at first, at maturity ± glabrate except often sericeous on the midrib, tightly sericeous to belatedly glabrate below, the hairs nearly or quite sessile, straight, to 0.5 mm long; lateral veins 15-20 or more pairs, fine; petiole 5-10 mm long, sericeous; stipules 1-3 mm long, connate, abaxially sericeous. Inflorescence 4-10 cm long, sericeous; bracts 1-2.5 mm long, narrowly triangular, spreading to revolute, deciduous; peduncle 0-1 mm long, 1(-2)-flowered; bracteoles like the bracts, but 0.5-1 mm long. Pedicel 7-8 mm long, sericeous, circinate in very young buds, mostly decurved in fruit. Sepals biglandular, broadly triangular, exceeding the glands up to 1.5 mm, loosely sericeous on both sides; glands yellow. Petals yellow, glabrous, the posterior petal bearing 2 or more glands at apex of claw or on base of limb, the limb corrugated. Anthers 2-2.5 mm long, sericeous, especiaHy between the locules, the connective equaling or slightly exceeding the apex of the locules, the locules narrowly linear and often free and slightly flared at apex. Ovary sericeous. Fruit yellow-orange, globose, 10-12 mm in diameter (dried), sericeous to glabrate.
Phenology - Collected in flower and fruit most often from August to January.
Discussion:
12. Byrsonima spicata (CavaniHes) de Candolle, Prodr. 1: 580. 1824. Malpighia spicata CavaniHes, Diss. 8: 409, tab. 237. 1789. Byrsonima propinqua Bentham, London Jour. Bot. (Hooker) 7: 120. 1848, Type, Robt. Schomburgkii 743, Roraima, "British Guiana" [Bolivar, Venezuela] (holotype K, isotype NY!), Byrsonima coriacea var spicata (CavaniHes) Niedenzu in Engler, Das Pflanzenreich IV, 141: 700, 1928. Type. Santo Domingo (P?). Byrsonima propinqua is a variant of this species with the leaves larger and more persistently sericeous than is typical. Steyermark's recent collection from Amazonas is very similar to the type of B. propinqua. A more interesting form is the plant collected by Pinkus at Arabopo near Mount Roraima. It has much denser and more persistent foliar hairs than usual, giving it a very different aspect similar to that of B. chrysophylla. The elevation is also unusual. However, in most characters these collections agree with B. spicata. The two sheets of De La Cruz 4173, from the Upper Mazaruni River in Guyana, are rather different from each other. The sheet at MO is ± typical B. spicata, except that the leaves are large a la propinqua. However, the sheet at NY is intermediate between B. spicata and B. aerugo. This intermediacy is shown in size and shape of leaves, prominence of veins, length and curvature of bracts, and curvature ofthe pedicel. Since both species are known from the Upper Mazaruni, this collection may well be of hybrid origin.
12. Byrsonima spicata (CavaniHes) de Candolle, Prodr. 1: 580. 1824. Malpighia spicata CavaniHes, Diss. 8: 409, tab. 237. 1789. Byrsonima propinqua Bentham, London Jour. Bot. (Hooker) 7: 120. 1848, Type, Robt. Schomburgkii 743, Roraima, "British Guiana" [Bolivar, Venezuela] (holotype K, isotype NY!), Byrsonima coriacea var spicata (CavaniHes) Niedenzu in Engler, Das Pflanzenreich IV, 141: 700, 1928. Type. Santo Domingo (P?). Byrsonima propinqua is a variant of this species with the leaves larger and more persistently sericeous than is typical. Steyermark's recent collection from Amazonas is very similar to the type of B. propinqua. A more interesting form is the plant collected by Pinkus at Arabopo near Mount Roraima. It has much denser and more persistent foliar hairs than usual, giving it a very different aspect similar to that of B. chrysophylla. The elevation is also unusual. However, in most characters these collections agree with B. spicata. The two sheets of De La Cruz 4173, from the Upper Mazaruni River in Guyana, are rather different from each other. The sheet at MO is ± typical B. spicata, except that the leaves are large a la propinqua. However, the sheet at NY is intermediate between B. spicata and B. aerugo. This intermediacy is shown in size and shape of leaves, prominence of veins, length and curvature of bracts, and curvature ofthe pedicel. Since both species are known from the Upper Mazaruni, this collection may well be of hybrid origin.