Rinorea flavescens (Aubl.) Kuntze

  • 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 flavescens (Aubl.) Kuntze

  • Type

    Type. French Guiana:  In forests of Sinnamary ( Sinémari ), ca. 60 km S. of the Atlantic coast, s.d. (fl Sep), Aublet s.n. (holotype, P [herb. Rousseau-Denaiffe 5: 172, also illustrated in reverse in Aublet, 1775: t. 95]; isotype, BM [photo BM 2313], MO).

  • Synonyms

    Conohoria flavescens Aubl., Alsodeia flavescens (Aubl.) Spreng.

  • Description

    Species Description - Tree or treelet 1-20 m tall. Branchlets often purplish when dried, sparsely golden puberulous to appressed pilose when young, glabrescent to completely glabrous when older. Leaves apparently opposite, occasionally ternate; petioles 3-14 mm long, golden hirtellous when young, glabrescent to completely glabrous when older; stipules deciduous, narrowly deltoid, subobtuse to subacute, 0.25-2.25 x 0.5-1.5 mm, herbaceous, golden pilosulous, golden ciliolate; lamina ovate, acuminate to cuspidate, 5-20 x (1.25-)2-2.75 cm, papery; lamina, costa and lateral veins glabrous on both sides; domatia wanting; lateral veins (7-)8-l 1(-12) pairs (acumen excluded); tertiary venation reticulate; base rounded to cuneate; margin subentire to (sub)crenate or (sub)serrate, obscurely mucronulate; acumen 0.5-2.5(-3) cm long, apex subacute to subobtuse, mucronulate. Inflorescences axillary, lateral and subterminal, solitary, racemose, (3-)5-13 cm long; central axis often purplish and shining when dried, golden hirtellous to glabrescent; ‘pedicels’ 2-6 mm long, articulate near the middle, golden hirtellous, glabrescent; bracts and bractlets ovate to deltoid, herbaceous, often golden strigulose near the apex of the costa, glabrescent, golden ciliolate, apex obtuse to (sub)acute; bracts 1-1.5 x 0.75-1.25 mm; bractlets subopposite 0.5-1 x 0.5-0.75 mm. Flower buds ovoid, obtuse. Flowers pendulous, creamy or yellow, fragrant. Sepals unequal, herbaceous, mostly glabrous, occasionally minutely golden pilosulous, 5-7 veined, margin scarious and golden ciliolate; outer sepals ovate to deltoid, 1-1.5 mm long and wide, apex obtuse; inner sepals (ob)ovate to orbicular, 1.5-3.5 x 1-2 mm, apex rounded. Petals (narrowly) ovate, 3.25-5 x 1-2 mm, herbaceous, glabrous, sometimes golden ciliolate near the apex, apex obtuse. Stamens 2.75-4 mm long; filaments free, 0.75-1 x ca. 0.3 mm, glabrous; dorsal glands free, adnate to the filaments, sometimes wanting on some of the filaments, narrowly ellipsoid to obovoid, 0-1 x 0-0.3 mm, carnose, glabrous, apex free, (sub)obtuse, sometimes emarginate; anthers ovoid to ellipsoid, 1-1.75 x 0.5-1.25 mm, glabrous, apex of the thecae obtuse, unappendaged; connective outside narrowly deltoid, subobtuse, 0.75-1 x ca. 0.25 mm, glabrous; connective scales lateral as well as apical, ovate, 2-3 x 0.75-1.75 mm, scarious, orange-brown, margin suberose to subentire, apex obtuse. Ovary globose to conical, 1-1.5 x 0.5-1.25 mm, usually glabrous, rarely with some scattered golden pilosulous hairs; ovules two per placenta. Style filiform, erect 2-3 x ca. 0.25 mm, exceeding the stamens by 0.2-0.3(-0.5) mm; stigma truncate. Capsule more or less symmetric, ovoid to ellipsoid, acuminate, coriaceous to subligneous, green and flushed brown when young, becoming reddish when older, usually reddish-brown to purplish when dried, usually glabrous, occasionally sparsely golden pilose(ulous), veined; valves three, subequal, 1.5-2.5(-3) x 0.4-0.8 cm. Seeds two per valve, extremely rarely one, globose, 5-6 mm in diam., glabrous.

  • Discussion

    Uses: The Surinam names Dreeritiki, Drilstokje, Driltiki and Driritiki indicate that branchlets are used for stirring drinks (see under R. pubiflora).

    This species belongs to a complex of three closely related species, Rinorea flavescens, R. falcata and R. camptoneura. In R. flavescens the ovary is glabrous (or nearly so), whereas those of the other two species are densely hairy. Only R. camptoneura has domatia on the under side of the leaves. Their differences are discussed in more detail under R. falcata.

    Rinorea flavescens has often been confused with R. pubiflora by various 19th century authors, because they did not know the differences between the species. This confusion results from the fact that Aublet (1775) described Conohoria flavescens only from flowering specimens and Passoura guianensis (=R. pubiflora) only from fruiting specimens. Therefore most of these authors united both taxa under the name of one or the other of the two species. Bentham (1842) tried to unravel this confusion by describing a new species A. pubiflora based on specimens of R. H. Schomburgk 573 and by enumerating the other one as A. flavescens with the two collections R. H. Schomburgk 119 & 336, of which both, however, consisted of a mixture of R. flavescens and R. pubiflora (sic!). The description and illustration of A. flavescens in Oudemans (1867a, 1867b) and probably also the cited specimen Martin s.n. refer rather to R. pubiflora than to R. flavescens. Further confusion was caused by Grisebach (1861) (‘1864’) citing A. flavescens as occurring in Trinidad, based on the specimen Crueger) s.n. (=5903?), which actually belongs to R. riana.

    Distribution and Ecology: It is common in the understory of primary and secondary tropical rain forests from sea level up to submountainous areas, from 0 to 700 m. Specimens have been collected on hill slopes, in gullies and along rivers, streams and creeks. Along rivers in lowlands it inhabits uninundated areas as river dunes and ridges as well as periodically flooded areas. It grows in quartzitic, bauxitic, ferro-lateritic, clayish or sandy soils, mostly deficient in such nutrients as P, Ca, K, Mg, Cu, B, Mn, Zn, but with a high percentage of Al (Monsalve 278, Colombia, Valle del Cauca). Flowering and fruiting throughout the year. Mainly spread over Amazonia (Brazil, Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru), adjacent Upper Orinoco area and the Guianas. A disjunct population occurs in NW Colombia, N and W of the eastern Cordilleras, including the forest refugia: Chocó, Nechí, and Santa Marta.

  • Common Names

    Oo-ma-he-o, Palo duro, Doi-Yo-ki, Kurumota, Kurun-mota-yek, Baridi kut(ch)i, Ifa-kut(ch)i, Mamusaré, Shero, Shipiye, Akami(e) Koerraré, Akamie eknoerarsi, Bar(r)ikoet(j)i, Baririkoti, Bariri-kuti, Dreeritiki, Driltiki, Driritiki, Drilstokje, Gankikisè, Koerrarè, Lèle, Lèle-tiki, Mamoedoemmi(e), Mamoedoemni, Namoedoe-mi, Namuduni, âyû, Barririkoti, Bois lèlè, Boumbikidia, Conohorie, Conori, Lèle-tiki, Pareban Kamwi, Pare Banwi , Canela de Garça, Jacamín renepeá, Takit, Tsachira kumpari, Yutabanco

  • Distribution

    Colombia South America| Amazonas Colombia South America| Vaupés Colombia South America| Chocó Colombia South America| Valle Colombia South America| Vaupés Colombia South America| Venezuela South America| Amazonas Venezuela South America| Bolívar Venezuela South America| Apure Venezuela South America| Guyana South America| Suriname South America| French Guiana South America| Ecuador South America| Pastaza Ecuador South America| Peru South America| Amazonas Peru South America| Loreto Peru South America| Brazil South America| Amapá Brazil South America| Amazonas Brazil South America| Pará Brazil South America| Rio de Janeiro Brazil South America|