Rinorea viridifolia Rusby

Authority

Hekking, W. H. A. 1988. violaceae Part l—Rinorea and Rinoreocarpus. Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 46: i-ii, 1-208. (Published by NYBG Press)

Family

Violaceae

Scientific Name

Rinorea viridifolia Rusby

Type

Type. Bolivia. Guanai-Tipuani: Apr-Jun 1892 (fl), Bang 1337 Lectotypus novus, NY; isotypes, BM, F, HH, K, M, MICH, MO, NY, US, W).

Synonyms

Rinorea juruana Ule, Rinorea gracilis Rusby

Description

Species Description - Tree or treelet 1.5-15 m tall. Branchlets golden-brownish hirtellous, sometimes in combination with golden-brownish strigose, glabrescent when older. Leaves apparently opposite, occasionally ternate; petioles (1-)2-12 mm long, golden to ferruginous puberulous above, golden to ferruginous strig(ill)ose beneath; stipules deciduous, narrowly deltoid, 2-3.25 x 0.75-1 mm, herbaceous, golden-brownish strigose, veined, ciliolate; lamina (narrowly) elliptic to obovate, acuminate to cuspidate, 2.5-15.5 x (1-) 1.5-7 cm, papery, glabrous on both sides; costa golden-brownish puberulous above, golden-brownish strigose beneath; domatia usually present, golden-brown; lateral veins (7-)8-11(-12) pairs (acumen excluded), golden-brownish puberulous to glabrescent above, golden-brownish strigose to glabrescent beneath; tertiary venation reticulate; base cuneate to rounded, sometimes slightly decurrent into the petiole; margin (sub)crenate to (sub)serrate, mucronulate; acumen 0.25-2.5 cm long, apex (sub)obtuse, mucronulate. Inflorescences axillary, lateral and subterminal, solitary, racemose, (2.25-)4.5-9 cm long; central axis golden-brownish puberulous to hispidulous; ‘pedicels’ (2-) 2.5-4 mm long, articulate at the base, golden-brownish hirtellous to glabrescent; bracts and bractlets together at the base below the articulation, ovate to deltoid, herbaceous, golden-brownish strigulose along the costa and near the apex, ciliolate, apex subacute, mucronulate; bracts 0.75-1.75 x 0.75-1 mm; bractlets 0.5-1.25 x 0.5-0.75 mm. Flower buds ovoid, conical, obtuse. Flowers pendulous, greenish when young, creamy to yellow when adult, fragrant. Sepals subequal, ovate to deltoid, acuminate, 1-1.75 x 0.75-1.75 mm, herbaceous, golden strigulose near the apex or near the costa, sometimes glabrescent, 1(-5) veined, margin golden ciliolate near the base; apex obtuse to acute. Petals ovate to deltoid, acuminate, 3.75-5.25 x 1-2 mm, herbaceous, usually sparsely strigulose along the costa and near the apex, cili(ol)ate near the base, apex (sub)obtuse. Stamens 3-4 mm long; filaments free 0.75-1 x 0.30.6 mm, glabrous, mostly 0.6-0.75 x as long as the anthers; dorsal glands free, adnate to the filaments, (narrowly) ovoid, (0.5-)0.75—1 x 0.250.75 mm, carnose, glabrous, occasionally golden pilosulous near the base, apex free, obtuse, truncate or emarginate; anthers, ovate 1-1.75 x 0.51 mm, usually 1.25-1.75 x as long as the filaments, glabrous, apex obtuse, sometimes apiculate, unappendaged; connective outside narrowly deltoid, subobtuse, 0.75-1.25 x 0.25-0.5 mm, glabrous; connective scales lateral as well as apical, 2.25-3 x ca. 1 mm, 1.75-2 x as long as the anthers, scarious, orange-brown, sometimes erose near the base, apex obtuse. Ovary (sub)globose, 1-1.25 x 0.75-1 mm, golden pilose; ovules one per placenta. Style filiform, erect or slightly curved, especially near the apex, (2-) 2.25—3.25 mm long, exceeding the stamens by 0.25-0.5 mm, usually slanting pilosulous near the base; stigma truncate. Capsule symmetric, elliptic to ovate, acuminate, coriaceous to subligneous, (pale) green when fresh, sparsely golden-brownish hirtellous, distinctly veined; valves three, (sub)equal, (1-) 1.5-2 x 0.5-0.75 cm, style sometimes subpersistent at the apex of one of the valves. Seeds one per valve, globose, 4-8 mm in diam., glabrous.

Discussion

Rinorea viridifolia differs from R. squamata by the following combination of characters: (1) its indument predominantly golden (in R. squamata predominantly ferruginous); (2) the number oflateral veins 8-11 pairs(versus 11-14 pairs); (3) costa usually only sparsely strigose beneath (in R. squamata densely strigose in combination with hispidulous); (4) ‘pedicels’ of adult flowers 2.25-4 mm long (versus 1.25-3 mm long); and (5) connective scales 2.25-3 mm long (versus 1.75-2.25 mm long).

Distribution and Ecology: Flowering and fruiting throughout the year. Widely spread over West and Upper Amazonia (Ecuador, Perú, Brazil and NW Bolivia). Its center of distribution probably was SW Amazonia, from whence the species penetrated southward into the Andean regions of Peru and Bolivia. Isolated areas can be found in the Andean regions of Colombia and Ecuador as well as in Panama; they can be related to the following forest refugia: (a) Colombia (E of the Cordilleras): Villavicencio; (b) Colombia (W of the eastern Cordilleras): Río Magdalena; (c) Ecuador (W of the Cordilleras): Chimborazo-West; and (d) Panama: Darién.

Common Names

Huesito, Cafecilla, Canela/illa de Vieja, Takit, Virola quiro

Distribution

Panama Central America| Colón Panama Central America| Darién Panamá Central America| Colombia South America| Amazonas Colombia South America| Vaupés Colombia South America| Antioquia Colombia South America| Bolívar Colombia South America| Meta Colombia South America| Putumayo Colombia South America| Ecuador South America| Guayas Ecuador South America| Napo Ecuador South America| Morona-Santiago Ecuador South America| Pastaza Ecuador South America| Peru South America| Cusco Peru South America| Huánuco Peru South America| Junín Peru South America| Loreto Peru South America| Madre de Dios Peru South America| San Martín Peru South America| Brazil South America| Acre Brazil South America| Amazonas Brazil South America| Bolivia South America| Beni Bolivia South America| La Paz Bolivia South America|