Rinorea deflexiflora Bartlett

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 deflexiflora Bartlett

Type

Type. Guatemala. Izabal: Livingston, 18 Feb 1905 (fl), Deam 61 (holotype, HH; isotypes, F, MICH, MO, US).

Synonyms

Rinorea gentlei Lundell

Description

Species Description - Tree or treelet 1.5-15 m tall. Branchlets sometimes purplish with whitish callose lenticels when dried, older branchlets becoming grayish, sparsely golden to whitish pilosulous when young, glabrescent when older. Leaves apparently opposite, sometimes also ternate; petioles (l-)2-8 mm long, golden hispidulous above, golden strigose beneath when young, glabrescent when older; stipules deciduous, deltoid, acuminate, 2.5-6 x 1-3.25 mm, herbaceous, sparsely golden to whitish strigose along the costa, ciliolate; lamina (narrowly) ovate, acuminate, (1.5-)3-21.5 x (0.5-)1-10 cm, herbaceous to papery, glabrous on both sides; costa above sparsely golden to whitish pilosulous, golden strigose to glabrescent beneath; domatia present, whitish to brownish pi-lose(ulous); lateral veins 7-14 (acumen excluded); tertiary venation reticulate to ± scalariform; base rounded to cuneate, asymmetric, oblique, subcordate to subauriculate at the petiole; margin (sub)crenate or (sub)serrate to subentire, mucronulate, ciliolate near the base; acumen (0-)0.5-3.5 cm long, apex subobtuse to subacute, often mucronulate. Inflorescences axillary, lateral and subterminal, solitary, racemose, (1-)2-6.5 x 0.60.8 cm; central axis golden pilosulous; 'pedicels’ 1.5-6 mm long, articulate at 1/3 from the base, sparsely golden pilosulous; bracts and bractlets more or less ovate, herbaceous, golden pilosulous, costate, strongly veined, ciliolate, apex subacute, mucronulate; bracts 1.5-2 x 1-1.75 mm, costate, 5-7 veined; bractlets subaltemate to subopposite, 1-1.5 x 0.5-1 mm. Flower buds ovoid, conical or tolpoid, subobtuse to subacute. Flowers deflexed, whitish or creamy. Sepals unequal, (ob)ovate to ellipsoid, 1.25-2 x 0.75-1.5 mm, herbaceous, scarious near the margin, golden strigose along the costa, obscurely 3-9 veined, margin ciliolate, apex (sub)entire, sometimes mucronulate. Petals narrowly elliptic to ovate, 3.25-4.25 x 1.5-2 mm, herbaceous, sparsely golden pilose when young, glabrescent when older, margin sparsely ciliolate, apex obtuse to subacute, sometimes sparsely pilosulous. Stamens 2.75-3.75 mm long; filaments free, 1.25-1.5 x 0.1-0.25 mm, glabrous; dorsal glands free, surrounding the basal part of the filaments, 0.250.75 x 0.1-0.25 mm, carnose, glabrous, apex obtuse, rounded, truncate or emarginate; anthers ovoid, 0.75-1.25 x 0.25-0.75 mm, glabrous, apex of thecae obtuse to subacute, unappendaged; connective outside, narrowly ovate, deltoid, elliptic or linear, obtuse, 0.5-1.25 x 0.1-0.25 mm, glabrous; connective scales lateral as well as apical, ovate, 1.5-2.25 x 0.5-1 mm, scarious, brownish, margin erose to lacerate, apex obtuse to rounded, (sub)erose. Ovary (sub)globose, 0.75-1.25 x 0.75-1 mm, golden villose; ovules two, occasionally three per placenta. Style filiform, erect to slightly curved, 2.25-2.75 mm long, exceeding the stamens by 0.2-0.6 mm, occasionally pilosulous at the base; stigma truncate. Capsule more or less symmetric, ellipsoid, shortly acuminate, coriaceous to subligneous, green when fresh, golden hirtellous, veined; valves three, (sub)equal, 1.5-2 x 0.5-0.75 cm. Seeds two per valve, subglobose, 2-5 mm in diam., golden hirtellous.

Discussion

Rinorea deflexiflora differs from R. dasyadena and R. lindeniana mainly by: (1) leaf bases distinctly oblique and subauriculate at the petiole; (2) domatia present (wanting to scarcely present in R. dasyadena; always wanting in R. lindeniana); (3) pedicels 1.5-6 mm long (versus 1-3 mm long); (4) flowers distinctly deflexed (in both other species drooping); (5) filaments longer than 1 mm and longer than the anthers (versus shorter than 1 mm and shorter than the anthers); and (6) style 2.25-2.75 mm long (versus 1.25-2 mm long).

Distribution and Ecology: This species is endemic in Central America over a range from SE Mexico to the eastern border of Panama. Specimens have been collected in SE Mexico (forest refuge Las Tuxtlas), Belize, Guatemala (Vera Paz, Pacífico), Nicaragua (forest refuge Chiriquí) and Panama (forest refuge Darien). The localities of Belize and Guatemala belong to the forest refuge area of Guatemala-North. The species has a scattered occurrence in the understory of those evergreen wet tropical forests which have a pronounced dry period (e.g., during the period December-April in Costa Rica). It is sometimes also collected in disturbed or secondary forests. It grows on slopes of hills and lower mountains or along rivers, streams and creeks, from 0 to 500 m. The soil in Central America is unknown, but in SE Mexico it was collected on karst limestone (Th. Wendt, 1983, information). Flowering and fruiting specimens collected during the period February-May; also flowering in November; probably fruiting in December. Little flowering has been reported during extremely dry periods.

Common Names

wild coffee

Distribution

Mexico North America| Oaxaca Mexico North America| Veracruz Mexico North America| Guatemala Central America| Izabal Guatemala Central America| Belize Central America| Cayo Belize Central America| Stann Creek Belize Central America| Nicaragua Central America| Chontales Nicaragua Central America| Costa Rica South America| Alajuela Costa Rica Central America| Guanacaste Costa Rica Central America| Heredia Costa Rica Central America| Limón Costa Rica Central America| Puntarenas Costa Rica Central America| Panama Central America| Darién Panamá Central America|