Jacaranda caerulea (L.) Juss.
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Authority
Gentry, Alwyn H. 1992. Bignoniaceae--part II (Tribe Tecomeae). Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 25: 1-370. (Published by NYBG Press)
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Family
Bignoniaceae
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Scientific Name
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Type
Type. Bahamas ( Carolina ): Providencia, Catesby t. 42.
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Synonyms
Bignonia caerulea L., Jacaranda caroliniana Pers., Jacaranda bahamensis R.Br., Jacaranda sagraeana DC., Jacaranda abbottii Urb.
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Description
Species Description - Tree to 12 m tall, the branchlets subtetragonal, very minutely and glabrescently puberulous, with whitish lenticels. Leaves bipinnate, to 40 cm long, with 8 to 26 pinnae, each pinna with glabrous or adaxially sparsely puberulous rachis and 9-29(-35 fide Correll & Correll, 1982) sessile, asymmetrically oblong-elliptic leaflets, these (0.5-)1-2 cm long and (0.3-)0.5-1 cm wide, apex rounded to subacute, the base cuneate, more or less lepidote below, otherwise glabrous except for minute trichomes along margin and sometimes midvein, often with a beard of longer trichomes along base of midvein below. Inflorescence an open panicle, minutely puberulous, with caducous bracts. Flowers with the calyx campanulate, shallowly acutely 5-dentate (2-3-)5-6 mm long, ca. 3 mm wide, puberulous with subappressed trichomes; corolla purplish blue, tubular-campanulate above a narrow neck which is curved and enlarged toward the base, 3.5-4 cm long, 1-1.4 cm wide at the mouth, the lobes ca. 0.8 cm long, the tube 2.5-3 cm long, puberulous outside, with sessile lepidote glands and minute simple trichomes, villous on lower lobe, glabrous inside, even at stamen insertion; stamens didynamous, the anthers monothecate, the second theca reduced to a minute appendage, each theca 2-2.5 mm long, the long staminode ca. 2 cm long, subexserted, the middle third and apex glandular pubescent; ovary flattened-ovate, 2 mm long, 1.5 mm wide, glabrous; disk cylindric, 1 mm long, 1.5 mm wide. Fruit elliptic, woody-valved, rounded to truncate at base and apex, 3.5-5 cm long, 2.5-3.5 cm wide, the margin not undulate but rolling up at dehiscence, glabrous, drying tannish brown; seeds small-bodied with a surrounding suborbicular wing 0.9-1.4 cm long, 1.8-2 cm wide, the wing hyaline-membranaceous with radial brownish striations, clearly demarcated from the seed body.
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Discussion
Along with J. arborea, this species has the largest leaflets of Antillean Jacaranda. Its woodier fruit and less coriaceous leaflets with more or less reticulate undersurface distinguish it from J. arborea. It is not at all certain that J. abbottii, endemic to the Samaná Península of Hispaniola, which is intermediate between this species and J. poiteai, is correctly assigned here. It has a smaller calyx as in J. poiteai and fruiting collections are needed.
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Common Names
Boxwood, cancer tree, what-o’clock, abey macho, framboyan azul, Abey
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Objects
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Distribution
The Bahama Islands, Cuba, and northern Hispaniola, mostly on limestone; sea level to 300 m elevation.
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