Casearia spinescens (Sw.) Griseb.

  • Authority

    Sleumer, Hermann O. 1980. Flacourtiaceae. Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 22: 1-499. (Published by NYBG Press)

  • Family

    Salicaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Casearia spinescens (Sw.) Griseb.

  • Type

    Type. Swartz sn, Hispaniola, Haiti (holotype, BM, phot NY; isotype, S).

  • Synonyms

    Samyda spinescens Sw., Casearia brevipes Benth., Laetia apetala Jacq., Guidonia spinescens (Sw.) Griseb., Casearia guidonia (Sw.) Lundell, Casearia cubensis Urb., Casearia aculeata Jacq.

  • Description

    Species Description - Shrub or small tree up to 7.0 m tall. Branches divaricate, often elongate and vine-like, distally provided with several short lateral spreading spinescent branchlets, not properly armed; young parts pale rusty-tomentellous, older ones gray-corticate, striate, early defoliate. Leaves periodically deciduous, more or less congested or close together by abbreviation of internodes on the young tomentellous branchlets, more or less distichous, obovate or elliptic, sometimes oblong-elliptic or lanceolate-oblong, apex short-acuminate, tip subacute or obtuse, base slightly inequilateral, cuneate on both sides or rounded-obtuse on one side, membranous to thin-chartaceous, laxly appressedly pubescent at midrib and nerves on both faces or only beneath, glabrescent with age, shining and minutely tuberculate above, pale brown when dry, densely pellucid-punctate (hardly or not -lineate), entire, 2.0-8.0(-10.5) cm long, 1.5-4.0(-5.5) cm broad, lateral nerves 5-7 pairs slightly raised beneath, reticulation of veins and veinlets rather lax, prominulous beneath; petiole slender, pubescent, 2.0-6.0(-8.0) mm long; stipules triangular-subulate, tomentellous, 1.5-2.0 mm long, persistent for a while. Cymes axillary, 3-6(-9)-flowered, all over pale rusty-tomentellous; rhachis up to 1.0 cm long, often much reduced in length; pedicels rather stoutish, articulate in middle, 2.0-3.0(-5.0) mm long. Sepals 4 or 5, ovate to elliptic, white or greenish, obtuse, ca 5.0 mm long, 2.5 mm broad. Stamens 8-10; filaments free for ca 0.5 mm only. Disk-lobes flattish-rectangular, hairy, fully fused with each other and the lower part of the glabrous filaments, ca 2.0 mm high; anthers subovate, 0.5 mm long. Ovary ovoid, hairy; style short; stigma capitate. Fruit ovoid-oblongoid, laxly pubescent, slightly obtusely 6-angled, 1.5-3.0 cm long, becoming purplish towards maturity and splitting then into 3 valves, on peduncle 4.0-5.0 mm long and 1.5 mm thick; pericarp lignescent, 1.0 mm thick; seeds rather numerous, subtriquetrous, arillate, ca 7.0 mm long; testa yellowish, shining.

    Distribution and Ecology - Bahamas, Cuba and Hispaniola, on Trinidad and Tobago, in Panama, Venezuela, Guyana and N Brazil (Terr. Roraima); edge of savannah forest, dry wooded hillside, in thickets, often in arid places, on coral rock or serpentine barrens, from lowland up to ca 150 m alt. Fig 19.

  • Distribution

    Panama Central America| Panamá Panama Central America| Cuba South America| Piñar del Río Cuba South America| La Habana Cuba South America| Matanzas Cuba South America| Camagüey Cuba South America| Isla de Piños Cuba South America| Bahamas South America| New Providence Bahamas South America| South Andros Bahamas South America| Haiti South America| Venezuela South America| Lara Venezuela South America| Miranda Venezuela South America| Anzoátegui Venezuela South America| Sucre Venezuela South America| Monagas Venezuela South America| Delta Amacuro Venezuela South America| Bolívar Venezuela South America| Trinidad and Tobago South America| Guyana South America| Brazil South America| Roraima Brazil South America|